Gutter Extensions – Last, But Certainly Not Least When It Comes To Maintaining Your Home

Have you ever been waiting for something or someone, and heard the phrase last but not least? It’s a coy saying that doesn’t much take the sting from being the final one left. And, when it comes to the extensions that connect to your home’s gutters, it’s certainly not what you want to be saying.

Gutters As A System

Those extensions or downspout extensions play a critical role in your ensuring your gutters work. If you’ve read this blog before, you know think about gutters as a system. That system needs each piece to be both clear and attached to work. Based on my experience in COS Exterior Services cleaning gutters in Colorado Springs, Monument, Black Forest, and Peyton, I’ll cover how that system should work, give some tips to examine your extensions, and provide solutions to several common problems.

Here’s how gutters are designed to work. Rain (or as usually is the case for us in Southern Colorado, snow) hits your roof. From the roof, that water will run into your gutters, which should be angled to carry it toward the downspout. The water goes down the downspout (Thank God For Gravity or TFFG) and into the extensions at the bottom. Those extensions help carry the water away from your house, which is the whole purpose of your gutters! Enough explanation. Let’s head outside to see what problems you may have with those extensions.

Simple Ways To Check Your Gutter Extensions

The easiest way to check those extensions is with a visual inspection. By looking at them, you can get a decent idea of what kind of shape they are in – or if they aren’t there (more on that later). Do more than look at the outside though. With gloves and an appreciation for things that live in dark and damp places, check inside. If it’s clear – great. If not, use a stick or a brush to get any debris out that you can easily reach. Pro tip – after setting the extension piece back down on the ground, move anything right around the front of it, like leaves or rocks, away from the opening. By moving debris away from the opening, you’ll help water flow out easier from the extension.

A Few Common Problems

COS Exterior Services has cleaned thousands of square feet of gutters from Falcon to Black Forest, to Colorado Springs, and in Monument. With that experience, here are some of the issues I’ve seen with gutter extensions.

The Ghost

This problem happens when a homeowner doesn’t know where their downspout extension is or for how long it has been missing. Yikes! Without extensions, all the water that comes off your roof from rain and snow has no place to go. It will pool around your home’s foundation, which can cause damage over time. That water can also get into your siding. If you’re missing an extension, pick one up at the local hardware supply store.

The Full Freddy

If you’re named Fred or Freddy, take no offense to the name of this second problem. It’s the first word that came to mind when thinking about another frequent issue with gutters. While doing a recent gutter cleaning service in Colorado Springs, I noticed there wasn’t any water coming out of the extensions. After flushing the gutters out, I would have expected this. Up top everything was clear. There were no clogs at the downspout and so I went down to examine the extension. Sure enough – it was a case of the Full Freddy. The extension at the bottom was choked with dirt and leaves. And probably a few creepy crawlies. Ensuring the extensions are clear matters and if yours aren’t, see the section Simple Ways To Check Your Gutter Extensions.

The Flat Freddy

Any Freds out there – see the paragraph above. In keeping up with my alliteration theme, the third issue with extensions is flattened ones. This compaction means that both debris and water can’t flow out as intended. You’ll want to fix this issue, either by restoring their shape or by getting new extensions. To avoid your new gutter extensions from becoming a Flat Freddy, consider modifying them to easily hinge up. Kris The Specialist has a great video on this – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03bTHMTum24.

The Last Thing

Extensions play an important part in your gutters working correctly. Take the time today to examine them, fix any issues you find, and have the peace of mind that the last part of your home’s gutters are ready for winter. If COS Exterior Services can help with any of these home maintenance items, please give us a call at 719.401.5576 or use the simple contact form on our website.