Are Your Gutters Leaking?
Gutters are so important because – while they are simple and inexpensive – they protect valuable home assets, like the roof, foundation and windows. Taking care of and cleaning rain gutters is an easy way to help prevent your house from major damages.
And it’s a lot simpler than you might think.
Identifying a leak in your gutters early can protect your entire home. Below, we’ve provided a few signs that you can look for (without hiring a roof specialist) to see if your gutters may be leaking.
How to Identify Leaking Gutters
There are many warning signs that indicate a leaking gutter, even if you don’t actually notice water dripping. You can do an inspection from the lawn to determine if the signs of a gutter leak are present.
Here are some things to keep an eye out for:
Obvious Flaws – When the gutters pull away from the home, it stresses the connectors. Cracks can be caused by faulty installation, low quality materials, storm damage or age. Cracks in the gutter channel or seeing any part of them pulling away from the house might not cause a leak just yet, but will definitely create problems. Having these defects repaired is a lot more affordable than gutter replacement or any of the potential damages a leak can lead to.
Pooling Water – If water is puddling around your house, it’s a sign that a gutter leak is present. You should also check pipes, water spigots and any other water source that is near your home, just in case.
Pooling water by your home can be damaging for the foundation. It’s also bad for landscaping and could cause your windows to leak.
Dripping – One of the most visible signs of a leaking gutter is a drip, or several of them.
A drip coming from your rain gutter could indicate a clog, but if it’s coming from the bottom of the gutter and it isn’t a big overflow, there is a hidden leak somewhere. These tiny leaks can happen if a fastener has gotten loose (see the next item on our list).
Visible Fasteners – Finding nails and screws working their way out of the rain gutters likely means a leak will begin soon, if it hasn’t already. The hole where the nail or screw fits 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 tightening them, but it may also be necessary to seal the hole so no more water can escape from around the screw or nail, even after it is tightened again. You can buy this sealant, or let a gutter repair company apply it.
Water Stains or Rust – Water leaves behind evidence, especially if it is constantly or frequently there. Dark water stains appear because dirt and other 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 water stains. water stains on gutters can be cleaned away and the gutters can be repaired, 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 tree limb fall on your roof, but you’re starting to notice paint flaking, cracking in the foundation or walkways, decaying wood on your patio or deck, or mold on your window sills, you might have a gutter leak.
These are all indications that water has been leaking from a place it shouldn’t be. They also go hand in hand with aging building materials, so all of these factors should be considered when inspecting gutters for leaks.
Other gutter issues…
Not all gutter issues lead to major repairs. If you see these common gutter issues, a leak might not be the problem.
Rain Overflow – This one is usually an easy fix. It’s likely not a leak, but a clog that needs to be removed. You can do this yourself or hire a Chesapeake gutter cleaning company – or even a general handyman – to clean them out.
Animal Nests – A bird, squirrel, chipmunk or other pest can quickly build a nest in your gutters or in your downspout, which will 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 puddling – if you don’t get rid of it.
Trees & Plants – A tree can easily 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 know it.
Professional Gutter Repair
Any of these obvious signs mean there are problems with your gutter that need to 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 Chesapeake can be of great help. They can determine if gutter replacement is necessary or if you can get by with repairs to extend the life of your home’s gutters. Sometimes, basic gutter cleaning is the only thing that’s needed.
Homeowners can decide to do simple gutter care, such as gutter cleaning, themselves. Although it is time consuming and sometimes dangerous, they are ready to complete the chore a couple of 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 excellent customer reviews like Chesapeake Gutter Solutions. Then let us do a full inspection to correctly diagnose the problem. We provide free inspections for potential customers.
If there are repairs to be made, or if we feel that it’s time for gutter replacement, you can trust us to get the job done. Our gutter repair service will save you a lot of time and trouble in the long run!