Are Your Gutters Leaking?

Rain Gutters are important because – although they are simple and relatively inexpensive – they protect more valuable home investments, like the roof, foundation and windows. Maintaining and cleaning rain gutters is an easy way to help protect your house from damages.

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

Finding a gutter leak early can protect the entire house. Below, we’ve listed a few indicators that you can be on the lookout for (without calling a roof specialist) to determine if you have a gutter leaking.

How to Identify a Gutter Leak

There are a lot of warning signs that point to a gutter leak, even if you don’t physically see water dripping. You can do an inspection from the safety of your lawn to determine if the signs of a gutter leak are present.

Here’s what to keep an eye out for:

Visible Flaws – When gutters start to pull away from the home, it stresses the connections. Cracks can be caused by faulty installation, low quality materials, damage or general wear and tear. Cracks in the gutter channel or seeing any part of them pulling away from the house might not cause a leak yet, but these things will definitely create issues. Having these defects fixed is a lot more affordable than installing new gutters or any of the possible damages a leak can cause.

Pooling Water – If water is pooling around your home, 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 near your house, just to be careful.

Pooling water near your house can be really damaging for the foundation. It’s also bad for landscaping and might cause your windows to leak.

Dripping – One of the most obvious signs of a gutter leak is a drip, or several of them.

A drip coming from your gutter is likely a clog, but if it’s coming from the bottom of the gutter and it isn’t overflowing, there is an unseen leak somewhere. These tiny leaks will occur if a fastener has gotten loose (see the next item on our list).

Visible Fasteners – Seeing nails and screws wiggling their way out of the gutters likely means a leak will start 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 works its way out.

Sometimes the solution is as easy as tightening them, but it might also be necessary 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 purchase this type of sealant, or let a gutter repair company put it on.

Water Stains or Rust – Water 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 drier one.

Rust is the product of nearly constant moisture, and the more extreme sign you’ll see after you see water stains. Most water stains on gutters can be cleaned away and the gutters can be fixed, but if your 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 tree limb fall on your roof, but you’re beginning to see paint flaking, cracking in the foundation or walkways, rotting wood on your patio or deck, or mold on your window sills, you could have a gutter leak.

These are all indications that water has been leaking from somewhere it shouldn’t be. They also are related to aging building materials, so all factors need to 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 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 removed. You can do this yourself or hire a Louisville gutter cleaning company – even a general handyman – to clean them out.

Animal Nests – A small bird, squirrel, chipmunk can build a nest in your rain gutters or downspout, which can 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 pooling – if you don’t get rid of it.

Trees & Plants – A tree can easily take root in your gutter with little debris present. While it may be small now, a tree sapling will sprout strong roots that can destroy aluminum gutters before you even know it.

Professional Gutter Repair

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

This is when a professional gutter service in Louisville can be of great help. They can determine if gutter replacement is necessary or if you can get by with repairs to lengthen the life of your gutters. Sometimes, gutter cleaning is the only thing that’s needed.

Some homeowners choose to do basic gutter care and maintenance, like gutter cleaning, on their own. Although it it can be time consuming and sometimes dangerous, they are ready to complete the project a couple of 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 excellent customer reviews like Louisville Gutters Plus. Then let us do a full inspection to correctly determine the issue. We provide free inspections for potential customers.

If there are gutter repairs to be made, or if we think that it’s time to install new gutters, you can trust us to get the job done. Our gutter repair service can save you a lot of time and trouble in the long run!