Moisture around your foundation damages your home and leads to termites, fungus and mold. Making sure your downspouts are draining water away from your foundation is a way to avoid serious moisture damage and termite infestations.
When water pools around your foundation from your downspouts, it creates moisture that can lead to termites, rotten wood, fungus, and mold. Downspouts work with gutters to collect water falling on your roof. The water comes down from the roof, into your gutters, and through your downspouts. The water flows out the end of the downspout.
Where that water lands can be the difference between a dry foundation and/or crawl space and a wet one with termites, rotten wood, fungus, and mold. This can happen in your home or any commercial building. Termites are attracted to moisture.
If you don’t have downspouts or they are too short on the end, water can pool around your foundation. The water can work its way into the wood, go below the cement and hit the soil underneath. It creates moisture problems, that can rot the wood, and the moisture will attract termites. Having downspouts that divert water away from your foundation can aid in moisture control.
All downspouts and areas around your home should be checked regularly. Typical areas at risk for moisture:
- The area where your garage door’s wooden frame meets the concrete on your driveway.
- Around the frames of your exterior doors.
- Where your foundation meets your patio.
- In the soil below where your deck meets the house.
- Anywhere there is a short downspout or no downspout.
- Where water typically overflows the gutters.
- In the mulch or soil right up against your foundation.
The solution to this problem is to keep the water away from your home or business. There are two basic options:
- Do It Yourself (DIY) by the homeowner, business owner, or homeowner’s association: The moisture can be easily avoided by installing a downspout extender. These can be bought at a hardware store and cut to size. They should extend at least 4 feet from the downspout.
- By a professional: In the problem areas, part of the wood frame can be cut at the bottom and a sealant used, so the wood is not in contact with the soil.
Now that you’ve taken steps to prevent the moisture, you should inspect your gutters and downspouts to prevent future issues. It’s always a good idea to:
- Remove leaves and debris from gutters.
- Check downspouts to make sure they are not clogged with debris. Even bird nests!
- Check the area around the extended downspout to make sure the area is not sinking or deteriorating and needs to be elevated.
- Keep plants and climbing vines clear of downspouts as they can grow into them and crack them.
- Have the ground leading from the downspout slope at least one inch per foot.
- Have screens in downspout connections from the gutter to block large debris.
- When you have a roof inspection done, have your downspouts and gutters inspected.
Moisture goes hand in hand with Decay and Termite damage. Termites are attracted to moisture, and termites cause billions of dollars in damage annually. Unfortunately, the damage is often not covered by most homeowner insurance policies.
The best way to prevent moisture and keep it from leading to termite, fungus, and mold damage is to be proactive and inspect your home regularly for signs of moisture. Bottom line. Keep the water flowing away from your home or business’s foundation.
If you want to prevent moisture from becoming a problem or you already have a problem, call the experts at PESTOUT. We are a full-service pest control company that specializes in moisture prevention and damage. We can come out and inspect your property and provide you with a plan to keep your foundation and crawl space dry. At PESTOUT, we have a termite treatment program that follows a complete and powerful regimen to exterminate termites quickly and permanently from your home.
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