Are Your Gutters Leaking?
Gutters are important because – despite being simple and relatively inexpensive – they protect more valuable home components, such as the roof, foundation and windows. Taking care of and cleaning gutters is an easy way to prevent your house from damages.
And it’s really a lot simpler than you might think.
Spotting a leaking gutter early can protect an entire home. Here, we’ve provided a few indicators that you can look for (without calling a roofer) to see if your gutters are leaking.
How to Identify a Gutter Leak
There are a lot of signs that suggest a leaking gutter, even if you don’t actually notice water dripping. You can do a visual inspection from the lawn to determine if the signs of a leaking gutter are present.
Here’s what to look for:
Obvious Flaws – When the gutters pull away from the roof, it causes stress on the connectors. Cracks can be caused by poor installation, low quality materials, damage or general wear and tear. Cracks in the gutter channel or seeing any section of them pulling away from the home may not cause a leak just yet, but will certainly result in issues. Getting these defects repaired is affordable than replacing gutters or any of the damages a leak can cause.
Pooling Water – If rain is puddling 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 house, just to be careful.
Pooling water by your home can be really bad for the foundation. It’s also bad for landscaping and can cause windows to leak.
Drips – One of the most obvious signs of gutter leaks is a drip, or several of them.
A drip coming 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 small leaks can occur if a fastener has gotten loose (see the next item below).
Visible Fasteners – Finding nails and screws wiggling their way out of the rain gutters likely means a leak will begin soon, if it hasn’t already. The area 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 could also be necessary to cover the hole so no water can leak from the edge of the screw or the nail, even after it is back in place. You can buy this type of 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. Dark water stains will appear because dirt and other debris stick to the moist surface better than it would a dry one.
Rust is the product of constant moisture, and the more extreme sign you’ll see after you see water stains. water stains can be cleaned away and the gutters repaired, but if your gutters are rusty, they definitely need to be repaired or replaced.
Unexplained Home Damage – If there hasn’t been a severe storm, and you haven’t had a limb fall on your roof, but you’re starting to see paint flaking, cracking in the foundation or walkways, decaying wood on your patio or deck, or mold on your window sills, you may have leaking gutters.
These are all indications that water has been leaking from somewhere it shouldn’t. They also go hand in hand with older building materials, so all factors need to be taken into account 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 one is usually an easy fix. It’s likely not a gutter leak, but a clog that has to be removed. You can do this yourself or hire a Tinley Park gutter cleaning service – even a general handyman – to clean out the gutters.
Animal Nests – A bird, squirrel, chipmunk can quickly build a nest in your rain gutters or in your downspout, which can 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 pooling – if you don’t get rid of the nest.
Trees & Plants – A tree can easily take root in your gutter with small amounts of debris present. While it may be little now, a tree sapling will sprout strong roots that can destroy aluminum gutters before you know it.
Professional Gutter Repair
Any of these obvious signs mean there are problems with your rain gutter that need to be addressed immediately. By quickly checking your gutters and downspouts, you can tell if there’s a cause for concern.
This is where a gutter service in Tinley Park can be helpful. They can distinguish whether gutter replacement is required or if you can get by with repairs to extend the lifetime of your gutters. Sometimes, gutter cleaning is the only thing that’s needed.
Homeowners can decide to do basic gutter care and maintenance, like gutter cleaning, themselves. Although it it can be time consuming and dangerous, they are ready to take on the chore a couple of times a year to save some money.
However, any job beyond simple gutter cleaning should be left to the professionals.
Start by hiring a gutter service with good customer reviews like ACE Gutter Cleaning. Then let us do a full inspection to correctly diagnose the issue. We offer free inspections for potential customers.
If there are gutter 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!