Your gutters are an important part of your home’s roofing system. They control water flow from rain and snow runoff, protecting your roof and your home’s foundation by directing it to a safe place.
But what happens if your gutters are damaged? What if they don’t direct water flow properly because they’re broken, clogged or poorly designed?
Gutter systems are typically pretty similar. They’re supposed to capture runoff from the roof, guide water to a downspout that redirects the flow away from your home and keep the ground immediately outside your home from becoming soggy and waterlogged to protect your foundation.
However, when your gutter system is damaged – even just in one small place – the whole system can fail. Worse, if your gutters are clogged, it can cause severe roof damage that necessitate a complete roof replacement. The sooner you repair your gutters, the better.
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You can usually tell your gutters are broken by doing a visual inspection, but in some cases, you need a professional to diagnose the problem. Here are ten signs your gutters are damaged:
1. Cracks, holes or rusty spots
2. Broken fasteners
3. Missing nails or screws
4. Sagging or improperly pitched gutters
5. Pooling water anywhere in the system
6. Water damage marks
7. Gutters pulling away from your house
8. Soil erosion around your home from water runoff
9. Peeling paint
10. Mold in your basement or beneath your roof line
If you notice a few small cracks, holes or rusty spots, you can usually fix them with a little sealant. Bear in mind that these may be signs of bigger problems as you repair them. However, if you notice five or more spots, it may be time to invest in a new gutter system. You should call a professional to evaluate the situation.
The pieces of metal that secure your gutters to your roof need to remain intact. If they’re not properly attached, your gutters can’t capture water runoff and direct it away from your home’s foundation. In some cases, you can reattach the fasteners yourself – but if the wood on your fascia is rotted or otherwise damaged, you may need to call a Dallas roofing expert.
You may find nails or screws on the ground beneath your gutters or stuck in various locations inside your gutter. It’s normal for a nail or screw connected to your roof’s fascia to become loose from time to time, but repeated issues may mean that you need to replace your gutters.
If a spot in your gutter sags or contains a pool of water, you need to address the problem right away. Your gutters need a proper pitch throughout the entire system to prevent water from pooling or spilling over. If you can’t fix the pitch yourself, you’ll need to hire a professional to help you avoid roof and foundation damage.
When water pools in one spot, it can damage your fascia and spill over to the ground below, which can seep into the ground and damage your foundation. Sometimes pooling water is caused by a clog, which you can easily fix. However, in other cases, it’s caused by an improper pitch or damage somewhere in the system. In cases like those, it may be necessary to hire a Dallas gutter expert to repair or replace your system.
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Water runoff problems – more specifically, pools of water – can discolor the exterior of your home. If your fascia or downspouts are discolored, your gutters may have caused moisture damage. You should have a professional check them to ensure you’re not headed for an expensive roof repair thanks to an improperly working gutter system.
If your gutters pull away from your house, they can’t capture all the water that runs off your roof. As a result, that water pours down to the ground and soaks the earth near your foundation. That’s bad for your landscaping and for your home’s structure, so if you can’t fix a pulled-away gutter yourself, you’ll need to bring in a professional.
Soil erosion around your home – particularly if it’s in a straight line just beneath your roof line – is a sign that your gutters aren’t working properly. If water seeps down into your foundation, you could be facing bigger problems.
Peeling paint on your fascia – the boards that face out beneath the overhang of your roof – is a sign that the wood is water-damaged. A water-damaged roof can lead to serious problems (the most serious of which is a roof collapse), so it’s absolutely essential that you have your roof inspected by a professional immediately.
Mold in your basement or beneath your roof line (on the fascia or elsewhere) can be a sign that your gutters and drainage system aren’t working properly. Mold can cause serious health problems, so it’s best if you get your gutters checked immediately.
Free Roof Inspection by one of our Dallas Roofing Experts today!
