Are Your Gutters Leaking?
Gutters are important because – despite being simple and inexpensive – they protect valuable home assets, like the roof, foundation and windows. Maintaining and cleaning rain gutters is an easy way to prevent your house from major damages.
And it’s a lot simpler than you might think.
Identifying a gutter leak early can protect the entire house. In this blog post, we’ve provided a few signs that you can be on the lookout for (without calling a roofer) to see if you have a gutter leaking.
How to Identify Leaking Gutters
There are a lot of signs that suggest a leaking gutter, even if you don’t see water dripping. You can do an inspection from the lawn to determine if the signs of a gutter leak are there.
Here’s what to keep an eye out for:
Visible Flaws – When gutters start to pull away from the roof, it stresses the connections. Cracks can be caused by poor installation, low quality materials, storm damage or age. Cracks in the gutter channel or seeing any section of them pulling away from the home might not be causing a leak just yet, but these things will definitely result in problems. Having these defects repaired is affordable than replacing gutters or any of the 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. But you should also check pipes, water spigots and any other water source that is close to your home, just to be sure.
Pooling water near your home can be really damaging for the foundation. It’s also bad for landscaping and might cause your windows to leak.
Drips – One of the most visible signs of a leaking gutter is a drip, or several of them.
A drip from your rain gutter could indicate a clog, but if it’s coming from the bottom of the gutter and it isn’t a big overflow, there is a hidden leak. These small leaks will occur if a fastener has become loose (see the next item below).
Visible Fasteners – Finding nails and screws working 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 starts to become a new area where water can escape if the fastener works its way out.
Sometimes the solution is as easy as refastening them, but it could also be important to seal the hole so no more water can escape from the edge of the screw or the 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 – Moisture leaves behind evidence, especially when it is consistently or frequently present. Darker water stains appear because dirt and other organic materials adhere to the wet surface better than on a dry one.
Rust is the result of constant moisture, and the more extreme sign you’ll see after you see water stains. water stains can be cleaned away and the gutters can be repaired, but if the gutters are rusty, they will definitely need to be repaired or be replaced.
Unexplained Home Damage – If there hasn’t been a severe storm, and you haven’t had a tree limb fall on your roof, but you’re starting to notice paint flaking, cracking in the foundation or walkways, decaying wood on your porch or deck, or moldy window sills, you may have a gutter leak.
These are all signs that water has been leaking from a place it shouldn’t be. They also go hand in hand with aging building materials, so all 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 gutter issues, a gutter leak might not be the issue.
Rain Overflow – This issue is usually an easy fix. It’s probably not a gutter leak, but a clog that has to be cleaned out. You can do this or hire a Jacksonville gutter cleaning service – even a general handyman – to clean out the gutters.
Animal Nests – A small bird, squirrel, chipmunk or another pest can build a nest in your gutters or in your downspout, which can cause overflow. Once the nest has been there a 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 rain gutter with minimal debris present. While it may be small now, a tree sapling will sprout really strong roots that can destroy aluminum gutters before you know it.
Professional Gutter Repair
Any of these visible signs mean there are issues with your gutter that have to be addressed right away. By quickly checking your gutters and downspouts, you can tell if there’s a cause for concern.
This is where a professional gutter service in Jacksonville can be helpful. They can determine whether gutter replacement is necessary or if you can get by with repairs to extend the lifetime of your home’s gutters. Sometimes, gutter cleaning is the only thing that’s needed.
Some homeowners decide to do simple gutter care, such as gutter cleaning, themselves. Although it is time consuming and sometimes dangerous, they are willing to complete the chore a couple of times each year to save a little money.
However, any job beyond gutter cleaning should be left to professionals.
Start by finding a gutter specialist with good customer reviews like Jacksonville Gutter Service. Then let us do an inspection to correctly determine the issue. We offer free inspections for potential customers.
If there are any repairs to be made, or if we believe that it’s time to install new gutters, you can trust us to get the job done right. Our gutter repair service can save you a lot of time and trouble in the long run!