Are Your Gutters Leaking?
Gutters are important because – despite being simple and relatively inexpensive – they protect valuable home assets, such as the roof, foundation and windows. Caring for and cleaning gutters is an easy way to help protect your house from major damages.
And it’s much simpler than you probably think.
Finding a gutter leak early can protect an entire house. In this blog post, we’ve provided a few signs that you can look for (without calling a roof specialist) to determine if there is a leak in your gutters.
How to Identify Leaking Gutters
There are several signs that indicate leaking gutters, even if you don’t actually see water dripping. You can do an inspection from the lawn to decide if the signs of a leaking gutter are present.
Here are some things to look for:
Visible Flaws – When gutters begin to pull away from the house, it causes stress on the fasteners. Cracks can be the result of faulty installation, poor quality materials, storm damage or age. Cracks in the gutter channel or seeing any section of them pulling away from the home may not cause a leak yet, but these things will definitely result in problems. Having these defects repaired is more affordable than installing new gutters or any of the possible damages a leak can lead to.
Pooling Water – If rain is pooling around your home, it’s a possible sign that a gutter leak is probably present. You should also check pipes, water spigots and any water source that is close to your house, just to be careful.
Pooling water near your house can be harmful for the foundation. It’s also bad for landscaping and could cause windows to leak.
Dripping – One of the more noticeable signs of a leaking gutter is a drip, or several of them.
A drip coming from your rain gutter is likely 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 small 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 likely means a leak will start soon, if it hasn’t already. The area where the nail or screw fits in starts to become a new area where water can get out if the fastener starts to fall out.
Sometimes the answer is as easy as tightening them, but it could also be necessary to seal the hole so no more water can leak 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 behind evidence, especially if it is consistently or frequently present. Dark water stains will appear because dirt and other organic debris stick to the wet surface better than on a dry one.
Rust is the result of nearly constant moisture, and the more severe sign you’ll see after water stains. water stains on gutters can be cleaned and the gutters can be repaired, but if the gutters are rusty, they will definitely need 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 beginning to see paint flaking, cracking in the foundation around the downspouts or walkways, decaying wood on your patio or deck, or mold on your window sills, you could have a gutter leak.
These are all signs that water has been leaking from a place it shouldn’t. They also go hand in hand with aging 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 common gutter issues, a gutter leak may not be the problem.
Rain Overflow – This issue is usually an easy fix. It’s likely not a gutter leak, but a clog that needs to be removed. You can do this or hire a Everett gutter cleaning company – even a general handyman – to clean out the gutters.
Animal Nests – A small bird, squirrel, chipmunk or other pest can build a nest in your gutters or downspout, which can also 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 pooling – if you don’t get rid of the nest.
Trees & Plants – A tree can take root in your gutter with little debris present. While it may be small now, a sapling will sprout really strong roots that can damage aluminum gutters before you even know it.
Professional Gutter Repair
Any of these easy-to-see signs mean there are problems with your gutter that must be addressed right away. By checking your gutters and downspouts, you can tell if there’s a reason for concern.
This is when a professional gutter service in Everett can be of great help. They can distinguish if gutter replacement is required or if you can get by with repairs to lengthen the lifetime of your gutters. Sometimes, gutter cleaning is the only thing that’s needed.
Some homeowners choose to do simple gutter care and maintenance, such as gutter cleaning, on their own. Although it is time consuming and somewhat dangerous, they are eager to take on the chore a couple of times each year to save some money.
However, any job beyond simple gutter cleaning is best left to the professionals.
Start by finding a gutter specialist with excellent customer reviews like Everett Gutter Experts. Then let us do an inspection to correctly determine the issue. We offer free inspections for potential 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. Our gutter repair service will save you a lot of time and trouble in the long run!