Gutters take rain water and deposit it away from the base of your foundation and the side of your home, but what do you do when the water is being released in an inconvenient place? The easiest and most affordable solution is to add a gutter downspout diverter. As the name suggests, a downspout diverter diverts water away from a specific area. There are both unique and common situations to why you may want to add a gutter diverter – we’ll dive into them below!
Situation 1: Landscaping Placement
Are your trees and shrubs starting to look overwatered? It may be due to your gutter downspout placement. One of the most common signs of overwatering is yellowing of the plant without a feeling of dryness. If your gutters are releasing directly into your flowerbeds or behind a tree, we recommend adding a gutter downspout diverter to take the water to a more convenient area.
Situation 2: Flower Bed Placement
On the same note, if your gutters empty directly into a flower bed, you may be stuck picking up mulch, dirt, and gravel throughout your yard every time there is a storm. To mitigate that annoyance, add a gutter spout diverter and ensure the new placement won’t affect your flower beds.
Situation 3: Home and Foundation Placement
The main goal of adding gutters to your home is to carry water away from your home to prevent costly foundation and soil erosion, but surprisingly enough, sometimes with your current gutter setup, that job isn’t getting done. You can actually add a gutter diverter that significantly extends your downspout away from your home.
Situation 4: Rain Barrels
As many homes are making small changes to become more eco friendly, rain barrels for water storage are becoming more and more common. If you’re taking advantage of a rain barrel, consider adding a downspout diverter to make your water gathering more efficient. Without the use of a downspout when using a rain barrel you run into the risk of water spillage that can erode your foundation and soil – making the presence of gutters futile.
Situation 5: Air Conditioning Units
Occasionally the placement of your gutter downspout will match up with the placement of your air conditioning units which obviously can be a costly and dangerous combination. Luckily, most professional gutter installers will avoid a costly mistake like that, but if the gutters were installed before you moved into your home, you may not have had the needed oversight.
While downspout diverters can certainly work as a solution in a pinch, a team of professional gutter installers, like our team of experts at New Vision Exteriors will customize your gutter solution so you don’t run into any of the above mentioned issues. Give us a call today for all of your gutter needs!