Are Your Gutters Leaking?
Gutters are important because – while they are simple and relatively inexpensive – they protect more valuable home investments, such as the roof, foundation and windows. Taking care of and cleaning rain gutters is an easy way to help protect your home from major damages.
And it’s really a lot easier than you probably think.
Finding a leak in your gutters early can protect an entire house. In this blog post, we’ve provided a few indicators that you can be on the lookout for (without hiring a roofer) to see if your gutters may be leaking.
How to Identify a Gutter Leak
There are many warning signs that suggest leaking gutters, even if you don’t see water dripping. You can do an inspection from the lawn to determine if the signs of a gutter leak are present.
Here’s what to look for:
Obvious Flaws – When the gutters pull away from the home, it stresses the fasteners. Cracks can be the result of poor installation, low quality materials, storm damage or general wear and tear. Cracks in the gutter channel or seeing any section of them pulling away from the house might not cause a leak just yet, but will certainly create issues. Having these defects fixed is affordable than replacing gutters or any of the possible damages a leak can cause.
Pooling Water – If rain is pooling around your home, it’s a sign that a gutter leak is probably present. But you should also check pipes, water spigots and any other water source that is close to your house, just to be sure.
Pooling water near your home can be really harmful for the foundation. It’s also bad for landscaping and can cause windows to leak.
Dripping – One of the more noticeable signs of gutter leaks 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 and it isn’t a big overflow, there is a hidden leak somewhere. These minor leaks can happen 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 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 simple as refastening them, but it may also be important to seal the hole so no water can leak from around the screw or the nail, even after it is tightened again. You can purchase this type of sealant, or let a gutter repair company apply it.
Water Stains or Rust – Water leaves behind evidence, especially when it is consistently or frequently present. Darker water stains will appear because dirt and other materials stick to the moist surface better than it would a drier one.
Rust is the product of nearly constant moisture, and the more severe sign you’ll notice after you see water stains. water stains on gutters can be cleaned away and the gutters can be fixed, but if the gutters are rusty, they will definitely need to be repaired or replaced.
Unexplained Home Damage – If there hasn’t been a severe storm, and you haven’t had a tree limb fall on top of your roof, but you’re starting to notice paint flaking, cracking in the foundation or walkways, rotting wood on your porch or deck, or moldy window sills, you might have leaking gutters.
These are all signs that water has been leaking from somewhere it shouldn’t be. They also go hand in hand with older building materials, so all of these factors need to be factored in when inspecting gutters for leaks.
Other gutter issues…
Not every gutter issue leads to home repairs. If you see these common gutter issues, a leak may not be the issue.
Rain Overflow – This issue is a pretty simple fix. It’s likely not a leak, but a clog that needs to be removed. You can do this or hire a Arvada gutter cleaning company – even a general handyman – to clean out the gutters.
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 the nest.
Trees & Plants – A tree can take root in your 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 easy-to-see signs mean there are problems with your rain gutter that must be addressed immediately. By checking your gutters and downspouts, you can see if there’s a reason for concern.
This is when a gutter service in Arvada can be of great help. They can distinguish whether 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.
Some homeowners choose to do basic gutter care, like gutter cleaning, themselves. Although it is time consuming and sometimes dangerous, they are eager to complete the chore 1-2 times a year to save some money.
However, anything beyond basic gutter cleaning is best left to the professionals.
Start by calling a gutter specialist with excellent customer reviews like PRO Arvada Gutters. Then let us do an inspection to correctly diagnose the problem. We provide free inspections for potential 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 can save you a lot of time and trouble in the long run!