Are Your Gutters Leaking?

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

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

Spotting a leak in your gutters early can protect your entire home. In this blog post, we’ve provided a few indicators that you can be on the lookout for (without hiring a roofer) to see if there is a leak in your gutters.

How to Identify Leaking Gutters

There are several signs that point to a leaking gutter, even if you don’t physically see water dripping. You can do an inspection from the lawn to decide if the signs of a gutter leak are there.

Here’s what to look for:

Obvious Flaws – When the gutters pull away from the home, it causes stress on the fasteners. Cracks can be caused by 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 roofing might not cause a leak just yet, but these things will ultimately lead to problems. Getting these defects repaired is affordable than installing new gutters or any of the damages a leak can lead to.

Pooling – If rain is puddling around your home, it’s a possible sign that a gutter leak is present. But you should also check pipes, water spigots and any other water source that is near your house, just to be sure.

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

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

A drip from your gutter indicates a clog, but if it’s coming from the bottom and it isn’t a big overflow, there is an unseen leak somewhere. These tiny leaks can happen 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 gutters likely 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 get out if the fastener works its way out.

Sometimes the solution is as easy as refastening them, but it may 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 sealant, or let a gutter repair company put it on.

Water Stains or Rust – Moisture leaves evidence behind, especially when it is consistently or frequently there. Darker water stains appear because dirt and other materials stick 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 can be cleaned away and the gutters can be fixed, but if gutters are rusty, they will definitely need 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 notice paint flaking, cracking in the foundation around the downspouts or walkways, decaying wood on your porch or deck, or mold on your window sills, you could have leaking gutters.

These are all indications that water has been leaking from somewhere it shouldn’t be. They also are related to aging building materials, so all factors need to be taken into account when inspecting gutters for leaks.

Other gutter issues…

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

Rain Overflow – This issue is a pretty simple fix. It’s likely not a leak, but a clog that has to be cleaned out. You can do this or hire a Norfolk 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 in your downspout, which can also cause overflow. Once the nest has been there for a little while, you will start to see some of the above signs of a leak in a gutter – like rust or puddling – if you don’t get rid of the nest.

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

Professional Gutter Repair

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

This is when a professional gutter service in Norfolk can be of great help. They can determine if gutter replacement is necessary or if you can get by with repairs to lengthen the life of your gutters. Sometimes, gutter cleaning is the only thing that’s needed.

Homeowners can choose to do simple gutter care and maintenance, like gutter cleaning, on their own. Although it it can be time consuming and sometimes dangerous, they are ready to complete the chore 1-2 times each year to save a little money.

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

Start by hiring a gutter service with excellent customer reviews like Norfolk Gutters Plus. Then let us do an inspection to accurately determine the issue. We provide free inspections for potential customers.

If there are repairs to be made, or if we believe that it’s time for gutter replacement, you can count on us to get the job done. Our gutter repair service will save you a lot of time and trouble in the long run!