SOME SIGNS THAT YOUR RAIN GUTTERS ARE IN NEED OF A LITTLE LOVE
Have you noticed that water is damaging the structure of your home? Your home may be in need of urgent repair to your rain gutters! Unfortunately, over time, your home’s gutters and downspouts can begin to fail for a number of reasons, and if left uncorrected, these can contribute to water causing serious damage to the foundation of your home. There are a number of signs that your rain gutters are in need of some TLC. Fortunately, through our experience, we can help you easily identify each of these signs.
Here are some of the most common signs that something is going wrong with your gutters. Take a look, before it’s too late!
1 Rain gutters are a little loose
Rain gutters become extremely heavy when they are full of water. When this happens, those made of flexible materials such as vinyl, aluminum, and galvanized steel can begin to sag, curve, and their hangers can become loose. If this happens, they stop draining rainwater efficiently, allowing water to pool in them. Not surprisingly, this problem becomes more acute over time, making the gutters considerably heavier and, therefore, allowing them to gradually become looser.
Want to determine once and for all if your rain gutters are too loose? Take a look and see if there are watermarks along the inside sides of the gutters or signs of clogged water. If you have a level, you can simply check the slope. Note that rain gutters should be installed approximately 1/4 inch for every 10 feet of run to the downspouts.
2 Rain Gutters Are Overflowing
If your rain gutters are overflowing, over time this can pose serious difficulties for your home’s foundation and walls. Do your rain gutters overflow during heavy rains? There are three factors that can explain this.
1: The downspouts and/or rain gutters are not large enough to handle the volume of rain,
2: the rain gutters and/or downspouts are clogged,
3: the rain gutters are loose and water is not reaching the downspouts.
In most cases, rain gutters overflow due to debris and leaves clogging them, creating a sort of dam that prevents water from flowing into the downspouts. In fact, this kind of clogging usually occurs right at the downspout access points. When this happens, it is time to have your rain gutters cleaned. If your gutters are overflowing but not clogged or loose, you probably need to install new rain gutters and downspouts.
3 Rain gutters are leaking
Want to know if your rain gutter is leaking? The prime suspects for leaking rainwater are the joints between each section of the gutter. Water clogged in rain gutters leaks through joints in galvanized aluminum rain gutters that have rusted over time. If you do not want this to happen in your home, it is essential that you check for signs of sagging and/or clogged water. If you discover that you have leaks in your rain gutters, contact us right away!
We hope this information has been helpful. Have you noticed any of these signs in your home? It’s critical to be cautious with your rain gutters before it’s too late. If you have any doubts or questions, you can always and at any time contact us.