Are Your Gutters Leaking?

Gutters are very important because – although they are simple and inexpensive – they protect valuable home components, such as the roof, foundation and windows. Maintaining and cleaning rain gutters is an easy way to help prevent your home from major damages.

And it’s really much easier than you might think.

Identifying a leak in your gutters early can protect the entire home. In this blog post, we’ve listed a few indicators that you can be on the lookout for (without calling a roofer) to see if your gutters are leaking.

How to Identify a Gutter Leak

There are several warning signs that point to a gutter leak, even if you don’t physically notice water dripping. You can do a visual inspection from the ground to decide if the signs of a gutter leak are present.

Here’s what to keep an eye out for:

Obvious Flaws – When gutters begin to pull away from the roof, it causes stress on the connections. Cracks can be caused by poor installation, low quality materials, damage or general wear and tear. Cracks in the gutter or seeing any part of them pulling away from the home may not be causing a leak yet, but will definitely lead to issues. Having these defects fixed is affordable than replacing gutters or any of the possible 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 underground pipes, water spigots and any water source that is near your home, just in case.

Pooling water by your home can be really bad for the foundation. It’s also bad for landscaping and could cause windows to leak.

Drips – One of the more noticeable signs of a leaking gutter is a drip, or several of them.

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

Visible Fasteners – Seeing nails and screws working their way out of the gutters likely means a leak is going to 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 works its way out.

Sometimes the answer is as simple as tightening them, but it may also be important to cover the hole so no water can leak from the edge of the screw or the nail, even after it is tightened again. 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. Darker water stains will appear because dirt and other materials adhere to the moist surface better than it would a dry one.

Rust is the product of constant moisture, and the more extreme sign you’ll notice after water stains. Most water stains on gutters can be cleaned and the gutters repaired, but if your gutters are rusty, they definitely need to be repaired or replaced.

Unexplained Home Damage – If there hasn’t recently been a severe storm, and you haven’t had a tree 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 a gutter leak.

These are all signs that water has been leaking from a place it shouldn’t be. They also are related to older building materials, so all factors need to be considered 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 may not be the problem.

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

Animal Nests – A small bird, squirrel, chipmunk can build a nest in your gutters or downspout, which will 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 little 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 mean there are problems with your rain gutter that must be addressed right away. By quickly checking all of your gutters and downspouts, you can see if there’s a reason for concern.

This is where a gutter service in Bend can be of great help. They can distinguish whether gutter replacement is necessary or if you can get by with repairs to lengthen the lifetime of your gutters. Sometimes, basic gutter cleaning is the only thing that’s needed.

Some homeowners decide to do basic gutter care, like gutter cleaning, on their own. Although it is time-consuming and somewhat dangerous, they are eager to complete the chore a couple of times each year to save a little money.

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

Start by hiring a gutter service with good customer reviews like Best Bend Gutters. Then let us do a full inspection to correctly determine the issue. We provide free inspections for new customers.

If there are any 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 right. Our gutter repair service will save you a lot of time and trouble in the long run!