Are Your Gutters Leaking?
Rain Gutters are really important because – despite being simple and inexpensive – they protect valuable home investments, such as the roof, foundation and windows. Maintaining and cleaning rain gutters is an easy way to help protect your house from major damages.
And it’s a lot simpler than you probably think.
Spotting a leak in your gutters early can protect an entire house. In this blog post, we’ve provided a few indicators that you can look for (without calling a roofer) to see if you have a gutter leaking.
How to Identify Leaking Gutters
There are several signs that suggest leaking gutters, even if you don’t actually see water dripping. You can do an inspection from the safety of your lawn to determine if the signs of a gutter leak are there.
Here are some things to keep an eye out for:
Obvious Flaws – When gutters start to pull away from the house, it causes stress on the connectors. Cracks can be the result of poor installation, poor quality materials, storm damage or age. Cracks in the gutter or seeing any part of them pulling away from the roofing may not be causing a leak just yet, but will ultimately cause issues. Having these defects repaired is much more affordable than replacing gutters or any of the damages a leak can lead to.
Pooling Water – If water is pooling around your house, it’s a sign that a gutter leak is probably present. You should also check underground pipes, water spigots and any other water source that is close to your home, just to be sure.
Pooling water around your home can be very damaging for the foundation. It’s also bad for landscaping and can cause windows to leak.
Drips – One of the most visible signs of a leaking gutter is a drip, or several drips.
A drip coming from your gutter indicates a clog, but if it’s coming from the bottom and it isn’t overflowing, there is a hidden leak. These tiny leaks can occur if a fastener has become loose (see the next item below).
Visible Fasteners – Finding nails and screws working their way out of the rain gutters likely means a leak is going to start soon, if it hasn’t already. The hole where the nail or screw fits in starts to become a new area where water can get out if the fastener starts to fall out.
Sometimes the solution is as simple as refastening them, but it may also be important to cover the hole so no more water can escape from around the screw or nail, even after it is back in place. You can purchase this sealant, or let a gutter repair company apply it.
Water Stains or Rust – Water leaves evidence behind, especially when it is constantly or frequently there. Darker water stains appear because dirt and other organic debris adhere 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 you see water stains. Most water stains on gutters can be cleaned and the gutters can be repaired, but if the gutters are rusty, they will definitely need to be repaired or replaced.
Unexplained Home Damage – If there hasn’t recently been a storm, and you haven’t had a tree limb fall on top of your roof, but you’re starting to see paint flaking, cracking in the foundation or walkways, decaying wood on your patio or deck, or moldy window sills, you could 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 aging 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 home repairs. If you see these common gutter issues, a leak might not be the issue.
Rain Overflow – This issue is typically an easy fix. It’s probably not a gutter leak, but a clog that should be cleaned out. You can do this yourself or hire a Rochester gutter cleaning service – or even a general handyman – to clean out the gutters.
Animal Nests – A bird, squirrel, chipmunk can quickly build a nest in your gutters or in your downspout, which will also cause overflow. Once the nest has been there awhile, you will start seeing 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 little debris present. While it may be little now, a sapling will sprout strong roots that can destroy aluminum gutters before you even know it.
Professional Gutter Repair
Any of these easy-to-see signs indicate there are problems with your rain gutter that need to be addressed right away. By checking all of your gutters and downspouts, you can tell if there’s a reason for concern.
This is when a gutter service in Rochester can be of great help. They can distinguish if gutter replacement is necessary or if you can get by with repairs to lengthen the life of your gutters. Sometimes, basic gutter cleaning is all that’s needed.
Homeowners can decide to do simple gutter care, such as gutter cleaning, themselves. Although it is time consuming and dangerous, they are ready to complete the project 1-2 times each year to save a little money.
However, any job beyond gutter cleaning should be left to the professionals.
Start by finding a gutter service with excellent customer reviews like Rochester Gutters, Inc.. Then let us do a full inspection to correctly determine the issue. We provide free inspections for new customers.
If there are any gutter repairs to be made, or if we think 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!