Are Your Gutters Leaking?

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

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

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

How to Identify Leaking Gutters

There are a number of warning signs that suggest a gutter leak, even if you don’t physically notice water dripping. You can do a visual inspection from the safety of your ground to determine if the signs of a leaking gutter are present.

Here’s what to look for:

Obvious Flaws – When gutters start to pull away from the house, it stresses the connectors. Cracks can be caused by faulty installation, low quality materials, damage or age. Cracks in the gutter channel or seeing any part of them pulling away from the home might not cause a leak yet, but these things will certainly cause issues. Getting these defects fixed is affordable than gutter replacement or any of the potential damages a leak can lead to.

Pooling Water – If water is pooling around your home, it’s a sign that a gutter leak is present. You should also check pipes, water spigots and any water source that is near your home, just to be sure.

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

Drips – One of the most visible signs of a leaking gutter is a drip, or several drips.

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 a big overflow, there is an unseen leak. These small leaks will occur if a fastener has become loose (see the next item on our list).

Visible Fasteners – Seeing nails and screws working their way out of the rain gutters means a leak is going to begin soon, if it hasn’t already. The area where the nail or screw fits in becomes a new area where water can escape if the fastener starts to fall out.

Sometimes the solution is as easy as refastening them, but it might 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 put it on.

Water Stains or Rust – Water leaves behind evidence, especially when it is consistently or frequently there. Dark water stains will appear because dirt and other materials adhere to the wet surface better than on a dry one.

Rust is the product of nearly constant moisture, and the more severe sign you’ll notice after you see water stains. Most water stains can be cleaned and the gutters can be repaired, but if gutters are rusty, they will definitely have to be repaired or replaced.

Unexplained Home Damage – If there hasn’t recently been a severe storm, and you haven’t had a limb fall on your roof, but you’re beginning to notice paint flaking, cracking in the foundation around the downspouts or walkways, decaying wood on your porch or deck, or moldy window sills, you may have leaking gutters.

These are all signs that water has been leaking from somewhere it shouldn’t. They also go hand in hand with older building materials, so all of these 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 common gutter issues, a leak may not be the problem.

Rain Overflow – This one is a pretty easy fix. It’s likely not a leak, but a clog that has to be removed. You can do this or hire a Alpharetta gutter cleaning company – 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 will cause overflow. Once the nest has been there awhile, you will start to see some of the above signs of leaks – like rust or pooling – if you don’t get rid of the nest.

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

Professional Gutter Repair

Any of these obvious signs mean there are issues with your rain gutter that need to be addressed right away. By quickly checking all of your gutters and downspouts, you can tell if there’s a cause for concern.

This is when a professional gutter service in Alpharetta can be of great help. They can distinguish if gutter replacement is required or if you can get by with repairs to lengthen the life of your home’s gutters. Sometimes, gutter cleaning is all that’s needed.

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

However, any job beyond basic gutter cleaning should be left to the professionals.

Start by calling a gutter specialist with good customer reviews like AllClean Alpharetta Gutters. Then let us do an inspection to correctly determine the problem. We provide free inspections for potential customers.

If there are gutter repairs to be made, or if we think that it’s time for gutter replacement, 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!