Are Your Gutters Leaking?
Rain Gutters are important because – while they are simple and inexpensive – they protect valuable home components, such as the roof, foundation and windows. Caring for and cleaning rain gutters is an easy way to protect your house from damages.
And it’s really a lot easier than you might think.
Spotting a leaking gutter early can protect an entire house. Below, we’ve listed a few signs that you can look for (without calling a roof specialist) to see if your gutters are leaking.
How to Identify Leaking Gutters
There are several signs that indicate a leaking gutter, even if you don’t physically see water dripping. You can do an inspection from the safety of your 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 stresses the fasteners. Cracks can be the result of poor installation, low quality materials, storm damage or general wear and tear. Cracks in the gutter channel or seeing any section of them pulling away from the house might not cause a leak just yet, but these things will definitely cause issues. Having these defects repaired is a lot more affordable than gutter replacement or any of the potential damages a leak can cause.
Pooling Water – If rain 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 water source that is near your home, just to be sure.
Pooling water near your house can be very bad for the foundation. It’s also bad for landscaping and could cause windows to leak.
Drips – One of the most visible signs of gutter leaks is a drip, or several of them.
A drip from your rain gutter indicates a clog, but if it’s coming from the bottom and it isn’t a big overflow, there is an unseen leak. These minor leaks will happen if a fastener has become loose (see the next item below).
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 hole where the nail or screw fits becomes a new area where water can escape if the fastener works its way out.
Sometimes the solution is as easy as tightening them, but it could also be important to seal the hole so no more water can escape from the edge of the screw or the nail, even after it is tightened again. You can purchase this sealant, or let a gutter repair company put it on.
Water Stains or Rust – Moisture leaves behind evidence, especially when it is consistently or frequently present. Darker water stains will appear because dirt and other organic materials adhere to the moist surface better than on a dry one.
Rust is the result of constant moisture, and the more severe sign you’ll see after you see water stains. Most water stains can be cleaned and the gutters can be repaired, but if the gutters are rusty, they definitely have to be repaired or replaced.
Unexplained Home Damage – If there hasn’t recently been a severe 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 around the downspouts or walkways, rotting wood on your porch 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 older building materials, so all factors need to 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 gutter leak may not be the issue.
Rain Overflow – This issue 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 Barnstable gutter cleaning company – or even a general handyman – to clean out the gutters.
Animal Nests – A small bird, squirrel, chipmunk can quickly build a nest in your rain gutters or downspout, which can cause overflow. Once the nest has been there awhile, you will start to see some of the above signs of leaks – like rust or pooling – if you don’t get rid of the nest.
Trees & Plants – A tree can easily take root in your rain gutter with little debris present. While it may be small now, a sapling will sprout really strong roots that can destroy aluminum gutters before you know it.
Professional Gutter Repair
Any of these easy-to-see signs indicate there are issues with your rain gutter that need to be addressed immediately. By quickly checking your gutters and downspouts, you can see if there’s a reason for concern.
This is where a professional gutter service in Barnstable can be of great help. They can determine if gutter replacement is necessary or if you can get by with repairs to extend the lifetime of your home’s gutters. Sometimes, basic gutter cleaning is all that’s needed.
Homeowners can decide to do simple gutter care and maintenance, such as gutter cleaning, on their own. Although it is time consuming and dangerous, they are ready to take on the project a couple of times a year to save some money.
However, anything beyond gutter cleaning is best left to the professionals.
Start by hiring a gutter service with good customer reviews like Barnstable Gutters & More!. Then let us do a full inspection to correctly diagnose the issue. We provide free inspections for potential customers.
If there are any 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!