Are Your Gutters Leaking?
Gutters are so important because – despite being simple and inexpensive – they protect more valuable home assets, such as the roof, foundation and windows. Caring for and cleaning rain gutters is an easy way to help prevent your house from damages.
And it’s much simpler than you probably think.
Identifying a gutter leak early can protect your entire home. Below, we’ve listed a few indicators that you can be on the lookout for (without calling a roofer) to determine if your gutters are leaking.
How to Identify a Gutter Leak
There are several signs that point to a leaking gutter, even if you don’t see water dripping. You can do an inspection from the ground to determine if the signs of a leaking gutter are there.
Here’s what to keep an eye out for:
Obvious Flaws – When gutters begin to pull away from the house, it causes stress on the fasteners. Cracks can be caused by poor installation, poor quality materials, damage or general wear and tear. Cracks in the gutter or seeing any section of them pulling away from the home might not be causing a leak yet, but these things will certainly create issues. Having these defects fixed is a lot more affordable than replacing gutters or any of the potential damages a leak can lead to.
Pooling Water – If rain is puddling around your house, it’s a possible sign that a gutter leak is present. But you should also check pipes, water spigots and any other water source that is near your house, just in case.
Pooling water around your house can be very damaging for the foundation. It’s also bad for landscaping and might cause your windows to leak.
Drips – One of the more noticeable signs of a leaking gutter is a drip, or several of them.
A drip from your rain gutter is likely a clog, but if it’s coming from the bottom and it isn’t overflowing, there is an unseen leak. These small leaks will 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 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 starts to fall out.
Sometimes the answer is as easy as tightening them, but it may also be necessary to cover the hole so no water can leak from around the screw or 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 behind evidence, especially when it is constantly or frequently present. Dark water stains appear because dirt and other debris stick to the moist surface better than on a dry one.
Rust is the product of constant moisture, and the more extreme sign you’ll see after water stains. water stains can be cleaned and the gutters can be repaired, but if gutters are rusty, they definitely have to be repaired or replaced.
Unexplained Home Damage – If there hasn’t been a storm, and you haven’t had a limb fall on your roof, but you’re beginning to notice paint flaking, cracking in the foundation or walkways, rotting wood on your patio or deck, or mold on your window sills, you could have leaking gutters.
These are all signs that water has been leaking from a place it shouldn’t be. They also are related to older 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 home repairs. If you see these common gutter issues, a gutter leak might not be the problem.
Rain Overflow – This one is a pretty easy fix. It’s likely not a leak, but a clog that has to be removed. You can do this or hire a Vancouver gutter cleaning company – or 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 rain gutters or downspout, which will also 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 pooling – if you don’t get rid of the nest.
Trees & Plants – A tree can take root in your rain gutter with little debris present. While it may be little now, a sapling will sprout really strong roots that can destroy aluminum gutters before you even know it.
Professional Gutter Repair
Any of these easy-to-see signs indicate there are issues with your gutter that must be addressed right away. By quickly checking all of your gutters and downspouts, you can see if there’s a reason for concern.
This is when a professional gutter service in Vancouver can be helpful. They can determine 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.
Some homeowners decide to do basic gutter care and maintenance, such as gutter cleaning, on their own. Although it is time consuming and dangerous, they are ready to take on the project a couple of times a year to save some money.
However, any job beyond gutter cleaning is best left to the professionals.
Start by finding a gutter service with good customer reviews like Vancouver Gutter Solutions. Then let us do a full inspection to correctly determine the issue. We offer 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. Our gutter repair service will save you a lot of time and trouble in the long run!