When Is It Time for a Gutter Replacement?
Your guttering has an essential job in your home, and you want to ensure that you aren’t neglecting it. When taking care of your roof, you also want to ensure that you’re keeping an eye on the gutters. Here’s how to know if they need replacing and what you should do if you find damage to them.
The Importance of Your Gutters
It’s hard to overstate just how important your gutters are to the overall health of your home. When your gutters are in optimal condition, they’ll work to redirect rainwater away from your roof and home, directly into drains. That’s vital as water in your roof can cause many issues, such as leaks, mold, rot, etc.
If they’re not taken care of quickly, those issues can lead to needing a new roof. That’s an expensive job that can be repaired by simply keeping a close eye on your gutters. Here are the signs that you may need to replace the gutters before these issues can arise.
1. Overflowing Water
There are several reasons why the water may overflow from your gutters, so you’ll want to investigate why this is happening. The most common cause is that the gutters are clogged with debris, so they just need to be cleaned out. You can do this with a pair of gloves, scooping out the debris into a trash bag.
To stop this from happening again, you can install a gutter guard and trim away any tree branches close to the roof. If it’s not a gutter clog, then it could be that the gutters are not angled correctly or not installed properly. It may also be that the gutters you have installed are just too narrow for the property. As such, gutter replacement will be the best bet.
2. Cracks and Splits
These are very easy signs to look for on your gutters. Take a look at all the guttering, and see if there are any cracks in the pipes or splitting between sections. If there are, that’s going to let water through and lead to water damage to your home. You can check for this by running water through the gutters and having someone watch them as you do so.
If there are any cracks, you’ll be able to spot them right away. If it’s just one or two sections that have taken damage, you can replace them and leave the rest of the guttering. If the guttering is getting older and you see damage in several sections, it will be better to replace all of it with something that’s harder to wear.
3. Water Damage
A promising sign that you need gutter replacement is water damage on or around them. That damage can include water spots, stains, mold, or peeling paint. If you’re seeing anything like this, then that’s a sign the gutters aren’t doing their job. It’s worth going around and running water through them to see where that water is coming from.
4. Sagging Gutters
Your gutters should be hanging securely on your fascias. If you see them sagging or pulling away, then that’s a sign that they need to be replaced. They may not have been sized correctly when you installed them, or they don’t have enough support from the gutter hangers.
Gutter replacement can fix this issue. Before replacing them, ensure there isn’t any debris in the gutters. Sometimes debris will weigh the gutter down, making it sag. Clean it out if you find any, and see how the gutter hangs afterward. If you’re lucky, that may be all you need to do.
5. Peeling Paint
You should look for this if you have galvanized steel gutters. These gutters use a special coating to help protect them from water. If you see that coating flake and peel away, that’s a sign that the water is getting through the coating to the metal. You’ll also want to look for any rust that’s on the gutters, too. Depending on the damage, you may be able to re-coat them, or you may have to replace them entirely.
6. Nails or Screws on the Ground
When you’re walking around your property, are you finding nails or screws on the ground? Those screws likely come from the guttering as they’ve worked themselves loose and come out. If it’s near your home, you may want to look it up.
As such, you’ll want to replace those screws as soon as possible before more damage can be done. Check the fascia board while you’re up there, too. Is it rotting or coming away from the walls? If so, that may need replacing too.
7. Foundation Issues
Finally, you’ll want to keep an eye on your home for foundation issues. These can happen over time as water seeps into the ground, making the foundations unstable. If this happens, you’ll see shifting and cracks appearing in the walls. The cause of this could be faulty guttering. If you see issues with the foundation, check on your gutters to see if they are at fault.
Turn to the Experts
If you are experiencing issues with your guttering, it’s always better to call a professional to help you fix the guttering. While you could DIY the repair, it’s always better to have professionals handle it. They have the experience to diagnose the problem and replace those gutters to a high standard.
Now you know what to look for when you’re checking your gutters. You should be watching out for some key signs to tell you if you need gutter replacement. Have them replaced as soon as you see the signs, and you should be able to avoid several problems with them.