Are Your Gutters Leaking?

Rain Gutters are so important because – despite being simple and relatively inexpensive – they protect more valuable home components, like the roof, foundation and windows. Maintaining and cleaning gutters is an easy way to help protect your house from damages.

And it’s really much easier than you might think.

Finding a gutter leak early can protect your entire house. In this blog post, we’ve provided a few indicators that you can be on the lookout for (without calling a roof specialist) to determine if your gutters may be leaking.

How to Identify Leaking Gutters

There are a number of warning signs that point to leaking gutters, even if you don’t see water dripping. You can do a visual inspection from the ground to determine if the signs of a gutter leak are present.

Here are some things to look for:

Obvious Flaws – When gutters begin to pull away from the roof, it stresses the connectors. Cracks can be the result of faulty installation, low quality materials, damage or general wear and tear. Cracks in the gutter or seeing any part of them pulling away from the home may not cause a leak just yet, but these things will definitely cause issues. Having these defects fixed is affordable than gutter replacement or any of the potential damages a leak can cause.

Pooling Water – If water is pooling around your house, 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 near your house, just to be careful.

Pooling water near your house can be especially bad for the foundation. It’s also bad for landscaping and might cause your windows to leak.

Drips – One of the most obvious signs of a leaking gutter is a drip, or several of them.

A drip from your gutter is likely a clog, but if it’s coming from the bottom of the gutter and it isn’t a big overflow, there is an unseen leak somewhere. These tiny leaks will happen 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 rain gutters likely 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 answer is as simple as refastening them, but it might also be necessary to cover the hole so no water can escape from around the screw or the nail, even after it is back in place. You can purchase this 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. Darker water stains will appear because dirt and other organic materials adhere 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 notice after water stains. Most water stains can be cleaned away and the gutters can be repaired, but if gutters are rusty, they definitely have to be repaired or be replaced.

Unexplained Home Damage – If there hasn’t been a storm, and you haven’t had a limb fall on top of your roof, but you’re beginning to notice paint flaking, cracking in the foundation or walkways, rotting wood on your porch or deck, or mold on your window sills, you might have leaking gutters.

These are all signs that water has been leaking from a place it shouldn’t be. They also are related to aging building materials, so all factors should be factored in when inspecting gutters for leaks.

Other gutter issues…

Not every gutter issue leads to major repairs. If you see these common gutter issues, a gutter leak may not be the problem.

Rain Overflow – This one is a pretty easy fix. It’s likely not a leak, but a clog that should be cleaned out. You can do this or hire a Fairfield gutter cleaning service – or even a general handyman – to clean them out.

Animal Nests – A bird, squirrel, chipmunk or other pest can build a nest in your rain gutters or downspout, which can cause overflow. Once the nest has been there for a little while, 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 easily take root in your gutter with small amounts of debris present. While it may be little now, a 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 indicate there are problems with your gutter that have to be addressed immediately. By checking your gutters and downspouts, you can tell if there’s a cause for concern.

This is when a professional gutter service in Fairfield can be of great help. They can determine if gutter replacement is required 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 decide to do basic gutter care, such as gutter cleaning, themselves. Although it it can be time consuming and sometimes dangerous, they are willing to complete the project a couple of times each year to save a little money.

However, anything beyond basic gutter cleaning is best left to the professionals.

Start by hiring a gutter specialist with good customer reviews like The Fairfield Gutter Company. Then let us do a full inspection to accurately diagnose the problem. We provide free inspections for potential customers.

If there are any gutter repairs to be made, or if we think that it’s time for gutter replacement, you can trust us to get the job done right. Our gutter repair service will save you a lot of time and trouble in the long run!