Are Your Gutters Leaking?
Rain Gutters are so important because – despite being simple and relatively inexpensive – they protect valuable home assets, such as the roof, foundation and windows. Caring for and cleaning gutters is an easy way to help protect your home from damages.
And it’s really a lot simpler than you probably think.
Finding a leak in your gutters early can protect your entire home. In this blog post, we’ve provided a few signs that you can look for (without calling a roofer) to determine if there is a leak in your gutters.
How to Identify a Gutter Leak
There are several warning signs that suggest a gutter leak, even if you don’t notice water dripping. You can do an inspection from the safety of your ground to decide if the signs of a gutter leak are present.
Here’s what to look for:
Visible Flaws – When gutters begin to pull away from the house, it stresses the connections. Cracks can be caused by faulty installation, poor quality materials, storm damage or age. Cracks in the gutter channel or seeing any section of them pulling away from the house may not cause a leak just yet, but these things will definitely create issues. Having these defects repaired is affordable than installing new gutters or any of the damages a leak can lead to.
Pooling – If water is pooling around your house, it’s a sign that a gutter leak is probably present. You should also check pipes, water spigots and any water source that is near your home, just to be careful.
Pooling water around your home can be really damaging for the foundation. It’s also bad for landscaping and might cause windows to leak.
Drips – One of the more noticeable signs of gutter leaks is a drip, or several of them.
A drip coming from your rain gutter could indicate a clog, but if it’s coming from the bottom and it isn’t a big overflow, there is an unseen leak somewhere. These minor leaks will occur if a fastener has gotten loose (see the next item on our list).
Visible Fasteners – Finding nails and screws wiggling their way out of the rain gutters likely means a leak is going to begin soon, if it hasn’t already. The hole where the nail or screw fits in becomes a new area where water can escape if the fastener works its way out.
Sometimes the answer is as easy as refastening them, but it could also be important to cover the hole so no more water can escape from the edge of the screw or 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 – Water leaves behind evidence, especially if it is consistently or frequently present. Darker water stains appear because dirt and other debris stick to the moist surface better than it would a drier one.
Rust is the product of nearly constant moisture, and the more extreme sign you’ll notice after water stains. Most water stains on gutters can be cleaned away and the gutters fixed, but if your gutters are rusty, they will definitely have to be repaired or be replaced.
Unexplained Home Damage – If there hasn’t recently been a storm, and you haven’t had a tree limb fall on top of 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 may have leaking gutters.
These are all signs that water has been leaking from a place it shouldn’t. They also are related to older building materials, so all of these factors need to be taken into account when inspecting gutters for leaks.
Other gutter issues…
Not all gutter issues lead to home repairs. If you see these common gutter issues, a leak might not be the issue.
Rain Overflow – This issue is typically an easy fix. It’s probably not a gutter leak, but a clog that should be removed. You can do this or hire a Tulsa gutter cleaning company – or even a general handyman – to clean them out.
Animal Nests – A bird, squirrel, chipmunk can build a nest in your rain gutters or 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 a leak in a gutter – like rust or pooling – if you don’t get rid of the nest.
Trees & Plants – A tree can 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 even know it.
Professional Gutter Repair
Any of these visible signs indicate there are issues with your gutter that need to be addressed immediately. By checking your gutters and downspouts, you can tell if there’s a cause for concern.
This is where a professional gutter service in Tulsa can be helpful. They can determine if gutter replacement is necessary or if you can get by with repairs to extend the life of your gutters. Sometimes, basic gutter cleaning is the only thing that’s needed.
Some homeowners decide to do simple gutter care and maintenance, such as gutter cleaning, themselves. Although it can be time consuming and dangerous, they are ready to take on the project a couple of times a year to save some money.
However, any job beyond simple gutter cleaning should be left to professionals.
Start by calling a gutter service with good customer reviews like Total Tulsa Gutters. Then let us do an inspection to accurately diagnose the issue. We provide free inspections for new customers.
If there are 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 will save you a lot of time and trouble in the long run!