Don’t ignore the signs of gutter damage! Even light damage to a gutter system can compromise its ability to stop rainwater from seeping through the foundation, pooling in the basement, and nourishing black mold inside a home’s frame and walls.
Fortunately, gutter damage isn’t difficult to detect. If you notice any of the following telltale signs, contact a gutter contractor in Chatfield, MN for repair or replacement ASAP!
Warped or Sagging Gutters
Steel and aluminum gutters are rigid and corrosion-resistant: two qualities that help them resist sagging and warping. But no gutter is immune to S & W. Continual thermal expansion and contraction will gradually yet assuredly deform galvanized steel and aluminum gutters alike.
Gutter warping and sagging are a vicious cycle. The more warped the gutter becomes, the more water it accumulates. Pest nests can only exacerbate the problem. If a bird, rodent or insect colony builds its headquarters inside your gutter, the nest’s (A) weight and (B) ability to obstruct the free flow of water will both place even greater strain on your gutters.
Once a gutter has warped to its worst condition, it may as well not even be on the house. Don’t let things get that bad. If a gutter is only slightly warped, a gutter technician may be able to quickly remove, reform and reinstall it. They can also repair a sagging gutter by clearing it free of clogs and debris, adjusting its slope, reinforcing it, or adding a new downspout beneath it. If a gutter system is too far gone for repair, a new one is the only ticket.
Overflowing Water
Do your gutters overflow when it’s raining? That could be because they are clogged with debris: leaves, pine needles, seeds, twigs, and all the other frustrating things trees drop on your homestead. Loose shingle granules can also clog gutters.
Gutters don’t overflow only when they are clogged. They may have become overly shallow as the result of warping, as explained earlier. They may no longer have the correct slope (0.25″ downward for every 10′ of length). They may simply be too small to handle the amount of rain that lands on your roof.
If you’re comfortable and capable of doing light repair work on a ladder, then you can readjust a gutter’s pitch by yourself. If you’re not, a gutter tech can do it for you. And if your gutters simply don’t have the capacity to contain all the rainwater that sloughs off your roof, a gutter contractor can also upscale them.
Leaking Water
Clogged and overflowing gutters leak water over their edges. But what about when water leaks through a gutter? In that case, the culprit can be one or more of many.
- Seam gaps – If the leak manifests where two lengths of gutter meet, then it is likely the result of a separating or poorly sealed seam. Fortunately, repairing a gutter joint is a straightforward process that usually requires little more than caulking.
- Cracks and holes – Erosion and physical damage can both cause cracks and holes to form in gutters. Judicious application of sealant can restore a gutter’s full functionality when it has a small crack and hole, but there are limits to what sealant alone can fix. Larger fissures and holes are often extensive enough to require full replacement.
- Rust – Rusty gutters require replacement. It is possible to replace a single length of rusted gutter, but doing so is not ideal because it will create one or more new seams (which are inherently weaker). If your gutters are leaking from one or more rusted areas, complete replacement of the system is probably the most advisable option.
- Loose fasteners – A gutter’s fasteners keep it secured to its hangers, which in turn keep it anchored to the fascia. When gutter fasteners loosen, they create leaks. Unless the fascia boards are rotting, resecuring the gutter system is as simple as tightening its fasteners and maybe applying some sealant.
Note that mold and rust can both appear on siding when the gutters above it are leaking. Discolored siding commonly indicates that a home that has a leaky gutter system.
Peeling Paint
Gutters usually lose their paint because they weren’t correctly treated and/or primed. Proper preparation is especially important for galvanized steel. That’s because it’s coated with a thin layer of zinc, which causes paint to delaminate by chemically reacting to its binder.
Paint doesn’t just enhance a gutter’s aesthetics. It also serves an important anti-corrosive function, which is why it’s important to repaint delaminating gutters. However, if inspection reveals that peeling paint is accompanied by extensive corrosion, full replacement may ultimately be the more cost-effective course of action.
If the gutters on your home or commercial property in the greater Rochester, MN area are showing any signs of damage, contact Curry’s Custom Cut Gutter today! We’ll tell you whether repair or replacement is the better investment, and we’ll deliver the best solution no matter which path you choose.