Are Your Gutters Leaking?

Rain Gutters are so important because – while they are simple and relatively inexpensive – they protect valuable home investments, such as the roof, foundation and windows. Maintaining and cleaning rain gutters is an easy way to help prevent your home from major damages.

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

Finding a leaking gutter early can protect an entire home. In this blog post, we’ve provided a few indicators that you can be on the lookout for (without hiring a roof specialist) to determine if you have a gutter leaking.

How to Identify a Gutter Leak

There are a number of warning signs that suggest a leaking gutter, even if you don’t notice water dripping. You can do a visual inspection from the safety of your ground to decide if the signs of a leaking gutter are there.

Here’s what to look for:

Obvious Flaws – When the gutters pull away from the home, it causes stress on the fasteners. Cracks can be the result of faulty installation, low quality materials, damage or age. Cracks in the gutter channel or seeing any section of them pulling away from the roof might not cause a leak just yet, but will certainly lead to issues. Having these defects repaired is affordable than installing new gutters or any of the possible damages a leak can lead to.

Pooling Water – If water is puddling around your home, it’s a possible sign that a gutter leak is probably 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 bad for the foundation. It’s also bad for landscaping and could cause your windows to leak.

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

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 a hidden leak. These tiny leaks will happen if a fastener has gotten loose (see the next item on our list).

Visible Fasteners – Finding nails and screws wiggling their way out of the gutters means a leak will start soon, if it hasn’t already. The hole where the nail or screw fits in becomes a new area where water can get out if the fastener works its way out.

Sometimes the answer is as simple as refastening them, but it might also be important to cover the hole so no water can escape from around the screw or the nail, even after it is tightened again. You can buy this 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. Darker water stains appear because dirt and other materials stick to the moist surface better than on a dry one.

Rust is the product of nearly constant moisture, and the more severe sign you’ll notice after water stains. water stains can be cleaned and the gutters repaired, but if the gutters are rusty, they definitely need to be repaired or replaced.

Unexplained Home Damage – If there hasn’t recently been a storm, and you haven’t had a tree limb fall on your roof, but you’re starting 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 indications that water has been leaking from a place it shouldn’t be. They also go hand in hand with older building materials, so all of these factors need to 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 may not be the issue.

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

Animal Nests – A small bird, squirrel, chipmunk can quickly build a nest in your rain gutters or in your 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 pooling – if you don’t get rid of it.

Trees & Plants – A tree can easily take root in your gutter with minimal debris present. While it may be little now, a sapling will sprout strong roots that can destroy aluminum gutters before you even know it.

Professional Gutter Repair

Any of these obvious signs mean there are issues with your rain gutter that need to be addressed immediately. By quickly 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 Mansfield can be of great help. They can determine if gutter replacement is necessary 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 simple gutter care, like gutter cleaning, themselves. Although it is time-consuming and somewhat dangerous, they are eager to take on the project a couple of times each year to save a little money.

However, any job beyond gutter cleaning is best left to the professionals.

Start by hiring a gutter specialist with excellent customer reviews like Quick Clean Gutters. Then let us do an inspection to accurately determine the problem. We offer free inspections for potential customers.

If there are repairs to be made, or if we think 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!