Are Your Gutters Leaking?
Rain Gutters are important because – despite being simple and inexpensive – they protect more valuable home assets, such as the roof, foundation and windows. Maintaining and cleaning rain gutters is an easy way to help prevent your home from major damages.
And it’s a lot simpler than you might think.
Identifying a gutter leak early can protect an entire house. Below, we’ve listed a few signs that you can be on the lookout for (without calling a roofer) to see if you have a gutter leaking.
How to Identify a Gutter Leak
There are a lot of signs that point to a gutter leak, even if you don’t actually notice water dripping. You can do an inspection from the safety of your lawn to decide if the signs of a gutter leak are there.
Here’s what to look for:
Visible Flaws – When gutters begin to pull away from the roof, it causes stress on the connectors. Cracks can be the result of poor installation, low quality materials, storm damage or general wear and tear. Cracks in the gutter or seeing any part of them pulling away from the roof might not cause a leak yet, but these things will ultimately create problems. Getting these defects fixed is more affordable than replacing gutters or any of the possible damages a leak can lead to.
Pooling Water – If rain is pooling around your home, it’s a sign that a gutter leak is probably present. You should also check pipes, water spigots and any water source that is close to your home, just to be careful.
Pooling water near your house can be especially bad for the foundation. It’s also bad for landscaping and can cause your windows to leak.
Dripping – One of the most obvious signs of a gutter leak is a drip, or several drips.
A drip from your rain gutter is likely a clog, but if it’s coming from the bottom and it isn’t overflowing, there is a hidden leak somewhere. These small leaks will occur if a fastener has become loose (see the next item below).
Visible Fasteners – Seeing nails and screws working their way out of the gutters likely means a leak will begin soon, if it hasn’t already. The area 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 simple as tightening them, but it can also be necessary to cover the hole so no water can leak 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 put it on.
Water Stains or Rust – Moisture leaves behind evidence, especially if it is consistently or frequently present. Darker water stains will appear because dirt and other organic materials stick to the moist surface better than on a drier one.
Rust is the result of nearly constant moisture, and the more extreme sign you’ll notice after water stains. water stains on gutters can be cleaned away and the gutters repaired, but if the gutters are rusty, they definitely have to be repaired or replaced.
Unexplained Home Damage – If there hasn’t recently been a storm, and you haven’t had a tree limb fall on your roof, but you’re starting to see paint flaking, cracking in the foundation or walkways, rotting wood on your porch or deck, or mold on your window sills, you may 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 considered when inspecting gutters for leaks.
Other gutter issues…
Not all gutter issues lead to major repairs. If you see these common gutter issues, a gutter leak might not be the issue.
Rain Overflow – This issue is a pretty simple fix. It’s probably not a leak, but a clog that needs to be cleaned out. You can do this or hire a Union City gutter cleaning company – or even a general handyman – to clean them out.
Animal Nests – A bird, squirrel, chipmunk or another pest can build a nest in your rain gutters or downspout, which can cause overflow. Once the nest has been there a while, 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 tree sapling will sprout really strong roots that can damage aluminum gutters before you know it.
Professional Gutter Repair
Any of these obvious signs indicate there are problems with your gutter that need to be addressed right away. By quickly checking your gutters and downspouts, you can see if there’s a reason for concern.
This is when a gutter service in Union City can be of great help. They can distinguish whether gutter replacement is necessary or if you can get by with repairs to lengthen the lifetime of your gutters. Sometimes, basic gutter cleaning is all that’s needed.
Homeowners can decide to do basic gutter care and maintenance, such as gutter cleaning, on their own. Although it it can be time consuming and sometimes dangerous, they are ready to complete the chore a couple of times each year to save some money.
However, any job beyond gutter cleaning should be left to professionals.
Start by calling a gutter service with excellent customer reviews like UC Gutter Cleaning. Then let us do a full inspection to accurately determine the problem. We provide free inspections for potential customers.
If there are repairs to be made, or if we believe that it’s time to install new gutters, you can count on us to get the job done right. Our gutter repair service will save you a lot of time and trouble in the long run!