Are Your Gutters Leaking?
Gutters are so important because – despite being simple and relatively inexpensive – they protect more valuable home components, like the roof, foundation and windows. Maintaining and cleaning rain gutters is an easy way to help protect your home from major damages.
And it’s really much simpler than you probably think.
Spotting a leaking gutter early can protect the entire home. In this blog post, we’ve provided a few indicators that you can be on the lookout for (without calling a roof specialist) to determine if there is a leak in your gutters.
How to Identify Leaking Gutters
There are many signs that indicate a gutter leak, even if you don’t physically 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 look for:
Visible Flaws – When gutters begin to pull away from the house, it causes stress on the fasteners. Cracks can be caused by faulty installation, poor quality materials, damage or age. 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 certainly lead to issues. Having these defects repaired is affordable than replacing gutters or any of the potential damages a leak can cause.
Pooling Water – If water is puddling around your home, it’s a sign that a gutter leak is probably present. But you should also check pipes, water spigots and any water source that is close to your home, just to be sure.
Pooling water by your home can be very bad for the foundation. It’s also bad for landscaping and can cause windows to leak.
Dripping – One of the most obvious signs of gutter leaks is a drip, or several drips.
A drip coming from your rain gutter is likely a clog, but if it’s coming from the bottom and it isn’t a big overflow, there is a hidden leak. These minor leaks can happen if a fastener has gotten loose (see the next item below).
Visible Fasteners – Finding nails and screws working their way out of the rain gutters means a leak will begin soon, if it hasn’t already. The hole where the nail or screw fits in starts to become a new area where water can escape if the fastener starts to fall out.
Sometimes the solution is as simple as tightening them, but it could also be necessary to cover the hole so no water can leak from the edge of the screw or nail, even after it is back in place. You can buy this sealant, or let a gutter repair company apply it.
Water Stains or Rust – Water leaves behind evidence, especially when it is consistently or frequently there. Dark water stains appear because dirt and other materials adhere to the wet surface better than on a dry one.
Rust is the product of nearly constant moisture, and the more severe sign you’ll see after you see water stains. Most water stains on gutters can be cleaned away and the gutters fixed, but if your gutters are rusty, they will definitely need to be repaired or be replaced.
Unexplained Home Damage – If there hasn’t recently been a storm, and you haven’t had a limb fall on 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 might have leaking gutters.
These are all indications that water has been leaking from somewhere it shouldn’t. They also are related to 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 major repairs. If you see these common 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 yourself or hire a Richmond gutter cleaning company – or 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 rain 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 puddling – if you don’t get rid of it.
Trees & Plants – A tree can easily take root in your gutter with little 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 obvious signs mean there are issues with your rain gutter that need to be addressed right away. By quickly checking your gutters and downspouts, you can tell if there’s a cause for concern.
This is where a gutter service in Richmond can be of great help. They can determine whether gutter replacement is required or if you can get by with repairs to extend the life of your home’s gutters. Sometimes, gutter cleaning is the only thing that’s needed.
Some homeowners choose to do basic gutter care, such as gutter cleaning, themselves. Although it it can be time consuming and somewhat dangerous, they are eager to take on the chore 1-2 times a year to save some money.
However, anything beyond gutter cleaning is best left to the professionals.
Start by hiring a gutter specialist with excellent customer reviews like Richmond Gutter Service. Then let us do a full inspection to correctly diagnose the problem. We provide free inspections for new customers.
If there are any gutter repairs to be made, or if we think that it’s time for gutter replacement, you can trust us to get the job done right. Our gutter repair service will save you a lot of time and trouble in the long run!