Are Your Gutters Leaking?
Rain Gutters are important because – while they are simple and inexpensive – they protect valuable home assets, such as the roof, foundation and windows. Maintaining and cleaning rain gutters is an easy way to prevent your home from damages.
And it’s really much easier than you might think.
Finding a leaking gutter early can protect the entire house. Here, we’ve listed a few signs that you can look for (without calling a roof specialist) to see if there is a leak in your gutters.
How to Identify a Gutter Leak
There are a number of warning signs that indicate a gutter leak, even if you don’t actually see water dripping. You can do an inspection from the safety of your ground to determine if the signs of a leaking gutter are present.
Here’s what to keep an eye out for:
Obvious Flaws – When gutters begin to pull away from the house, it causes stress on the connectors. Cracks can be caused by faulty installation, poor quality materials, storm damage or general wear and tear. Cracks in the gutter or seeing any section of them pulling away from the home might not cause a leak just yet, but these things will ultimately result in problems. Getting these defects repaired is affordable than gutter replacement or any of the damages a leak can cause.
Pooling – If water is pooling around your home, it’s a sign that a gutter leak is probably present. But you should also check pipes, water spigots and any other water source that is near your house, just to be careful.
Pooling water by your home can be really harmful for the foundation. It’s also bad for landscaping and can cause your windows to leak.
Dripping – One of the more noticeable signs of gutter leaks is a drip, or several drips.
A drip 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 small leaks can occur if a fastener has gotten loose (see the next item below).
Visible Fasteners – Seeing 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 area 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 easy as tightening them, but it might also be important to seal 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 behind evidence, especially if it is constantly or frequently present. Darker water stains appear because dirt and other organic debris stick to the moist surface better than on a drier one.
Rust is the product of constant moisture, and the more extreme sign you’ll see after water stains. water stains on gutters can be cleaned and the gutters can be fixed, but if the gutters are rusty, they will definitely have to be repaired or be 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, decaying wood on your patio or deck, or mold on your window sills, you may 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 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 leak might not be the problem.
Rain Overflow – This one is a pretty easy fix. It’s probably not a leak, but a clog that needs to be removed. You can do this yourself or hire a Medford gutter cleaning service – even a general handyman – to clean them out.
Animal Nests – A small bird, squirrel, chipmunk can quickly build a nest in your gutters or downspout, which will cause overflow. Once the nest has been there awhile, you will start to see some of the above signs of leaks – like rust or puddling – if you don’t get rid of it.
Trees & Plants – A tree can take root in your rain gutter with small amounts of debris present. While it may be little now, a sapling will sprout really strong roots that can destroy aluminum gutters before you know it.
Professional Gutter Repair
Any of these obvious signs mean there are issues with your rain gutter that have to be addressed right away. By quickly checking your gutters and downspouts, you can see if there’s a cause for concern.
This is where a gutter service in Medford can be helpful. They can distinguish 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 the only thing that’s needed.
Some homeowners decide to do simple gutter care and maintenance, such as gutter cleaning, on their own. Although it it can be time consuming and somewhat dangerous, they are eager to take on the project a couple of times each year to save some money.
However, anything beyond gutter cleaning should be left to the professionals.
Start by calling a gutter service with good customer reviews like Medford Gutters. Then let us do an inspection to accurately diagnose the problem. We offer free inspections for potential customers.
If there are gutter repairs to be made, or if we believe that it’s time for gutter replacement, you can count on us to get the job done. Our gutter repair service can save you a lot of time and trouble in the long run!