Are Your Gutters Leaking?
Gutters are so important because – while they are simple and relatively inexpensive – they protect valuable home assets, such as the roof, foundation and windows. Taking care of and cleaning rain gutters is an easy way to help prevent your home from major damages.
And it’s a lot easier than you might think.
Identifying a gutter leak early can protect your entire house. In this blog post, we’ve listed a few indicators that you can be on the lookout for (without hiring a roof specialist) to determine if your gutters are leaking.
How to Identify Leaking Gutters
There are several warning signs that suggest a gutter leak, even if you don’t see water dripping. You can do a visual inspection from the lawn to decide if the signs of a leaking gutter are present.
Here’s what to keep an eye out for:
Visible Flaws – When the gutters pull away from the home, it causes stress on the fasteners. Cracks can be the result of poor installation, low quality materials, damage or age. Cracks in the gutter channel or seeing any part of them pulling away from the roof may not cause a leak just yet, but will certainly cause issues. Getting these defects repaired is more affordable than gutter replacement or any of the damages a leak can cause.
Pooling Water – If rain is puddling around your home, it’s a sign that a gutter leak is present. But you should also check pipes, water spigots and any other water source that is near your home, just to be sure.
Pooling water around your house can be really damaging for the foundation. It’s also bad for landscaping and might cause windows to leak.
Drips – One of the most visible signs of a gutter leak is a drip, or several drips.
A drip coming from your gutter could indicate a clog, but if it’s coming from the bottom of the gutter and it isn’t overflowing, there is an unseen leak somewhere. These minor leaks can occur if a fastener has gotten loose (see the next item on our list).
Visible Fasteners – Seeing nails and screws wiggling their way out of the gutters 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 works its way out.
Sometimes the solution is as simple as tightening them, but it could also be necessary to cover the hole so no more water can escape from around the screw or the nail, even after it is back in place. You can purchase this type of sealant, or let a gutter repair company apply it.
Water Stains or Rust – Water leaves evidence behind, especially if it is consistently or frequently present. Darker water stains appear because dirt and other materials stick to the wet surface better than on a drier one.
Rust is the result of constant moisture, and the more extreme sign you’ll see after you see water stains. water stains on gutters can be cleaned and the gutters can be repaired, but if the gutters are rusty, they definitely need to be repaired or be replaced.
Unexplained Home Damage – If there hasn’t been a storm, and you haven’t had a 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 patio or deck, or mold on your window sills, you may have leaking gutters.
These are all indications that water has been leaking from a place it shouldn’t be. They also are related to aging building materials, so all factors need to be considered when inspecting gutters for leaks.
Other gutter issues…
Not all gutter issues lead to home repairs. If you see these gutter issues, a leak may not be the issue.
Rain Overflow – This issue is typically an easy fix. It’s probably not a leak, but a clog that needs to be cleaned out. You can do this yourself or hire a Parker gutter cleaning company – even a general handyman – to clean them out.
Animal Nests – A small bird, squirrel, chipmunk or other pest can 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 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 little now, a tree sapling will sprout strong roots that can damage aluminum gutters before you even know it.
Professional Gutter Repair
Any of these visible signs mean 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 Parker can be helpful. They can determine if gutter replacement is necessary or if you can get by with repairs to lengthen the lifetime of your gutters. Sometimes, gutter cleaning is all that’s needed.
Homeowners can decide to do simple gutter care and maintenance, like gutter cleaning, on their own. Although it is time consuming and sometimes dangerous, they are willing to complete the chore 1-2 times each year to save some money.
However, anything beyond basic gutter cleaning should be left to the professionals.
Start by calling a gutter service with excellent customer reviews like Parker Gutters & More!. Then let us do a full inspection to accurately diagnose the problem. We offer free inspections for potential customers.
If there are any repairs to be made, or if we believe that it’s time to install new gutters, 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!