Are Your Gutters Leaking?
Gutters are very important because – although they are simple and relatively inexpensive – they protect more valuable home investments, such as the roof, foundation and windows. Maintaining and cleaning gutters is an easy way to prevent your house from damages.
And it’s a lot simpler than you might think.
Identifying a leak in your gutters early can protect your entire house. Here, we’ve provided a few signs that you can be on the lookout for (without hiring a roof specialist) to see if your gutters may be leaking.
How to Identify Leaking Gutters
There are a lot of signs that suggest leaking gutters, even if you don’t notice water dripping. You can do an inspection from the ground to determine if the signs of a gutter leak are present.
Here’s what to look for:
Obvious Flaws – When gutters start to pull away from the house, it causes stress on the fasteners. Cracks can be the result of faulty installation, low quality materials, damage or age. Cracks in the gutter or seeing any section of them pulling away from the roofing might not be causing a leak just yet, but these things will certainly lead to issues. Getting these defects fixed is affordable than installing new gutters or any of the possible damages a leak can lead to.
Pooling Water – If water is pooling around your home, it’s a sign that a gutter leak is present. You should also check underground pipes, water spigots and any other water source that is near your home, just in case.
Pooling water near your home can be harmful for the foundation. It’s also bad for landscaping and can cause windows to leak.
Dripping – One of the most visible signs of gutter leaks is a drip, or several drips.
A drip coming from your gutter could indicate a clog, but if it’s coming from the bottom and it isn’t overflowing, there is an unseen leak somewhere. These minor leaks can happen if a fastener has gotten loose (see the next item below).
Visible Fasteners – Seeing nails and screws working their way out of the rain gutters means a leak will start soon, if it hasn’t already. The hole where the nail or screw fits becomes a new area where water can get out if the fastener starts to fall out.
Sometimes the solution is as easy as refastening them, but it could also be important to seal the hole so no water can leak from around the screw or the nail, even after it is tightened again. You can buy this sealant, or let a gutter repair company put it on.
Water Stains or Rust – Water leaves evidence behind, especially if it is consistently or frequently present. Darker water stains will appear because dirt and other debris stick to the moist surface better than it would a dry one.
Rust is the product of nearly constant moisture, and the more extreme sign you’ll see after you see water stains. Most water stains on gutters can be cleaned and the gutters can be repaired, but if your gutters are rusty, they will definitely have to be repaired or be replaced.
Unexplained Home Damage – If there hasn’t recently been a severe storm, and you haven’t had a limb fall on top of your roof, but you’re beginning to notice paint flaking, cracking in the foundation around the downspouts or walkways, rotting wood on your porch or deck, or moldy window sills, you might have leaking gutters.
These are all indications that water has been leaking from somewhere it shouldn’t be. They also go hand in hand with older building materials, so all of these factors need to be factored in when inspecting gutters for leaks.
Other gutter issues…
Not all gutter issues lead to major repairs. If you see these gutter issues, a gutter leak may not be the issue.
Rain Overflow – This one is a pretty simple fix. It’s likely not a leak, but a clog that should be removed. You can do this or hire a Hickory gutter cleaning company – or even a general handyman – to clean out the gutters.
Animal Nests – A small bird, squirrel, chipmunk can build a nest in your gutters or in your downspout, which will also cause overflow. Once the nest has been there for a little while, you will start to see some of the above signs of a leak in a gutter – like rust or pooling – if you don’t get rid of it.
Trees & Plants – A tree can take root in your rain gutter with minimal debris present. While it may be small now, a sapling will sprout strong roots that can damage aluminum gutters before you even know it.
Professional Gutter Repair
Any of these obvious signs indicate there are issues with your gutter that have to be addressed right away. By quickly checking all of your gutters and downspouts, you can tell if there’s a cause for concern.
This is when a professional gutter service in Hickory can be of great help. They can determine whether gutter replacement is required or if you can get by with repairs to lengthen the lifetime of your gutters. Sometimes, gutter cleaning is the only thing that’s needed.
Homeowners can decide to do simple gutter care and maintenance, such as gutter cleaning, themselves. Although it is time consuming and somewhat dangerous, they are willing 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 service with good customer reviews like Clean Home Gutters. Then let us do a full inspection to correctly diagnose the issue. We provide free inspections for new customers.
If there are gutter repairs to be made, or if we feel that it’s time to install new gutters, you can trust us to get the job done. Our gutter repair service can save you a lot of time and trouble in the long run!