Gutters, yay or nay?

[herbgeek]

We have a carpenter here today replacing some rotted wood trim with a composite product, and in the removal process, he discovered a lot of rot as well as an ant issue. The carpenter took down the gutter to do the work, and recommended that we keep the gutter off because he says the ants like the water there. Meanwhile my painter calls me (who recommended this carpenter) and says keeping the gutter off is a bad bad idea. But he doesn't want me to tell the carpenter that he said that.

So I went on the net to do some research, and there are a lot of good reasons to have gutters, but I'm finding that on sites that sell gutters. Hardly an independent view. I don't find anything about ants using gutters for transportation or moisture, so I don't know what to think.

What's your experience on gutters? Yes, no? For what its worth when we bought the house, there were none. There was a big groove at the ground level when the rain came off, but no basement leaking. We had them installed a number of years ago.

[Yossarian]

Do you have a basement? My basement gets wet if my gutters overflow and I would guess the same thing would happen if I didn't have them. If you are on a slab or have different drainage maybe it's a different result.

[catherine]

Huh.... when we bought the foreclosed house next door for my MIL/BIL, we also had the gutters taken down for structural reasons, and meant to get them up again quickly. Well, BIL isn't that proactive with stuff that that, and I have my own house chores to attend to, so now the gutters are STILL off 3 years later. My fear is that the run-off (we/he also have a big groove where the water fell) will eventually crack the foundation, but I have no proof.

I'm certainly far from an expert, but I just figure that gutters are there for a reason. I'll be interested in what others say.

[CathyA]

I think most of the time gutters are a good idea.......unless they aren't installed correctly. Water shouldn't stay in them.

[goldensmom]

I think most of the time gutters are a good idea.......unless they aren't installed correctly. Water shouldn't stay in them.

I agree. Properly installed gutters do not hold water, they are angled so the water runs into the downspout and away from the foundation. I've never heard of ants in gutters/gutter water. We have gutters on the house, the barns and the out buildings and I don't remember a time not having gutters. Gutters keep water from running off the roof and getting into the foundation.

[Rosemary]

I hated not having gutters when we lived in AZ. Granted, it doesn't rain as often there as many places - but when it does, it really pours, and the rain just ran off all over the house and splashed mud all over everything. Yay, gutters!

[IshbelRobertson]

We have gutters. But then in Scotland the rain is almost incessant!

[Rogar]

I have always been under the impression that the reason for gutters it to keep water run off away from the foundation. I lived in a house a while back that had eves that extended away from the house, and thus the foundation, more than most. It didn't have gutters and definitely saved some upkeep time.

[Gregg]

I think most of the time gutters are a good idea.......unless they aren't installed correctly. Water shouldn't stay in them.

That's what it boils down to. Gutters preform an important function by getting water away from your house, especially the foundation. To do that they have to be put up correctly and maintained. Leaf screens are very helpful when it comes to maintenance. Most problems I've run into over the years started when debris, usually leaves, built up in the gutters.

[San Onofre Guy]

I put up gutters in southern California in order to channel water away from the house. I have a raised foundation and in periods of heavy rain I would have a lake under the house which isn't good. I removed the gutters last fall so we could paint the trim. I spraypainted them on Saturday and installed a portion of them yesterday. I have to add that I also have four wine barrels that I am halfway through converting to rain barrels. I have the capacity to store 250 gallons of water that pours off the roof and into the storm drains.

Here in California the highest use of electricity is to pump water hundreds of miles from source over the mountains to where the need is. When we get heavy rains one cannot go in the ocean for a few days due to pollution from run off. One of the best methods to save water, save electricity and keep pollution levels low is to keep as much water that falls on your property on your property. Don't let it run off.