Are Your Gutters Leaking?
Rain Gutters are important because – despite being simple and inexpensive – they protect valuable home components, such as the roof, foundation and windows. Maintaining and cleaning rain gutters is an easy way to help prevent your home from damages.
And it’s a lot simpler than you might think.
Identifying a leaking gutter early can protect your entire home. In this blog post, we’ve listed a few signs that you can look for (without hiring a roofer) to see if there is a leak in your gutters.
How to Identify a Gutter Leak
There are a number of signs that point to a leaking gutter, even if you don’t actually see water dripping. You can do a visual inspection from the safety of your ground to decide if the signs of a gutter leak are present.
Here’s what to keep an eye out for:
Visible Flaws – When gutters start to pull away from the house, it causes stress on the connectors. Cracks can be caused by poor installation, low quality materials, storm damage or age. Cracks in the gutter or seeing any part of them pulling away from the house may not be causing a leak yet, but these things will certainly lead to issues. Getting these defects fixed is a lot more affordable than replacing gutters or any of the damages a leak can lead to.
Pooling – If water is puddling around your house, it’s a possible 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 house, just to be sure.
Pooling water near your house can be very damaging for the foundation. It’s also bad for landscaping and can cause your windows to leak.
Dripping – One of the most obvious signs of a leaking gutter is a drip, or several of them.
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 a hidden leak. These minor leaks will happen if a fastener has become loose (see the next item below).
Visible Fasteners – Finding nails and screws working their way out of the gutters likely means a leak will start soon, if it hasn’t already. The hole where the nail or screw fits in becomes 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 can 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 buy this type of sealant, or let a gutter repair company apply it.
Water Stains or Rust – Moisture leaves evidence behind, especially when it is consistently or frequently present. Darker water stains appear because dirt and other debris stick to the wet surface better than on a drier one.
Rust is the result of nearly constant moisture, and the more severe sign you’ll notice after water stains. water stains on gutters can be cleaned away and the gutters fixed, but if gutters are rusty, they will 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 top of your roof, but you’re beginning to see paint flaking, cracking in the foundation or walkways, rotting wood on your porch or deck, or moldy window sills, you may have leaking gutters.
These are all indications that water has been leaking from somewhere it shouldn’t be. They also are related to older building materials, so all of these factors need to be considered when inspecting gutters for leaks.
Other gutter issues…
Not every gutter issue leads to home repairs. If you see these common gutter issues, a gutter leak may not be the problem.
Rain Overflow – This one is a pretty simple fix. It’s probably not a leak, but a clog that should be cleaned out. You can do this or hire a Youngstown gutter cleaning service – even a general handyman – to clean them out.
Animal Nests – A bird, squirrel, chipmunk can build a nest in your rain gutters or in your downspout, which will cause overflow. Once the nest has been there a while, you will start seeing some of the above signs of leaks – like rust or puddling – if you don’t get rid of it.
Trees & Plants – A tree can easily take root in your gutter with minimal debris present. While it may be little now, a sapling will sprout really strong roots that can destroy aluminum gutters before you even know it.
Professional Gutter Repair
Any of these obvious signs mean there are problems with your gutter that must be addressed immediately. By quickly checking your gutters and downspouts, you can see if there’s a cause for concern.
This is where a gutter service in Youngstown can be of great help. They can distinguish whether gutter replacement is necessary or if you can get by with repairs to extend the life of your gutters. Sometimes, gutter cleaning is all that’s needed.
Homeowners can decide to do simple gutter care, like gutter cleaning, on their own. Although it can be time consuming and somewhat dangerous, they are willing to complete the project a couple of times each year to save some money.
However, any job beyond gutter cleaning is best left to professionals.
Start by finding a gutter service with excellent customer reviews like ACE Gutters Inc.. Then let us do an inspection to accurately determine the problem. We offer free inspections for new customers.
If there are any repairs to be made, or if we feel that it’s time to install new gutters, you can count on us to get the job done right. Our gutter repair service will save you a lot of time and trouble in the long run!