Building Green with Proper Gutter Protection

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) March 18, 2010 -- By Tim Croll, Director of Strategic Sales, Monzi, LLC

As most dealers know, there is far more to green building than the use of environmentally-friendly products.
Proper green building in today’s world requires a mindset that views every home, building and facility as a self-contained eco-system. As a result, the overall goal of all green building includes the desire to improve the performance of a structure, while enhancing durability, lowering maintenance needs and creating a healthier and more comfortable environment for all occupants.

However, there are few obstacles that consistently and constantly challenge these objectives more aggressively than moisture. In fact, rainwater, if left unchecked and not properly funneled away from homes and buildings, can:

• Increase stormwater runoff leading to overflows that cause landscaping erosion
• Cause roof water overflows that may eventually cause foundation cracking
• Produce biological pollutants such as mold and
• Create conditions that invite insects, vermin and other pests to feed and nest

As a result, an important component of green building, but one that is all too frequently overlooked, is gutter protection. The fact is that few homeowners, building supervisors and facility managers truly understand the full value of systems that dependably direct the flow of water away from roof eaves, walls and foundations.

Even if cleaned regularly, gutters can become clogged with any number of obstacles ranging from twigs, leaves, pine needles, seeds and acorns to animal and pest remains. Consequently, this debris can not only prevent the free flow of water from properties as well as create a moisture-filled breeding ground for pests, it can also cause any number of structural problems.

However, studies have recently defined the importance of reliable and tested gutter protection products, which ensure water and fine particulates flow freely through gutter valleys and out downspouts, while preventing obstructions from entering the system. First of all, properly maintained and monitored gutters can help prevent the formation of heavy sludge pockets that cause sags as well as rooftop seepage from entering foundations and other areas to form cracks and cause all other types of water-related damage.

In addition, another consideration is the threat posed to indoor air quality. This is because clogged gutters can cause moisture to build up and create mold accumulations in drywall, sub-floors, carpets and rooftops. Subsequently, quality and enduring gutter protection systems, such as the family of Leaf Defier® products from Monzi LLC, have been shown to improve the interior environmental quality of structures by consistently directing water flow away from structures and helping to reduce the penetration of moisture into building envelopes.

green building     gutter protection     leaf defier     monzi