The Importance of Healthy Rain Gutters

By Omer Okic, owner of Ultimate Exteriors · 28 years on Des Moines homes
Originally published October 2022 · Updated November 2026

Most people don't think about their gutters until they overflow. But rain gutters are one of the main things keeping water away from your home, and in a place with heavy summer storms and lots of snowmelt like Central Iowa, that matters.

They protect your siding and windows

Without gutters, rain pours off the roof edge and splashes back onto the siding. Over time that wears down paint, stains siding and pushes moisture into gaps around windows and doors, where it can rot trim and framing.

They protect your foundation and basement

This is the big one. When roof water isn't carried away, it soaks the soil right next to your foundation. That can lead to wet basements, cracked foundation walls and, over years, settling. Downspouts should discharge several feet from the house, onto ground that slopes away.

They protect your yard

Water sheeting off a roof digs trenches in flower beds, washes away mulch and soil and drowns plants. A good gutter system has a drainage plan, so water exits where it won't cause damage.

They help prevent ice dams

Clogged gutters hold water and ice at the roof edge in winter. Clean, properly pitched gutters, together with good attic ventilation, help prevent ice dams.

Keeping gutters healthy

• Clean them in late fall and spring, or add guards
• Make sure they slope toward the downspouts
• Check that hangers are tight and nothing sags
• Extend downspouts away from the foundation
• Replace gutters that leak at many joints or are too small

Signs yours need work are in If This Is Happening to Your Gutters, It's Time for Repairs.

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