Are Your Gutters Leaking?
Gutters are really important because – despite being simple and inexpensive – they protect valuable home investments, such as the roof, foundation and windows. Caring for and cleaning gutters is an easy way to help protect your house from major damages.
And it’s much simpler than you probably think.
Identifying a leak in your gutters early can protect an entire house. In this blog post, we’ve provided a few indicators that you can be on the lookout for (without calling a roof specialist) to determine if you have a gutter leaking.
How to Identify a Leaking Gutter
There are a lot of warning signs that point to a leaking gutter, even if you don’t actually see water dripping. You can do a visual inspection from the lawn to determine if the signs of a gutter leak are present.
Here’s what to look for:
Obvious Flaws – When the gutters pull away from the home, it causes stress on the connectors. Cracks can be the result of faulty installation, poor quality materials, damage or age. Cracks in the gutter channel or seeing any section of them pulling away from the roof might not be causing a leak just yet, but these things will ultimately create problems. Getting these defects fixed is affordable than replacing gutters or any of the potential damages a leak can cause.
Pooling – If rain is puddling around your home, it’s a possible sign that a gutter leak is present. But you should also check underground pipes, water spigots and any other water source that is close to your home, just to be careful.
Pooling water around your home can be really bad for the foundation. It’s also bad for landscaping and might cause your windows to leak.
Drips – One of the most obvious signs of a leaking gutter is a drip, or several drips.
A drip coming from your rain gutter is likely a clog, but if it’s coming from the bottom of the gutter and it isn’t overflowing, there is a hidden leak somewhere. These tiny leaks will happen if a fastener has gotten loose (see the next item on our list).
Visible Fasteners – Finding nails and screws wiggling their way out of the rain gutters means a leak is going to begin soon, if it hasn’t already. The area where the nail or screw fits in becomes a new area where water can escape if the fastener works its way out.
Sometimes the answer is as easy as tightening them, but it may also be necessary to cover the hole so no more water can escape from around the screw or nail, even after it is tightened again. You can buy this type of sealant, or let a gutter repair company put it on.
Water Stains or Rust – Moisture leaves evidence behind, especially if it is constantly or frequently there. Dark water stains will appear because dirt and other organic materials stick to the moist surface better than it would a drier one.
Rust is the result of constant moisture, and the more extreme sign you’ll notice after water stains. water stains can be cleaned and the gutters fixed, but if gutters are rusty, they definitely need to be repaired or replaced.
Unexplained Home Damage – If there hasn’t been a severe storm, and you haven’t had a limb fall on your roof, but you’re beginning to notice paint flaking, cracking in the foundation or walkways, rotting wood on your patio or deck, or moldy window sills, you may have leaking gutters.
These are all signs that water has been leaking from somewhere it shouldn’t. They also are related to older building materials, so all of these factors need to be taken into account when inspecting gutters for leaks.
Other gutter issues…
Not all gutter issues lead to home repairs. If you see these gutter issues, a gutter leak may not be the issue.
Rain Overflow – This one is typically an easy fix. It’s likely not a gutter leak, but a clog that should be removed. You can do this yourself or hire a Warren gutter cleaning service – even a general handyman – to clean out the gutters.
Animal Nests – A bird, squirrel, chipmunk or other pest can quickly build a nest in your rain gutters or in your downspout, which can also cause overflow. Once the nest has been there a while, you will start seeing some of the above signs of a leak in a gutter – like rust or puddling – if you don’t get rid of it.
Trees & Plants – A tree can take root in your gutter with minimal debris present. While it may be little now, a tree sapling will sprout strong roots that can destroy aluminum gutters before you even know it.
Professional Gutter Repair
Any of these visible signs indicate there are problems with your gutter that must be addressed immediately. By checking your gutters and downspouts, you can tell if there’s a cause for concern.
This is where a professional gutter service in Warren can be of great help. They can determine if gutter replacement is required or if you can get by with repairs to extend the lifetime of your gutters. Sometimes, gutter cleaning is all that’s needed.
Homeowners can decide to do basic gutter care and maintenance, such as gutter cleaning, on their own. Although it it can be time consuming and somewhat dangerous, they are eager to take on the project 1-2 times each year to save a little money.
However, anything beyond simple gutter cleaning should be left to the professionals.
Start by calling a gutter specialist with excellent customer reviews like AllClean Gutters. Then let us do a full inspection to accurately diagnose the problem. We offer free inspections for potential customers.
If there are gutter repairs to be made, or if we believe that it’s time for gutter replacement, you can trust us to get the job done right. Our gutter repair service will save you a lot of time and trouble in the long run!