Are Your Gutters Leaking?
Gutters are important because – although they are simple and relatively inexpensive – they protect valuable home components, like the roof, foundation and windows. Maintaining and cleaning gutters is an easy way to help prevent your house from major damages.
And it’s much easier than you probably think.
Spotting a gutter leak early can protect an entire home. Here, we’ve provided a few signs that you can look for (without hiring a roof specialist) to determine if your gutters are leaking.
How to Identify a Leaking Gutter
There are a number of signs that indicate a leaking gutter, even if you don’t physically notice water dripping. You can do an inspection from the safety of your lawn to decide if the signs of a leaking gutter are there.
Here’s what to keep an eye out for:
Obvious Flaws – When gutters begin to pull away from the house, it stresses the connectors. Cracks can be caused by faulty installation, poor quality materials, storm damage or age. Cracks in the gutter channel or seeing any section of them pulling away from the house might not cause a leak just yet, but these things will ultimately create problems. Getting these defects repaired is affordable than installing new gutters or any of the potential damages a leak can lead to.
Pooling Water – If water is pooling around your home, it’s a sign that a gutter leak is present. But you should also check underground pipes, water spigots and any other water source that is near your house, just in case.
Pooling water near your house can be especially harmful 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 of them.
A drip coming from your rain 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. These tiny leaks will happen if a fastener has become loose (see the next item on our list).
Visible Fasteners – Finding 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 in 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 can also be important to cover the hole so no more water can escape from the edge of the screw or nail, even after it is tightened again. You can buy this sealant, or let a gutter repair company put it on.
Water Stains or Rust – Water leaves behind evidence, especially if it is constantly or frequently present. Darker water stains appear because dirt and other debris adhere to the moist surface better than it would a drier one.
Rust is the product of nearly constant moisture, and the more extreme sign you’ll see after water stains. water stains on gutters can be cleaned and the gutters repaired, but if your gutters are rusty, they definitely need 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 your roof, but you’re starting to notice paint flaking, cracking in the foundation or walkways, decaying wood on your porch or deck, or moldy window sills, you could have a gutter leak.
These are all signs that water has been leaking from a place it shouldn’t be. They also go hand in hand with older building materials, so all of these factors should be factored in when inspecting gutters for leaks.
Other gutter issues…
Not all gutter issues lead to home repairs. If you see these gutter issues, a gutter leak may not be the issue.
Rain Overflow – This issue is typically an easy fix. It’s likely not a gutter leak, but a clog that should be cleaned out. You can do this or hire a Rockford gutter cleaning company – or even a general handyman – to clean them out.
Animal Nests – A bird, squirrel, chipmunk or other pest can quickly build a nest in your gutters or in your downspout, which will cause overflow. Once the nest has been there awhile, 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 rain gutter with small amounts of debris present. While it may be little now, a tree sapling will sprout strong roots that can damage aluminum gutters before you know it.
Professional Gutter Repair
Any of these obvious signs indicate there are issues with your rain gutter that have to be addressed right away. By quickly checking all of your gutters and downspouts, you can tell if there’s a cause for concern.
This is when a professional gutter service in Rockford can be helpful. They can distinguish whether gutter replacement is required or if you can get by with repairs to lengthen the lifetime of your home’s gutters. Sometimes, gutter cleaning is the only thing that’s needed.
Homeowners can decide to do basic gutter care and maintenance, like gutter cleaning, on their own. Although it is time consuming and sometimes dangerous, they are eager to complete 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 finding a gutter service with excellent customer reviews like Rockford Gutter Service. Then let us do an inspection to accurately determine the problem. We offer free inspections for new customers.
If there are repairs to be made, or if we feel that it’s time for gutter replacement, you can count on us to get the job done. Our gutter repair service will save you a lot of time and trouble in the long run!