The purpose of your gutters is to carry water away from your home. But when your gutters are clogged, this water has no place to go, so instead, your gutters completely fill. Each gallon of water weighs about 8 pounds, and all that extra weight being stuck in your gutters can cause them to bend or tear away from the roof. Clogged gutters also create water leaks inside of your home. Water that gets trapped in the gutters can rot the wooden fascia boards that they are mounted to, allowing moisture inside of your home. As well, if you don’t have a waterproofed basement, the water that pours down your foundation can lead to a damp basement. This is caused by water seeping through your basement’s porous walls and floor. Insect infestations can also be caused by clogged gutters. The trapped and pooled water in your gutters are the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes, and damp mud and leaves are a great place for bees and wasps to build their nests. Water can cause mold and water damage, so the standing water inside of your gutters overtime can cause the wood to rot and mold to develop inside of your roof, attic, and walls of your home. Not only can all this damage occur, but you can also shorten the lifespan of your roof. When your gutters are clogged and your roof sustains damage every time it rains, the lifespan of your roof gets shorter and shorter.