How To Tell If You Need Gutter Repairs

Guttering is a part of the home that is very easy to overlook, but it is also one of the most important. Without good guttering, it is very easy for rainwater to cause all kinds of water damage, especially if it begins to pool outside of your home or linger on the edges of your roof.

Cracks and Splits

The most common sign of gutter damage is to see the plastic material cracking and splitting. While large breaks are obviously a big problem that needs to be dealt with quickly, small cracks can also start to widen over time, eventually causing even more problems if they are left to grow unchecked.

The most notable problem you face when dealing with cracks comes from cold weather. If water pools into the cracks and freezes into ice, it will expand, widening the cracks and potentially breaking the plastic even more than it already has. Once it unfreezes, there will be even more leaks to deal with the next time it rains.

Overflows

If water is starting to overflow out of the gutters, but is still flowing through the downpipe, then you can assume that the gutters are either too narrow or have not been installed properly. Working gutters should not be overflowing – the only time this normally happens is if they are angled incorrectly.

If the water is not flowing through the downpipe or is just barely trickling, then it is blocked. Unblocking it should not be hard, but it may take a specialist to get the job done safely.

Peeling

In many cases, paint peeling off galvanized steel gutters means that the water has been able to get through the coating and into the metal, causing it to rust. This means weaker gutters, more overall damage, and a need to replace or repair the sections of the gutter that are starting to peel.

Sagging

If your gutters are sagging, then they are either filled with mud or slowly starting to buckle away from their mountings on the wall. This can happen if they’re too far apart or if too much weight is pushing them down. Repairing this is not too hard, but again, a specialist is the best option.

Water Damage

Any general kind of water damage – including mold, water stains, peeling, and so on – can be a good indicator that you need a gutter repair service. Water damage indicates that the water is having an actual impact on your home and causing problems beyond just the gutter itself, which is a serious concern.

Not only that, but some kinds of water damage can be directly damaging to the entire roof, forcing you to do more direct repairs to other areas of your home. In some cases, it might even pool in an enclosed yard area, causing damage to the grass, ground, or paved surfaces underfoot.

No matter what the problem is, you will want to turn to a gutter repair specialist as soon as possible. Using a dedicated specialist or contractor allows you to get the job done faster and to a higher standard of quality than if you were doing it yourself.