Are Your Gutters Leaking?
Gutters are so important because – although they are simple and inexpensive – they protect valuable home assets, such as the roof, foundation and windows. Maintaining and cleaning gutters is an easy way to help protect your home from damages.
And it’s really much easier than you might think.
Spotting a leaking gutter early can protect your entire house. In this blog post, we’ve provided a few signs that you can look for (without calling a roofer) to see if your gutters may be leaking.
How to Identify a Gutter Leak
There are a lot of warning signs that point to leaking gutters, even if you don’t physically see water dripping. You can do a visual inspection from the lawn to decide if the signs of a gutter leak are there.
Here’s what to keep an eye out for:
Visible Flaws – When gutters start to pull away from the house, it causes stress on the connections. Cracks can be caused by poor installation, low quality materials, damage or age. Cracks in the gutter channel or seeing any section of them pulling away from the roofing may not be causing a leak yet, but will definitely result in issues. Having these defects fixed is a lot more affordable than installing new gutters or any of the possible damages a leak can lead to.
Pooling – If water is pooling around your house, 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 close to your house, just to be careful.
Pooling water near your home can be damaging for the foundation. It’s also bad for landscaping and can cause windows to leak.
Dripping – One of the most visible signs of a gutter leak is a drip, or several drips.
A drip from your rain gutter indicates a clog, but if it’s coming from the bottom of the gutter and it isn’t overflowing, there is a hidden leak. These tiny 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 gutters likely means a leak is going to start soon, if it hasn’t already. The hole where the nail or screw fits becomes a new area where water can get out if the fastener starts to fall out.
Sometimes the solution is as easy as tightening them, but it may also be important to cover the hole so no water can escape from around the screw or nail, even after it is back in place. You can purchase this type of sealant, or let a gutter repair company put it on.
Water Stains or Rust – Moisture leaves evidence behind, especially if it is constantly or frequently there. Dark water stains appear because dirt and other debris 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 water stains. Most water stains can be cleaned away and the gutters can be repaired, but if the gutters are rusty, they 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 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 may have leaking gutters.
These are all signs that water has been leaking from a place it shouldn’t be. They also are related to aging building materials, so all of these factors should 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 might not be the problem.
Rain Overflow – This issue is a pretty simple fix. It’s probably not a gutter leak, but a clog that needs to be cleaned out. You can do this or hire a Quincy gutter cleaning company – or even a general handyman – to clean out the gutters.
Animal Nests – A small bird, squirrel, chipmunk or other pest can quickly build a nest in your rain gutters or in your downspout, which will cause overflow. Once the nest has been there awhile, 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 easily take root in your rain gutter with little debris present. While it may be little now, a tree sapling will sprout really strong roots that can destroy aluminum gutters before you even know it.
Professional Gutter Repair
Any of these easy-to-see signs indicate there are issues with your rain gutter that must be addressed immediately. By checking your gutters and downspouts, you can tell if there’s a cause for concern.
This is when a professional gutter service in Quincy 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 gutters. Sometimes, gutter cleaning is all that’s needed.
Some homeowners choose to do simple gutter care, such as gutter cleaning, themselves. Although it it can be time consuming and sometimes dangerous, they are willing to take on the project a couple of times a year to save some money.
However, anything beyond basic gutter cleaning should be left to the professionals.
Start by hiring a gutter specialist with good customer reviews like Quality Quincy Gutters. Then let us do a full inspection to accurately diagnose the issue. We offer free inspections for new customers.
If there are repairs to be made, or if we think 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!