Are Your Gutters Leaking?
Gutters are important because – despite being simple and inexpensive – they protect more valuable home investments, like the roof, foundation and windows. Caring for and cleaning gutters is an easy way to help protect your house from major damages.
And it’s much simpler than you might think.
Finding a leak in your gutters early can protect the entire house. In this blog post, we’ve provided a few indicators that you can be on the lookout for (without calling a roofer) to determine if you have a gutter leaking.
How to Identify Leaking Gutters
There are a number of signs that point to a leaking gutter, even if you don’t actually see water dripping. You can do an inspection from the safety of your ground to determine if the signs of a leaking gutter are present.
Here’s what to keep an eye out for:
Visible Flaws – When the gutters pull away from the house, it stresses the fasteners. Cracks can be the result of poor installation, poor 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 yet, but will certainly create problems. Having these defects repaired is affordable than gutter replacement or any of the damages a leak can cause.
Pooling Water – If water is puddling around your home, it’s a sign that a gutter leak is probably present. 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 harmful for the foundation. It’s also bad for landscaping and could cause windows to leak.
Drips – One of the most visible signs of a gutter leak is a drip, or several drips.
A drip coming from your 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. These minor leaks will occur if a fastener has become loose (see the next item below).
Visible Fasteners – Seeing nails and screws wiggling their way out of the rain gutters likely means a leak is going to start soon, if it hasn’t already. The area where the nail or screw fits in starts to become a new area where water can get out if the fastener works its way out.
Sometimes the answer is as easy as tightening them, but it can also be important to seal the hole so no more water can escape from the edge of the screw or the nail, even after it is tightened again. You can buy this sealant, or let a gutter repair company apply it.
Water Stains or Rust – Moisture leaves evidence behind, especially when it is consistently or frequently present. Dark water stains will appear because dirt and other organic materials stick to the wet surface better than it would a drier one.
Rust is the result of nearly constant moisture, and the more extreme sign you’ll notice after you see water stains. Most water stains can be cleaned and the gutters can be repaired, but if gutters are rusty, they will definitely need to be repaired or replaced.
Unexplained Home Damage – If there hasn’t been a storm, and you haven’t had a tree 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 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 of these 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 leak might not be the problem.
Rain Overflow – This one is a pretty simple fix. It’s probably not a leak, but a clog that should be cleaned out. You can do this yourself or hire a Wichita gutter cleaning service – even a general handyman – to clean out the gutters.
Animal Nests – A bird, squirrel, chipmunk can build a nest in your rain gutters or in your downspout, which can cause overflow. Once the nest has been there awhile, you will start seeing some of the above signs of leaks – like rust or puddling – if you don’t get rid of it.
Trees & Plants – A tree can easily take root in your gutter with small amounts of debris present. While it may be small now, a sapling will sprout really strong roots that can destroy aluminum gutters before you even know it.
Professional Gutter Repair
Any of these visible signs indicate there are issues with your gutter that have to be addressed right away. By checking all of your gutters and downspouts, you can see if there’s a cause for concern.
This is where a professional gutter service in Wichita can be helpful. They can determine if gutter replacement is required or if you can get by with repairs to extend the life of your gutters. Sometimes, gutter cleaning is the only thing that’s needed.
Homeowners can decide to do simple gutter care and maintenance, like gutter cleaning, on their own. Although it is time consuming and sometimes dangerous, they are ready to take on the project 1-2 times a year to save some money.
However, anything beyond basic gutter cleaning should be left to the professionals.
Start by calling a gutter service with excellent customer reviews like WeClean Wichita Gutters. Then let us do a full inspection to correctly diagnose the problem. We provide free inspections for new customers.
If there are repairs to be made, or if we feel that it’s time to install new gutters, 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!