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. Caring for and cleaning rain gutters is an easy way to help protect your house from damages.

And it’s a lot easier than you probably think.

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

How to Identify a Leaking Gutter

There are a lot of warning signs that indicate leaking gutters, even if you don’t notice water dripping. You can do an inspection from the lawn to decide if the signs of a gutter leak are present.

Here are some things to look for:

Obvious Flaws – When gutters start to pull away from the house, it causes stress on the connectors. Cracks can be caused by poor installation, poor quality materials, damage or age. Cracks in the gutter channel or seeing any part of them pulling away from the roofing might not cause a leak yet, but will definitely create problems. Having these defects repaired is much more affordable than gutter replacement or any of the damages a leak can cause.

Pooling Water – If water is puddling 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 house, just to be sure.

Pooling water near your home can be very damaging for the foundation. It’s also bad for landscaping and can cause your 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 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 a hidden leak somewhere. These small leaks can happen if a fastener has gotten loose (see the next item below).

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

Sometimes the answer is as easy as tightening them, but it can also be important to seal the hole so no more water can escape from the edge of 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 apply it.

Water Stains or Rust – Moisture leaves evidence behind, especially if 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 dry one.

Rust is the product of nearly constant moisture, and the more severe sign you’ll notice after water stains. 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 severe 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 around the downspouts or walkways, rotting wood on your patio or deck, or moldy window sills, you may have leaking gutters.

These are all indications that water has been leaking from somewhere it shouldn’t. They also go hand in hand with older building materials, so all factors should be taken into account when inspecting gutters for leaks.

Other gutter issues…

Not every gutter issue leads to major repairs. If you see these gutter issues, a gutter leak might not be the problem.

Rain Overflow – This one is typically an easy fix. It’s probably not a gutter leak, but a clog that should be removed. You can do this yourself or hire a Bethlehem gutter cleaning service – or even a general handyman – to clean out the gutters.

Animal Nests – A 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 leaks – like rust or puddling – if you don’t get rid of the nest.

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

Professional Gutter Repair

Any of these visible signs indicate 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 cause for concern.

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

Some homeowners choose to do simple gutter care and maintenance, such as gutter cleaning, on their own. Although it is time consuming and sometimes dangerous, they are willing to take on the project a couple of times a year to save a little money.

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

Start by calling a gutter service with excellent customer reviews like Better Bethlehem Gutters. Then let us do a full inspection to correctly diagnose the problem. We offer free inspections for potential customers.

If there are any gutter repairs to be made, or if we believe 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!