Are Your Gutters Leaking?

Gutters are really important because – despite being simple and inexpensive – they protect more valuable home investments, like the roof, foundation and windows. Maintaining and cleaning gutters is an easy way to prevent your home from damages.

And it’s much easier than you might think.

Identifying a leaking gutter early can protect your entire house. Here, we’ve listed a few signs that you can look for (without calling a roof specialist) to see if you have a gutter leaking.

How to Identify a Leaking Gutter

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

Here’s what to keep an eye out for:

Visible Flaws – When the gutters pull away from the home, it causes stress on the fasteners. Cracks can be the result of poor installation, low quality materials, storm damage or age. Cracks in the gutter or seeing any part of them pulling away from the roofing may not be causing a leak just yet, but will certainly cause issues. Getting these defects fixed is a lot more affordable than gutter replacement or any of the possible damages a leak can lead to.

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

Pooling water by your house can be really damaging 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 is likely a clog, but if it’s coming from the bottom and it isn’t overflowing, there is a hidden leak. These small leaks will happen if a fastener has gotten loose (see the next item below).

Visible Fasteners – Finding nails and screws wiggling their way out of the gutters means a leak will start soon, if it hasn’t already. The area where the nail or screw fits in starts to become a new area where water can escape if the fastener works its way out.

Sometimes the solution is as easy as refastening them, but it can also be necessary to seal the hole so no more water can leak from around the screw or 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 – Water leaves behind evidence, especially when it is consistently or frequently there. Dark water stains appear because dirt and other organic materials adhere to the wet surface better than it would a dry one.

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

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

These are all signs that water has been leaking from a place it shouldn’t. They also are related to aging building materials, so all factors should be factored in when inspecting gutters for leaks.

Other gutter issues…

Not all gutter issues lead to major repairs. If you see these gutter issues, a leak may not be the issue.

Rain Overflow – This issue is a pretty easy fix. It’s probably not a leak, but a clog that has to be cleaned out. You can do this yourself or hire a Sandy Springs gutter cleaning company – 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 can 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 easily take root in your gutter with minimal debris present. While it may be little now, a sapling will sprout really strong roots that can destroy aluminum gutters before you even know it.

Professional Gutter Repair

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

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

Homeowners can decide to do basic gutter care and maintenance, such as gutter cleaning, themselves. Although it is time consuming and sometimes dangerous, they are ready to take on the chore 1-2 times a year to save a little money.

However, anything beyond gutter cleaning should be left to the professionals.

Start by calling a gutter specialist with excellent customer reviews like Sandy Springs Gutters. Then let us do a full inspection to correctly determine the issue. We offer free inspections for potential customers.

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