Cleveland State University is currently putting funds in place to restore a popular rooftop garden that was constructed in 2009. The garden is an expansive 7,000 square feet and is home to 15,000 plants, and the redesign will help restructure the site to be more functional when it comes to hosting large events. A large rooftop garden raises some interesting questions when it comes to water damage restoration. Here is a rare case in which significant amounts of water on the roof is not only desirable but essential to sustain life. For the 99.9% of us who don’t have a plethora of plants covering our roof, the goal is quite the opposite – to keep water off of the roof and away from your property where it can’t get in and wreak havoc.  The most highly revered tool in the rooftop water diversion arsenal is the almighty rain gutter. Where do these devices come from and how can we harness their power? Let’s investigate.

The Goddess of Roman Sewage

The ancient Romans are generally credited with starting the widespread use of rain gutters. The Romans took their sewage and drainage very seriously. Cloacina, the goddess of the sewer, controlled the main sewage system in Rome.  While most of us hopefully do not deify our sewage these days, the rain gutter remains.  But no amount of prayer is going to make your rain gutters effective when they’re stuffed to the gills with twigs and leaves. In these harsh modern times you’ve got to roll up your sleeves, climb that ladder (safely, of course), and clean ‘em out yourself. Or you could always pay some other poor soul to do it. The important thing to remember is that your gutters should divert rain of off your roof as much as possible in the event of a storm.  So now that you’ve cleaned the gutters you can crack open a cold one and put your feet up, right? Wrong! You’ve forgotten the sacred downspout. The downspout carries the water off on the next leg of its journey. The downspout should extend as many feet away from your foundation as possible so the water doesn’t have a chance to seep into your basement.

Know When to Call a Professional

Even with gutters and downspouts working in a way that would make the Romans proud, rain leaks on your roof can still be a threat. Anytime that you notice a serious leak it’s definitely time to call a fully licensed water damage company. Even a small leak can cause serious damage if it goes unnoticed. The damage to your walls and floors is one thing to worry about, but something as seemingly innocent as a rain leak can threaten your health in the form of dangerous toxic mold. Don’t risk your property or your well-being.

Remember, assuming you don’t have a roof top garden your goal is to keep water off your roof using ancient tools and techniques. When these fail, as they often do, call in the professionals for water damage and roof repairs.