Are Your Gutters Leaking?

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

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

Identifying a gutter leak early can protect the entire home. In this blog post, we’ve listed a few indicators that you can look for (without calling a roofer) to determine if there is a leak in your gutters.

How to Identify a Leaking Gutter

There are several signs that suggest a gutter leak, even if you don’t actually notice water dripping. You can do an inspection from the safety of your lawn to decide if the signs of a leaking gutter are there.

Here’s what to keep an eye out for:

Visible Flaws – When gutters start to pull away from the house, it stresses the connections. Cracks can be caused by faulty installation, low quality materials, storm damage or age. Cracks in the gutter channel or seeing any part of them pulling away from the roofing might not be causing a leak yet, but these things will definitely result in problems. Having these defects repaired is more affordable than gutter replacement or any of the damages a leak can cause.

Pooling Water – 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 water source that is near your home, just to be careful.

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

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

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 an unseen leak somewhere. These tiny leaks will occur if a fastener has become loose (see the next item below).

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

Sometimes the answer is as easy as tightening them, but it can also be important to seal the hole so no water can escape from around the screw or the nail, even after it is tightened again. You can purchase this sealant, or let a gutter repair company apply it.

Water Stains or Rust – Moisture leaves evidence behind, especially when it is consistently or frequently there. Dark water stains will appear because dirt and other organic materials stick to the moist surface better than it would a drier one.

Rust is the result of nearly constant moisture, and the more severe sign you’ll notice after you see water stains. water stains on gutters 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 limb fall on your roof, but you’re starting to notice paint flaking, cracking in the foundation around the downspouts or walkways, rotting wood on your patio or deck, or mold on your window sills, you might have leaking gutters.

These are all indications that water has been leaking from somewhere it shouldn’t be. They also are related to older building materials, so all of these factors need to be factored in when inspecting gutters for leaks.

Other gutter issues…

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

Rain Overflow – This one is usually an easy 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 Highlands Ranch gutter cleaning service – or even a general handyman – to clean out the gutters.

Animal Nests – A small bird, squirrel, chipmunk or other pest can quickly build a nest in your rain gutters or downspout, which will cause overflow. Once the nest has been there for a little while, you will start seeing some of the above signs of leaks – like rust or puddling – if you don’t get rid of it.

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

Professional Gutter Repair

Any of these easy-to-see signs indicate there are problems with your gutter that must be addressed right away. By checking your gutters and downspouts, you can see if there’s a cause for concern.

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

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

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

Start by finding a gutter specialist with good customer reviews like Highlands Ranch Gutters. Then let us do an inspection to accurately diagnose the issue. We offer free inspections for new customers.

If there are repairs to be made, or if we feel that it’s time to install new gutters, 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!