Are Your Gutters Leaking?
Gutters are really important because – although they are simple and relatively inexpensive – they protect more valuable home investments, such as the roof, foundation and windows. Caring for and cleaning rain gutters is an easy way to prevent your house from major damages.
And it’s really a lot simpler than you probably think.
Finding a leaking gutter early can protect your entire home. Here, we’ve provided a few signs that you can look for (without calling a roofer) to determine if there is a leak in your gutters.
How to Identify a Gutter Leak
There are a lot of warning signs that suggest a gutter leak, even if you don’t see water dripping. You can do a visual inspection from the safety of your lawn to determine if the signs of a gutter leak are there.
Here’s what to look for:
Visible Flaws – When gutters start to pull away from the home, it causes stress on the fasteners. Cracks can be caused by poor installation, low quality materials, storm damage or age. Cracks in the gutter channel or seeing any section of them pulling away from the roof might not be causing a leak yet, but will definitely lead to issues. Getting these defects repaired is affordable than replacing gutters or any of the damages a leak can cause.
Pooling – If rain is puddling around your house, it’s a possible sign that a gutter leak is present. But you should also check pipes, water spigots and any water source that is close to your home, just to be careful.
Pooling water near your house can be especially damaging for the foundation. It’s also bad for landscaping and can cause your windows to leak.
Dripping – One of the most visible signs of a leaking gutter is a drip, or several drips.
A drip 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 an unseen leak somewhere. These small leaks will occur if a fastener has gotten loose (see the next item below).
Visible Fasteners – Finding nails and screws wiggling their way out of the gutters means a leak is going to start soon, if it hasn’t already. The area 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 easy as tightening them, but it may also be important to seal the hole so no water can escape from the edge of the screw or nail, even after it is back in place. You can purchase this type of sealant, or let a gutter repair company put it on.
Water Stains or Rust – Water leaves behind evidence, especially when it is constantly or frequently present. Darker water stains appear because dirt and other organic debris stick to the wet surface better than it would 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 on gutters can be cleaned and the gutters fixed, but if the gutters are rusty, they definitely need to be repaired or be 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 see paint flaking, cracking in the foundation around the downspouts or walkways, decaying wood on your porch or deck, or mold on your window sills, you may have leaking gutters.
These are all signs that water has been leaking from a place it shouldn’t be. They also are related to older building materials, so all factors should be taken into account when inspecting gutters for leaks.
Other gutter issues…
Not all gutter issues lead to home repairs. If you see these gutter issues, a leak might not be the issue.
Rain Overflow – This issue is a pretty easy fix. It’s probably not a leak, but a clog that should be removed. You can do this or hire a Kettering gutter cleaning company – or even a general handyman – to clean them out.
Animal Nests – A small bird, squirrel, chipmunk can build a nest in your gutters or downspout, which will 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 puddling – 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 little now, a sapling will sprout strong roots that can damage aluminum gutters before you even know it.
Professional Gutter Repair
Any of these easy-to-see signs indicate there are problems with your gutter that must be addressed immediately. By checking your gutters and downspouts, you can see if there’s a cause for concern.
This is when a gutter service in Kettering can be of great help. They can determine if gutter replacement is required or if you can get by with repairs to lengthen the lifetime of your home’s gutters. Sometimes, basic 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 sometimes dangerous, they are eager to complete the project 1-2 times a year to save some money.
However, any job beyond simple gutter cleaning should be left to the professionals.
Start by hiring a gutter service with excellent customer reviews like A+ Gutters of Kettering. Then let us do a full inspection to correctly diagnose the issue. We provide free inspections for new customers.
If there are any gutter 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 can save you a lot of time and trouble in the long run!