Are Your Gutters Leaking?

Rain Gutters are important because – despite being simple and inexpensive – they protect more valuable home investments, such as 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 a lot simpler than you probably think.

Identifying a leaking gutter early can protect an entire house. Here, we’ve listed a few signs 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 lot of signs that indicate a gutter leak, even if you don’t physically notice water dripping. You can do an 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 gutters start to pull away from the house, it stresses the connectors. Cracks can be the result of faulty installation, low quality materials, storm damage or age. Cracks in the gutter or seeing any section of them pulling away from the roof might not cause a leak yet, but these things will ultimately lead to issues. Getting these defects fixed is affordable than installing new gutters or any of the damages a leak can cause.

Pooling Water – If rain is puddling around your house, it’s a sign that a gutter leak is probably present. But you should also check underground pipes, water spigots and any water source that is near your home, just in case.

Pooling water by your home can be especially bad for the foundation. It’s also bad for landscaping and could cause windows to leak.

Dripping – One of the more noticeable signs of gutter leaks is a drip, or several of them.

A drip coming from your rain gutter indicates a clog, but if it’s coming from the bottom of the gutter and it isn’t overflowing, there is a hidden leak. These small leaks can 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 likely means a leak will begin soon, if it hasn’t already. The area where the nail or screw fits in becomes a new area where water can get out if the fastener starts to fall out.

Sometimes the solution is as easy as tightening them, but it can also be necessary to cover the hole so no more water can escape from around the screw or the nail, even after it is tightened again. You can purchase this type of sealant, or let a gutter repair company apply it.

Water Stains or Rust – Water leaves evidence behind, especially when it is constantly or frequently present. Darker water stains will appear because dirt and other organic materials adhere to the moist surface better than on a drier one.

Rust is the product of nearly constant moisture, and the more severe sign you’ll notice after you see water stains. Most water stains on gutters can be cleaned away and the gutters fixed, but if the 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 top of your roof, but you’re starting to see paint flaking, cracking in the foundation around the downspouts or walkways, rotting wood on your porch or deck, or moldy window sills, you may have a gutter leak.

These are all indications that water has been leaking from somewhere it shouldn’t. 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 home repairs. If you see these gutter issues, a leak may not be the problem.

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

Animal Nests – A 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 take root in your rain gutter with small amounts of debris present. While it may be small now, a tree sapling will sprout strong roots that can damage aluminum gutters before you know it.

Professional Gutter Repair

Any of these easy-to-see signs mean there are issues with your gutter that need to be addressed right away. By checking your gutters and downspouts, you can tell if there’s a reason for concern.

This is when a gutter service in Chapel Hill can be helpful. They can distinguish if gutter replacement is required or if you can get by with repairs to extend the life of your gutters. Sometimes, basic gutter cleaning is all that’s needed.

Some homeowners choose to do simple gutter care and maintenance, like gutter cleaning, themselves. Although it is time consuming and dangerous, they are willing to take on the chore 1-2 times a year to save a little money.

However, anything beyond simple gutter cleaning should be left to the professionals.

Start by hiring a gutter specialist with good customer reviews like Chapel Hill Gutters. Then let us do a full inspection to accurately determine the problem. We provide free inspections for new customers.

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