Are Your Gutters Leaking?

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

And it’s a lot easier than you might think.

Spotting a leak in your gutters early can protect an entire home. Here, we’ve provided a few signs that you can be on the lookout for (without calling a roof specialist) to see if your gutters are leaking.

How to Identify Leaking Gutters

There are several signs that suggest a leaking gutter, even if you don’t notice water dripping. You can do a visual inspection from the ground to decide if the signs of a gutter leak are present.

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 poor installation, poor quality materials, damage or age. Cracks in the gutter channel or seeing any part of them pulling away from the roof might not be causing a leak yet, but these things will ultimately cause problems. Getting these defects fixed is affordable than replacing gutters or any of the damages a leak can lead to.

Pooling Water – If water is puddling around your home, it’s a sign that a gutter leak is probably present. But you should also check pipes, water spigots and any other water source that is close to your home, just to be careful.

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

Drips – One of the more noticeable signs of a gutter leak 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 tiny leaks can happen if a fastener has become loose (see the next item on our list).

Visible Fasteners – Seeing nails and screws wiggling their way out of the rain gutters means a leak will 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 starts to fall out.

Sometimes the solution is as simple as tightening them, but it could also be necessary to seal the hole so no water can escape from around the screw or nail, even after it is back in place. You can buy this sealant, or let a gutter repair company put it on.

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

Rust is the result of nearly constant moisture, and the more severe sign you’ll see after you see water stains. Most water stains can be cleaned away and the gutters can be repaired, but if your gutters are rusty, they will definitely need to be repaired or be 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 starting to notice paint flaking, cracking in the foundation around the downspouts or walkways, decaying wood on your patio or deck, or mold on your window sills, you may have leaking gutters.

These are all indications that water has been leaking from a place it shouldn’t. They also go hand in hand with aging building materials, so all of these factors should be taken into account when inspecting gutters for leaks.

Other gutter issues…

Not all gutter issues lead to major repairs. If you see these gutter issues, a gutter leak might not be the issue.

Rain Overflow – This one is a pretty simple fix. It’s likely not a leak, but a clog that needs to be removed. You can do this or hire a Bowie gutter cleaning company – or even a general handyman – to clean out the gutters.

Animal Nests – A bird, squirrel, chipmunk can build a nest in your 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 puddling – 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 destroy aluminum gutters before you know it.

Professional Gutter Repair

Any of these obvious signs indicate there are issues with your rain gutter that must be addressed right away. By checking your gutters and downspouts, you can tell if there’s a cause for concern.

This is where a professional gutter service in Bowie can be of great help. They can distinguish if gutter replacement is required or if you can get by with repairs to lengthen the lifetime of your gutters. Sometimes, basic gutter cleaning is all that’s needed.

Homeowners can choose to do basic gutter care and maintenance, such as gutter cleaning, on their own. Although it is time consuming and sometimes dangerous, they are willing to complete 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 calling a gutter service with good customer reviews like Pure Clean Gutters. Then let us do an inspection to correctly diagnose the issue. We provide free inspections for new customers.

If there are any repairs to be made, or if we feel that it’s time for gutter replacement, 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!