Are Your Gutters Leaking?
Rain Gutters are really important because – while they are simple and relatively inexpensive – they protect more valuable home assets, such as the roof, foundation and windows. Maintaining and cleaning rain gutters is an easy way to help prevent your house from damages.
And it’s a lot easier than you probably think.
Identifying a leaking gutter early can protect an entire home. In this blog post, we’ve provided a few indicators that you can look for (without hiring a roof specialist) to determine if your gutters are leaking.
How to Identify a Gutter Leak
There are several warning signs that point to leaking gutters, even if you don’t physically notice water dripping. You can do a visual inspection from the ground to determine if the signs of a leaking gutter are present.
Here’s what to keep an eye out for:
Visible Flaws – When the gutters pull away from the roof, it causes stress on the connectors. Cracks can be the result of faulty installation, poor quality materials, damage or age. Cracks in the gutter or seeing any part of them pulling away from the home may not be causing a leak just yet, but will definitely lead to issues. Having these defects repaired is affordable than replacing gutters or any of the potential damages a leak can lead to.
Pooling – If rain is pooling around your home, 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 close to your home, just to be sure.
Pooling water around your home can be very damaging for the foundation. It’s also bad for landscaping and can cause windows to leak.
Dripping – One of the most obvious signs of a gutter leak is a drip, or several of them.
A drip from your 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 an unseen leak. These small leaks can occur if a fastener has gotten loose (see the next item below).
Visible Fasteners – Seeing nails and screws wiggling their way out of the rain gutters likely 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 starts to fall out.
Sometimes the answer is as easy as refastening them, but it might also be important to seal the hole so no water can leak 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 behind evidence, especially if it is constantly or frequently there. Darker water stains will appear because dirt and other materials adhere to the wet surface better than on a drier one.
Rust is the result of nearly constant moisture, and the more extreme sign you’ll see after you see water stains. water stains on gutters can be cleaned away and the gutters can be repaired, but if gutters are rusty, they will definitely need 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 notice paint flaking, cracking in the foundation around the downspouts or walkways, rotting wood on your porch 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 factors should be taken into account 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 might not be the issue.
Rain Overflow – This issue is a pretty easy fix. It’s likely not a gutter leak, but a clog that should be cleaned out. You can do this yourself or hire a Skokie gutter cleaning company – or even a general handyman – to clean them out.
Animal Nests – A small bird, squirrel, chipmunk can build a nest in your gutters or in your downspout, which will also cause overflow. Once the nest has been there for a little while, you will start seeing some of the above signs of leaks – like rust or puddling – if you don’t get rid of the nest.
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 really strong roots that can damage aluminum gutters before you even know it.
Professional Gutter Repair
Any of these easy-to-see signs mean there are issues with your rain gutter that need to be addressed right away. By quickly checking your gutters and downspouts, you can see if there’s a cause for concern.
This is where a professional gutter service in Skokie can be of great help. They can determine if gutter replacement is necessary or if you can get by with repairs to lengthen the lifetime of your home’s gutters. Sometimes, gutter cleaning is the only thing that’s needed.
Some homeowners choose to do simple gutter care and maintenance, such as gutter cleaning, on their own. Although it is time consuming and dangerous, they are eager to take on the project 1-2 times a year to save some money.
However, any job beyond basic gutter cleaning is best left to the professionals.
Start by hiring a gutter specialist with excellent customer reviews like Skokie Gutter Solutions. Then let us do a full inspection to accurately diagnose the problem. We offer free inspections for potential customers.
If there are any gutter 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. Our gutter repair service will save you a lot of time and trouble in the long run!