Although a relatively small part of your home’s exterior, guttering plays an important role in dispersing and transporting water from your roof to the drainage systems below. A leaking gutter can appear small but over time will cause a whole raft of unwanted issues – meaning costly repairs and unneeded stress.
To help make sure your guttering remains leak free at all times, we’ve made a full list of the most common ways of treating a trickling gutter system. Whether it’s a simple blockage or wear and tear related, you’ll learn the best methods for keeping water inside the pipes where it belongs.
Blockages in Your Guttering
One of the most common reasons for leaking, blockages can cause all kinds of issues for your house and guttering. During autumn and winter, leaves, flying debris, dirt, snow and heavy rain all make life pretty hard for your guttering. You will have to keep an extra careful eye on your guttering during this time as a blockage can occur quickly, even if you think you clear your gutters regularly.
Blockages will cause water to pour over your guttering and can cause issues with damp inside your home, so it’s absolutely crucial that they are dealt with swiftly. Luckily it’s easy to remove a blockage – simply unblock the offending area by hand or for down pipes, remove the fixture and clean it out manually.
Cracks, Breakages and Holes
Over time, your drains will inevitably suffer wear and tear. The harsh winter weather will undoubtedly add extra strain on your guttering and they will eventually begin to crack and break. Small cracks to begin with might not be much of an issue but over time this can lead to much bigger problems if not addressed. To solve this issue you can either use a waterproof sealant to mend small cracks, or replace the fixture entirely for larger breakages.
Loose Seals and Joints
Another common reason for a leaking gutter and another thing that’s pretty much inevitable; loose seals and joints. Over time your guttering will move, twist and disperse large amounts of water, which will eventually lead to some loosening in seals and joints.
This can often be easily spotted and if left could cause your entire guttering system to detach and fail. Fixing can either involve resealing the joint or replacing the fixture in more serious instances.
Not Enough Slope
Even though it doesn’t look like it to the naked eye, guttering systems are always sloped to allow for rain water to travel towards a downpipe. Even still, improper installation or the general wearing of fasteners and fixtures may cause your guttering to sag, causing water to pool. This will increase the weight of your guttering system and can cause it to break and fail entirely.
Fixing a sagging gutter will often involve having it re-hung – which is not such a quick fix and will require some expert help.
Loose Fasteners
We know that loose fasteners can cause your guttering to sag, but they can also cause some other serious issues such as fascia rot. Fasteners are often screwed into your guttering pipes and over time may begin to leak. This water will flow directly into your fascia boards and cause an extensive build up of moisture in the wood. For this reason, making sure your fasteners are in good condition is absolutely crucial and could save you an expensive repair job.
Retightening and resealing your fasteners can sometimes do the trick, although for more serious cases they may need to be replaced entirely.
Here at Gutter Maintenance, we have a wealth of experience with cleaning and maintaining your guttering systems. Our expert team of professionals will carry out difficult repair work with truly first-class customer service, ensuring that your gutters stay leak free for longer.
Contact a member of our team today.