Are Your Gutters Leaking?
Rain Gutters are really important because – despite being simple and relatively inexpensive – they protect valuable home investments, such as the roof, foundation and windows. Maintaining and cleaning gutters is an easy way to prevent your house from major damages.
And it’s really a lot easier than you might think.
Spotting a leak in your gutters early can protect an entire home. Below, we’ve listed a few indicators that you can be on the lookout for (without calling a roofer) to see if you have a gutter leaking.
How to Identify a Leaking Gutter
There are a lot of signs that indicate a leaking gutter, even if you don’t see water dripping. You can do a visual inspection from the ground to decide if the signs of a gutter leak are there.
Here are some things to look for:
Visible Flaws – When gutters begin to pull away from the roof, it causes stress on the connections. Cracks can be caused by poor installation, poor quality materials, storm damage or age. Cracks in the gutter or seeing any part of them pulling away from the house may not be causing a leak yet, but will ultimately cause problems. Having these defects fixed is affordable than gutter replacement 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 present. You should also check underground pipes, water spigots and any other water source that is close to your home, just in case.
Pooling water by your home can be especially harmful for the foundation. It’s also bad for landscaping and could cause windows to leak.
Drips – One of the more noticeable signs of a leaking gutter is a drip, or several drips.
A drip from your gutter could indicate a clog, but if it’s coming from the bottom and it isn’t overflowing, there is a hidden leak somewhere. These small leaks can occur if a fastener has become loose (see the next item below).
Visible Fasteners – Seeing nails and screws wiggling their way out of the gutters means a leak will start soon, if it hasn’t already. The hole where the nail or screw fits starts to become a new area where water can escape if the fastener works its way out.
Sometimes the solution is as simple as tightening them, but it may also be necessary to seal the hole so no water can escape from around the screw or nail, even after it is tightened again. 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 when it is consistently or frequently there. Dark water stains appear because dirt and other organic materials stick to the wet surface better than on a drier one.
Rust is the result of constant moisture, and the more severe sign you’ll notice after you see water stains. water stains can be cleaned away and the gutters can be repaired, but if gutters are rusty, they will definitely need 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 around the downspouts or walkways, rotting wood on your porch or deck, or moldy window sills, you might have a gutter leak.
These are all indications that water has been leaking from a place it shouldn’t. They also are related to aging building materials, so all of these factors need to be taken into account when inspecting gutters for leaks.
Other gutter issues…
Not all gutter issues lead to home repairs. If you see these common gutter issues, a gutter leak might not be the problem.
Rain Overflow – This one is typically an easy fix. It’s probably not a gutter leak, but a clog that needs to be cleaned out. You can do this yourself or hire a Euclid gutter cleaning company – even a general handyman – to clean them out.
Animal Nests – A bird, squirrel, chipmunk can quickly build a nest in your rain gutters or in your downspout, which will also cause overflow. Once the nest has been there for a little while, you will start seeing some of the above signs of a leak in a gutter – like rust or puddling – if you don’t get rid of the nest.
Trees & Plants – A tree can take root in your rain gutter with little debris present. While it may be small now, a sapling will sprout really strong roots that can damage aluminum gutters before you know it.
Professional Gutter Repair
Any of these visible signs indicate there are problems with your gutter that need to be addressed right away. By quickly checking all of your gutters and downspouts, you can see if there’s a reason for concern.
This is where a gutter service in Euclid can be of great help. They can determine if gutter replacement is necessary or if you can get by with repairs to extend the lifetime of your 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 dangerous, they are willing to take on the chore 1-2 times a year to save some money.
However, anything beyond simple gutter cleaning is best left to the professionals.
Start by calling a gutter service with excellent customer reviews like Euclid Gutters & Exteriors. Then let us do an inspection to accurately determine the problem. We provide free inspections for new customers.
If there are gutter repairs to be made, or if we believe 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!