Are Your Gutters Leaking?
Gutters are really important because – despite being simple and relatively inexpensive – they protect valuable home components, such as the roof, foundation and windows. Caring for and cleaning rain gutters is an easy way to prevent your home from major damages.
And it’s a lot simpler than you might think.
Spotting a leaking gutter early can protect the entire home. Below, we’ve provided a few indicators that you can be on the lookout for (without hiring a roofer) to determine if there is a leak in your gutters.
How to Identify Leaking Gutters
There are a lot of warning signs that indicate a leaking gutter, even if you don’t actually see water dripping. You can do an inspection from the ground to determine if the signs of a leaking gutter are present.
Here are some things to look for:
Obvious Flaws – When gutters start to pull away from the roof, it causes stress on the fasteners. Cracks can be the result of poor installation, low quality materials, storm damage or age. Cracks in the gutter or seeing any part of them pulling away from the house may not cause a leak yet, but these things will definitely cause problems. Having these defects repaired is affordable than gutter replacement or any of the potential damages a leak can cause.
Pooling Water – If water is pooling around your house, it’s a sign that a gutter leak is probably present. You should also check underground pipes, water spigots and any other water source that is close to your house, just to be careful.
Pooling water by your home can be especially harmful for the foundation. It’s also bad for landscaping and can cause windows to leak.
Drips – One of the most obvious 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 happen if a fastener has gotten loose (see the next item below).
Visible Fasteners – Finding nails and screws wiggling their way out of the rain gutters likely means a leak is going to begin soon, if it hasn’t already. The area where the nail or screw fits becomes a new area where water can escape if the fastener starts to fall out.
Sometimes the answer is as easy as tightening them, but it can also be necessary to cover the hole so no more water can escape from the edge of 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 – Moisture leaves evidence behind, especially when it is consistently or frequently present. Darker water stains will appear because dirt and other debris stick to the moist surface better than it would a drier one.
Rust is the product of constant moisture, and the more extreme sign you’ll see after water stains. Most water stains can be cleaned away and the gutters can be fixed, but if gutters are rusty, they will definitely have to be repaired or 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 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 somewhere it shouldn’t. They also go hand in hand with older building materials, so all of these factors should be factored in when inspecting gutters for leaks.
Other gutter issues…
Not every gutter issue leads to home repairs. If you see these common gutter issues, a gutter leak may not be the issue.
Rain Overflow – This one is a pretty easy fix. It’s probably not a leak, but a clog that should be cleaned out. You can do this yourself or hire a Syracuse gutter cleaning service – or even a general handyman – to clean out the gutters.
Animal Nests – A bird, squirrel, chipmunk can quickly build a nest in your rain gutters or in your downspout, which will cause overflow. Once the nest has been there a while, you will start seeing 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 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 even know it.
Professional Gutter Repair
Any of these visible signs indicate there are issues with your rain gutter that have to be addressed right away. By checking your gutters and downspouts, you can see if there’s a reason for concern.
This is when a professional gutter service in Syracuse can be helpful. They can distinguish whether gutter replacement is required 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 choose to do basic gutter care, such as gutter cleaning, on their own. Although it can be time consuming and somewhat dangerous, they are willing to take on the chore 1-2 times a year to save some money.
However, anything beyond gutter cleaning should be left to professionals.
Start by hiring a gutter specialist with good customer reviews like Syracuse Gutter Solutions. Then let us do a full inspection to accurately determine the problem. We offer free inspections for new customers.
If there are gutter repairs to be made, or if we think that it’s time for gutter replacement, you can count on us to get the job done right. Our gutter repair service can save you a lot of time and trouble in the long run!