There are many considerations to install your new gutters. You probably don’t spend your days thinking about the health of your gutters. If you’re like most people, you don’t think about them at all! Unless, of course, something goes wrong. So why are gutters so important, and why should you pay attention to them?

Gutters serve one primary purpose; to channel water away from the foundation of your home. Therefore, it’s essential to keep your foundation in good shape since it holds up your entire home. To keep water away from the foundation, your gutters need to be kept in good condition. That’s a pretty good reason to make sure they’re in good condition.

Even though many kinds of oversights can happen during a rain gutter installation, there are some common mistakes that beginners tend to make each time:

From ground level, a sound rain gutter installation looks like straight lines. However, for water to correctly flow to the downspouts and not overflow the channels, gutters must be slightly pitched approximately ¼ inch per 10 feet. Forgetting this defeats the whole purpose of having a rain gutter system.

Most people think that gutters must hang right on the edge of the roof because water spills from the border right into the gutter, right? Wrong. Because of what is known as capillary action, water runs behind gutters that hang too high. To prevent this from happening, gutters should hang slightly lower than the roof or else risk damaging the fascia board.

If you want to keep the foundation of your home dry, you have to keep your gutters from leaking. As most professionals will tell you, the seams are the cause of most leaks. Improperly welded seams can cause water to escape, which is why you have to pay close attention when you weld them together. If you have the option, choose seamless gutters over sectional gutters to avoid this issue altogether.

If seams are the weakest parts of your gutter, and they seem likely to crack, leak, and clog, then it is in your best interest to craft gutters that are with as few seams as possible. Again, if you can afford it, it’s worth it to choose seamless gutters to avoid this.

Some materials for rain gutters are sturdier than others, but you always must handle them with care. It is vital to choose vinyl or aluminum gutters; they can dent easily from falling or if they’re accidentally hit with ladders or other tools. A dented gutter is useless and would need to be replaced.

Choosing the right gutter type for your home is extremely important. Still, many inexperienced homeowners can find the selection process particularly daunting considering the wide range of options there are in the market. In addition, since the durability and effectiveness of rain gutters are almost entirely dependent on this decision, a wrong choice could render the installation and system useless.