Are Your Gutters Leaking?
Gutters are very important because – although they are simple and relatively inexpensive – they protect valuable home investments, like the roof, foundation and windows. Taking care of and cleaning gutters is an easy way to help protect your home from major damages.
And it’s a lot easier than you might think.
Finding a leak in your gutters early can protect the entire home. Here, we’ve listed a few indicators that you can look for (without calling a roof specialist) to determine if there is a leak in your gutters.
How to Identify a Gutter Leak
There are a number of signs that suggest leaking gutters, even if you don’t see water dripping. You can do an inspection from the safety of your ground to decide if the signs of a gutter leak are present.
Here’s what to look for:
Visible Flaws – When the gutters pull away from the house, it causes stress on the fasteners. Cracks can be caused by faulty installation, poor quality materials, storm damage or age. Cracks in the gutter channel or seeing any part of them pulling away from the roofing may not be causing a leak yet, but these things will certainly cause problems. Having these defects repaired is much more affordable than installing new gutters or any of the potential damages a leak can lead to.
Pooling Water – If water is puddling around your house, it’s a possible sign that a gutter leak is probably present. You should also check pipes, water spigots and any water source that is close to your house, just to be sure.
Pooling water near your house can be harmful for the foundation. It’s also bad for landscaping and can cause windows to leak.
Dripping – One of the most visible signs of gutter leaks is a drip, or several of them.
A drip coming from your rain gutter could indicate a clog, but if it’s coming from the bottom of the gutter and it isn’t overflowing, there is a hidden leak somewhere. These small leaks will happen if a fastener has gotten loose (see the next item below).
Visible Fasteners – Finding nails and screws working their way out of the rain gutters means a leak will begin soon, if it hasn’t already. The area where the nail or screw fits becomes 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 could also be important to cover the hole so no more water can escape from around the screw or the nail, even after it is back in place. You can buy this type of 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 appear because dirt and other debris stick to the wet surface better than it would a dry one.
Rust is the product of constant moisture, and the more severe sign you’ll notice after you see water stains. water stains can be cleaned away and the gutters fixed, but if gutters are rusty, they will 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 tree limb fall on top of your roof, but you’re starting to see paint flaking, cracking in the foundation or walkways, rotting wood on your patio or deck, or moldy window sills, you might have a gutter leak.
These are all signs that water has been leaking from a place it shouldn’t. 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 all gutter issues lead to major repairs. If you see these common gutter issues, a gutter leak might not be the problem.
Rain Overflow – This one is usually an easy fix. It’s likely not a gutter leak, but a clog that should be removed. You can do this or hire a Orland Park 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 gutters or 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 a leak in a gutter – like rust or puddling – if you don’t get rid of the nest.
Trees & Plants – A tree can take root in your rain gutter with small amounts of debris present. While it may be small now, a tree sapling will sprout really strong roots that can damage aluminum gutters before you know it.
Professional Gutter Repair
Any of these visible signs mean there are issues with your rain gutter that must be addressed immediately. By checking your gutters and downspouts, you can tell if there’s a cause for concern.
This is when a gutter service in Orland Park can be of great help. They can distinguish if gutter replacement is necessary or if you can get by with repairs to extend the lifetime of your gutters. Sometimes, basic gutter cleaning is all that’s needed.
Some homeowners decide to do simple gutter care and maintenance, such as gutter cleaning, themselves. Although it it can be time consuming and sometimes dangerous, they are ready to complete the chore 1-2 times each year to save some money.
However, anything beyond gutter cleaning is best left to the professionals.
Start by calling a gutter service with excellent customer reviews like Orland Park Gutters. Then let us do a full inspection to accurately diagnose the issue. We provide free inspections for potential customers.
If there are gutter repairs to be made, or if we feel 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!