Are Your Gutters Leaking?

Rain Gutters are so important because – despite being simple and relatively inexpensive – they protect valuable home investments, such as the roof, foundation and windows. Maintaining and cleaning gutters is an easy way to help protect your home from major damages.

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

Identifying a leaking gutter early can protect the entire home. Below, we’ve listed a few signs that you can look for (without hiring a roofer) to see if your gutters may be leaking.

How to Identify a Gutter Leak

There are many signs that point to a leaking gutter, even if you don’t actually see water dripping. You can do a visual inspection from the safety of your lawn to decide if the signs of a leaking gutter are present.

Here’s what to look for:

Obvious Flaws – When the gutters pull away from the home, it stresses the connectors. Cracks can be the result of faulty installation, poor quality materials, damage or general wear and tear. Cracks in the gutter channel or seeing any section of them pulling away from the house might not be causing a leak yet, but these things will certainly create problems. Having these defects fixed is much more affordable than installing new gutters or any of the possible damages a leak can cause.

Pooling Water – If rain is pooling around your home, it’s a sign that a gutter leak is present. You should also check underground pipes, water spigots and any other water source that is close to your home, just in case.

Pooling water around your home can be especially bad for the foundation. It’s also bad for landscaping and might cause windows to leak.

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

A drip coming from your rain gutter is likely 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 tiny leaks can happen if a fastener has gotten loose (see the next item below).

Visible Fasteners – Finding nails and screws wiggling their way out of the rain gutters likely means a leak will begin soon, if it hasn’t already. The hole 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 answer is as easy as tightening them, but it might also be important to cover the hole so no water can leak from the edge of 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 – Moisture leaves behind evidence, especially when it is constantly or frequently there. Dark water stains appear because dirt and other organic debris adhere to the wet surface better than on a drier one.

Rust is the result of constant moisture, and the more extreme sign you’ll notice after water stains. Most water stains can be cleaned 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 been a storm, and you haven’t had a limb fall on top of your roof, but you’re starting to see paint flaking, cracking in the foundation or walkways, rotting wood on your porch or deck, or mold on your window sills, you could have a gutter leak.

These are all indications that water has been leaking from a place 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 every gutter issue leads to home repairs. If you see these common gutter issues, a leak might not be the issue.

Rain Overflow – This issue is usually an easy fix. It’s likely not a leak, but a clog that should be cleaned out. You can do this yourself or hire a Hoover gutter cleaning service – even a general handyman – to clean out the gutters.

Animal Nests – A small bird, squirrel, chipmunk or other pest can build a nest in your gutters or downspout, which can also cause overflow. Once the nest has been there awhile, 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 it.

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

Professional Gutter Repair

Any of these easy-to-see signs indicate there are issues with your gutter that have 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 Hoover can be of great help. They can determine if gutter replacement is required or if you can get by with repairs to extend the lifetime of your gutters. Sometimes, gutter cleaning is all that’s needed.

Homeowners can choose to do simple gutter care and maintenance, such as gutter cleaning, themselves. Although it it can be time consuming and somewhat dangerous, they are ready to take on the chore a couple of times each year to save a little money.

However, anything beyond basic gutter cleaning is best left to the professionals.

Start by finding a gutter service with good customer reviews like Hoover Gutter Service. Then let us do an inspection to correctly diagnose the issue. We provide free inspections for new customers.

If there are 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 will save you a lot of time and trouble in the long run!