Fall leaves look great on the trees. They are much less welcome on your roof.
As leaves begin falling across Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio, they can collect in gutters, valleys and other areas where water is supposed to move freely off a home.
At first, a few leaves may not seem like much of a roofing problem. But when enough debris builds up, it can change the way rainwater moves across your roof — and that can create problems as winter approaches.
Your Gutters Have One Important Job
Gutters are designed to collect water from the roof and move it safely away from your home.
When leaves, sticks and other debris clog that pathway, the water has nowhere to go.
Instead of flowing through the downspout, water may:
- Overflow the edge of the gutter
- Back up toward the roofline
- Spill against siding, windows or exterior walls
- Collect around the home's foundation
- Remain trapped in gutters as temperatures begin to fall
A clogged gutter is not simply a maintenance issue. It can become a roofing and water-management problem.
Leaves Can Collect on the Roof, Too
Your gutters are not the only place where fall debris accumulates.
Leaves can collect around:
- Roof valleys
- Chimneys
- Skylights
- Plumbing vents
- Dormers
- Low areas of the roof
These are already areas where water needs to move correctly.
A pile of wet leaves can hold moisture against the roofing material and slow drainage after rain. If that debris stays in place long enough, it can contribute to deterioration and make an existing roofing weakness more noticeable.
Fall Debris Can Become a Winter Problem
The bigger concern comes when temperatures begin dropping.
Debris that traps water in a gutter, valley or low area can repeatedly become wet, freeze and thaw.
Water expands when it freezes.
That repeated freeze-thaw cycle can place additional stress on roofing materials, gutters, flashings and other components that may already be aging or damaged.
The problem may have started with a pile of leaves in October but become a leak during winter.
Watch Your Roof During a Fall Rain
One of the easiest ways to spot drainage problems is simply to watch your home during a steady rain.
Look for gutters that are overflowing rather than draining through the downspouts.
Also watch for water pouring over one particular section of the roofline or collecting where it normally should not.
You do not need to climb onto the roof to do this. In fact, homeowners should avoid walking on wet or steep roofing surfaces.
Observing the roof safely from the ground can tell you quite a bit about whether water is moving properly.
Clean Gutters Are Only Part of the Solution
Cleaning leaves and debris is a good place to start, but recurring drainage problems may point to something else.
A roofing professional may find:
- Loose or damaged gutters
- Improper gutter slope
- Damaged flashing
- Deteriorated shingles near the roof edge
- Problems around valleys or penetrations
- Evidence that water has already reached areas where it should not
Finding those issues now gives you more options than discovering them after snow, ice or freezing temperatures arrive.
Do Not Let Fall Debris Follow You Into Winter
Fall creates a relatively short window between leaf season and prolonged freezing weather.
Use it.
Keeping leaves out of gutters and critical roof areas can help water leave your roof the way it was designed to — before cold weather makes small drainage problems more difficult to address.
If you are seeing overflowing gutters, unusual water flow or signs that moisture is getting where it should not, Commonwealth Roofing Corp. can help determine what is actually happening.
Sometimes the answer is simple maintenance. Sometimes a repair is needed. Either way, it is better to know before winter arrives.
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