4 DIY Fixes for Leaky Gutters
The rain gutters on your home are probably one of the last things you think about unless there is a problem, right? Every day they silently do their job keeping the rain water from damaging your home. When they are no longer do their job correctly anymore though you certainly know it.
How to Spot Leaky Gutters
The first signs are usually water stains on your ceilings or water stains and wood rot around your windows. If you start to see that, even just a little bit, don’t ignore it until it becomes a bigger, more expensive problem to fix.
If you can tell that your gutters are sagging, that is another sign of concern. Sagging gutters that are pulling away from your roof are not going to be able to do their job properly.
Well now that you have spotted the problem, what is the best way to address it? If you don’t want the expense of hiring a professional roofing company to come in and handle it for you, then it is time to roll up your sleeves.
Here are 4 DIY fixes for leaky gutters:
1. Sagging gutters. If sagging gutters are the culprit, a quick DIY fix is to adjust or add more gutter hangers to your rain gutter system to make sure the gutters are spaced properly and have enough support.
2. Leaks. For leaks in the seams of the gutter, first let the inside of the gutters dry out and then brush the seams clean. Next use a gutter caulk to seal the seams on the inside and outside.
3. Holes in the Gutters. If there are just one or two holes in the gutters and you don’t want to have to replace them completely, then there are some DIY fixes you can try first. For a small hope, simply use a putty knife to seal it up with cement. If the weather is cold, warm the cement up first to make it easier to spread. For larger holes, you will need a sheet metal patch to fix it. Add some cement to keep the patch in place.
4. Overflowing Gutters. One simple reason for leaky gutters is clogs in the system. When you don’t regularly clean out the leaves and other debris that get stuck in your gutters, your gutter system gets compromised and leaks are the result. You need to regularly clean out your gutters, at least a couple of times a year, to keep them in tip top shape.
There are a lot gutter products out there to help you maintain your gutters a lot easier. One of the top products is the SpoutOff system.
TheSpoutoff outlets are designed with a larger opening allowing for water to still run down even if other parts of the gutter are clogged. The SpoutOff can be retrofitted to your current gutter system or it can be added to a new one, depending upon your needs.
Cleaning out your rain gutters from all the leaves, sticks and other debris that gets stuck in them isn’t as much of a chore when you have The SpoutOff. These outlets are a lot easier to clean and they don’t get as much debris so you won’t need to check on them as much. Because of the larger openings in the gutter outlets, the water will still be able to keep moving.
In addition, with TheSpoutOff, a fear of heights or balance concerns will no longer keep you from properly taking care of your home. The removable downspout clip allows you to check on the outlets without having to climb a ladder. Now you have no excuse for putting off this chore.
If getting up on a ladder and balancing yourself while you try to clean the debris out of your gutter is not safe for you, before your only other option was to hire a professional gutter cleaner to come out and take care of it for you. With The SpoutOff you won’t have to anymore though.
You can also easily install The SpoutOff system yourself. The DIY instructions are relatively easy to follow so it is something you can easily install yourself, but any local gutter company can do it for you as well. The SpoutOff comes with a large outlet and removable downspout clip that can either be installed with new gutters or retrofitted to the gutter system you already have.
The SpoutOff can be installed onto 5 inch and 6 inch K-Style gutters with either 2 inch x 3 inch or 3 inch x 4 inch downspouts, but 3 x 4 downspouts are recommended. The SpoutOff components are designed to work with most downspout configurations including A Elbow, B Elbow and Underground Pipes.
The SpoutOff components are powder coated aluminum so you can easily paint them or have a professional painting company do it for you.
Complex Roof Problems
Keep in mind that sometimes the source of the leak is more of a problem with the roof itself, and not leaky gutters. Leaks could be caused by damaged shingles, cracks in the roof, cracks in the plumbing vent boots or even broken roof vents.
If the source of the leak is a plumbing vent boot, then first check the base for cracks or broken seams (could be made of plastic, metal or a combination of the two). If nothing seems awry then next check the rubber boot surrounding the pipe to see if it is cracked or torn. If this seems to be the culprit, you may need to replace the vent boot. If the problems is that the nails at the base are missing or loose, then instead of replacing the whole boot, simply replace the screws with ones that have rubber-washers like the screws used for metal roofing systems.
If the roof vents are the culprit, you can caulk around the vent as a temporary solution, but you will need to replace the vents sooner than later. Worse case scenario you may need a completely new roof or a partial one by a roofing professional to get at the root of the problem.
For more information about preventing gutter leaks and maintain your roof gutters, contact The SpoutOff today.