Are Your Gutters Leaking?
Rain Gutters are really important because – despite being simple and inexpensive – they protect valuable home investments, like 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 much simpler than you probably think.
Identifying a leak in your gutters early can protect the entire house. In this blog post, we’ve listed a few indicators that you can be on the lookout for (without hiring a roof specialist) to see if your gutters are leaking.
How to Identify a Gutter Leak
There are several signs that indicate a gutter leak, even if you don’t actually see water dripping. You can do a visual inspection from the safety of your ground to determine if the signs of a gutter leak are there.
Here are some things to look for:
Obvious Flaws – When the gutters pull away from the roof, it causes stress on the connections. Cracks can be the result of faulty installation, poor quality materials, storm damage or age. Cracks in the gutter channel or seeing any part of them pulling away from the roof may not cause a leak just yet, but these things will certainly lead to problems. Having these defects fixed is a lot more affordable than gutter replacement or any of the damages a leak can cause.
Pooling – If water is pooling around your home, it’s a possible sign that a gutter leak is present. You should also check pipes, water spigots and any other water source that is near your home, just to be careful.
Pooling water around 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 most visible signs of a gutter leak is a drip, or several drips.
A drip from your rain gutter indicates a clog, but if it’s coming from the bottom and it isn’t a big overflow, there is an unseen leak somewhere. These minor leaks will occur if a fastener has become loose (see the next item on our list).
Visible Fasteners – Seeing nails and screws wiggling their way out of the gutters likely means a leak is going to begin soon, if it hasn’t already. The area where the nail or screw fits in starts to become a new area where water can escape if the fastener works its way out.
Sometimes the solution is as easy as refastening them, but it could also be necessary to cover the hole so no water can escape from around the screw or nail, even after it is back in place. You can purchase this type of sealant, or let a gutter repair company apply it.
Water Stains or Rust – Water leaves evidence behind, especially when it is consistently or frequently present. Darker water stains appear because dirt and other debris adhere to the moist surface better than on a dry one.
Rust is the product of nearly constant moisture, and the more extreme sign you’ll see after water stains. Most water stains on gutters can be cleaned away and the gutters can be fixed, but if 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 limb fall on your roof, but you’re beginning to see paint flaking, cracking in the foundation or walkways, decaying wood on your porch or deck, or mold on your window sills, you could have a gutter leak.
These are all signs that water has been leaking from a place it shouldn’t. They also are related to 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 gutter leak might not be the problem.
Rain Overflow – This issue is a pretty easy fix. It’s probably not a gutter leak, but a clog that should be removed. You can do this or hire a Mishawaka gutter cleaning company – 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 leaks – like rust or pooling – if you don’t get rid of the nest.
Trees & Plants – A tree can take root in your gutter with minimal debris present. While it may be small now, a sapling will sprout really strong roots that can damage aluminum gutters before you even know it.
Professional Gutter Repair
Any of these easy-to-see signs indicate there are issues with your rain gutter that need to be addressed right away. By checking all of your gutters and downspouts, you can tell if there’s a cause for concern.
This is when a gutter service in Mishawaka can be helpful. They can distinguish if gutter replacement is required or if you can get by with repairs to extend the life of your home’s gutters. Sometimes, basic gutter cleaning is the only thing that’s needed.
Homeowners can choose to do simple gutter care and maintenance, like gutter cleaning, themselves. Although it is time consuming and dangerous, they are ready to take on the project 1-2 times each year to save a little money.
However, anything beyond gutter cleaning is best left to the professionals.
Start by hiring a gutter service with excellent customer reviews like Mishawaka Gutters & More!. Then let us do an inspection to accurately diagnose the issue. We provide free inspections for potential customers.
If there are gutter 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!