Fifteen Inches of Rain A Year… It’s Enough to Need Good Rain Gutters!
Albert Hammond’s song “It Never Rains in Southern California” hit #5 on the U.S. Billboard Top 20 in 1972. The ballad reflected the promise of achieving fame and fortune in the Golden State and, at the same time, the slim chance most artists have of realizing success in music, film, and television. The song exaggerated the lack of rainfall in the region, of course. It does rain in Southern California, albeit, not much!
The Los Angeles area gets about 12-15 inches of rain a year– about one-third the amount of annual precipitation in New York City. Nevertheless, gutters are a critical part of protecting Southern California homes and buildings from rain and moisture damage.
By channeling water off a roof and into gutters and downspouts, a properly installed rain gutter system saves property owners the expense and headaches of dealing with water damage to parts of their home’s wood roof framing, fascia, and soffits. But that’s not the only risk of not having gutters or neglecting gutter maintenance. When rainwater is allowed to flow freely over roof eaves, it causes erosion along its points of impact with the ground, potentially leading to seepage through the building foundation, not to mention adversely impacting flower beds and expensive landscaping. Our local rainfall may not compare to the Amazon jungle, but even 15 inches per year, or just a few days of heavy downpours, can inflict the damage described above! Rain gutters installed by SoCal roofing can save thousands of dollars by preventing water damage.
Here are some of the factors of not having a working rain gutter system:
Bad Gutter, Bad News… SoCal Gets Gutters Right
- Gutters which are clogged by unaddressed build-up of fallen leafs, pine needles, asphalt shingle granules and other debris will back-up and spillover, water-logging wooden parts of the roof eaves.
- Missing or misaligned gutters are unsightly and negatively impact a home or building’s curb appeal and market value.
- Rainwater that is not directed away from the home eventually cuts paths of least resistance frequently finding a way behind siding and walls, or seeping underground to enter cracks in foundations.
- Missing or dysfunctional gutters can soak common areas around a home or building, compromising decorative landscapes and outdoor furnishings.
- Leaking gutters can “pool” water in areas creating a breeding ground for insects.
- A faulty gutter system can lead to stoppages that leave water and moisture atop the roof, causing unsightly, streaky patterns of discoloration from algae and bacteria known as gloeocapsa magma.
Home and business owners in the Greater Los Angeles area who don’t have a sound, functioning gutter system need a roofing specialist with the right skillset to correct any problems before water damage leads to expensive moisture remediation measures. SoCal specializes in gutter systems here in Southern California.
We are licensed under the State of California Contractors State License Board. Our license number is 032698. We’re a Certainteed Weather Stopper Certified Contractor, and Owens Corning Preferred Contractor, and a member of the Whittier Area Chamber of Commerce.