Why September Is the Best Month to Clear Your Gutters and Protect Your Basement
September has a way of sneaking up on Northeast Ohio homeowners. The kids are back in school, the evenings are cooling off, and it is easy to put outdoor chores on the back burner. But this is actually one of the best times of year to look at your gutters and downspouts before autumn rains and falling leaves put your basement at risk.
Why September Matters for Your Drainage System
Once the leaves start coming down in Cleveland, Akron, Canton, and Wooster, they end up in your gutters whether you want them there or not. A gutter packed with wet leaves cannot move water where it needs to go. Instead of directing rain away from your foundation, a clogged gutter often sends it spilling straight down the side of your house and pooling right where you do not want it, next to your basement walls.
Doc Garrett has seen this pattern play out for decades. Since 1957, our team has helped Northeast Ohio families avoid the fall basement flooding that starts with something as simple as a clogged gutter or a downspout that empties too close to the house.
What Happens When Drainage Fails
When water is not carried far enough away from your foundation, it soaks into the soil right next to your basement walls. Northeast Ohio’s clay heavy soil does not drain quickly, so that water tends to sit and press against your foundation instead of moving on. Over time this pressure can force moisture through cracks, joints, and porous concrete, leading to damp walls, musty odors, or standing water on your basement floor.
Three Things to Check This Month
Clean your gutters and downspouts before the leaves pile up. A clogged system cannot protect your home no matter how well it was installed.
Make sure downspouts extend at least six feet away from your foundation. If water is landing right next to your house, it is finding its way back to your basement.
Walk your foundation after the next rain and look for pooling water or damp patches. Catching a problem in September is a lot easier than dealing with it in December.
If your downspouts need repair or extension, our downspout drainage services are built to keep water moving where it belongs. And if you are already seeing dampness or efflorescence on your basement walls, it may be time for a closer look at your foundation before winter arrives.
Get Ahead of Fall Before It Gets Ahead of You
Northeast Ohio’s wettest months are still ahead, and the work you do now on your gutters and drainage can make a real difference in how dry your basement stays through the rest of the year. Doc Garrett has the cure for basement moisture problems, and after almost seventy years in Northeast Ohio, we know exactly what this season brings.
Contact Garrett Basement Waterproofing Inc. today for a free, friendly, and honest estimate. Serving Cleveland, Akron, Canton, and Wooster.
Cleveland (440) 836-4990 | Akron (330) 825-6100 | Canton (330) 494-0259
Wooster (330) 262-9332 | Toll Free (800) 686-2848