Why Do I Have Gutters that leak?

Lets face it cleaning gutters is a hassle and if they block up they are a pain to repair. Leaking gutters will cause damage to your home if left unnatended. Leaking gutters bring issues that you usually come with water damage such as mold growth. If you are unlucky enough to have your gutters leak it is important that you find the source so that you can both fix the gutters and prevent your gutters from leaking again in the future.

Blocked and Clogging

The most common cause of gutter problems is from debris clogged gutters. Debris such as leaved and weeks fill up your gutters and this causes blockages. Unnless you want to hire a professional cleaning service you will have to clean the gutters yourself. Cleaning your gutters is not difficult so start by cleaning the downspout. Next, mount your ladder and grab something to dislodge the larger debris and get a bucket. Start fishing out the larger pieces of leaves, branches, sticks, etc. After the larger pieces have been removed, grab your hose and use that to clean out the smaller bits of debris in the gutter. Your should be cleaning your gutters at the very least 2 times a year. If you want to make your life easier, you should consider buying leaf guards for your gutters. Leaf guards or gutter guards have filters to keep leaves, twigs, sticks, branches out from getting into your gutters.

Cracking and holes

Sometimes over the years pools of water can form in certain parts of your gutters and over time this water can cause holes to begin to form from rust spots in your gutters. The size of the holes and amount greatly vary. Cracks and holes are likely to form at your gutter’s joints and where two separate ends of gutter meet. Cracks can be fixed assuming that there are not manuy of them and cracks are relatively small.

Badly installed gutter joints

It is very easy for the connecting pieces of your gutter to be improperly installed. If these gutter joints are not installed the water will either leak through or it will pool there and cause the problems discussed above. Fixing this problem is much easier than the other problems described so far, all you need to do is replace the improperly installed gutter joint. If you have no idea how to do that do not attempt it yourself call a pro who should be able to do the job fairly easily.

Gutter material

There are many different types of gutters, steel, colourbond, plastic, aluminum etc. Certain materials are more prone to damage than others and the key problem here is with steel gutters. They are far more susceptible to corrosion and damage than aluminum or pvc gutters. If leaky gutters are a common problem in yourhome then it may be time to consider ditching your steel gutters and getting more durable colourbond or aluminum ones installed. In general experts prefer colourbond it is lighter, easier to work with, and resists corrosion better. If you do not already have colourbond gutters, consider making the switch ASAP.

How to Repair a Leaking Gutter Joint

Gutters can over time fall victum to a number of problems due to poor installation, corrosion and poor maintenance. The more common problems that gutters will have include overflowing of water volume, sagging or pulling away from the house due to failed fixings and of course leaking from corrosion or sealing failure. The jointings of a gutter are the most often area where leaks can cause the seams to rust or deteriorate as this is where they are usually cut so are exposed to rust.

When water seeps through these seams in your gutter joint, it can run down the side and affect the inside and exterior walls of your home. To reduce this type of damage, it is important to know how to repair a leaking gutter joints and understand why it is a wise choice to hire a professional gutter repairer to do the job.

Repairing Metal Gutter

In Australia metal gutters are the most common, usually made from colurbond steel and designed to be resistant to deterioration, they can still however experience a level of corrosion over time usually where they are cut and where they are fixed. The rivets and corners especially prone to corrosion, making it difficult to take the gutter system apart for repair if you needed to. Instead of taking the gutter off the roof the joint can often be scraped clean and prepared for sealing using a silicone or other sealing product.

When doing this be sure to ensure that the joint is completely dry before applying a gutter sealant compound to the seam using an applicator gun and nozzle. If this is not enough alone to prevent the leak you possibly will need to take the gutter off and reseal the joint entirely. It is always a good idea to use thick gloves or hand protection when working with metal gutters as the cut sharp material can easily cut your hands.

How to clean and repair your gutters

Knowing the correct method to clean and repair your gutters will make a big difference to how long they will last.

The outside of your house over time takes a beating from the elements especially in Australia with the wind and rain and not to mention the sun. This will take a toll on the roof and gutter system of your home.

How to clean and repair your gutters

If your gutters are not working properly rain water can overflow and leak down on to the wall below this can cause paint flaking, mould and more damage. It is important to fix problems with your gutters as soon as you notice them to prevent further damage.

Safety of working at heights

Be sure your step ladder has been secured before you attempt to start work. Do not rest against the gutters but rather use a ladder cover which clips over your guttetrs and secures the ladder instead.

Rusted cast-iron gutter

You can smooth off patches of rust with sand paper or a wire brush. If it is a significant area of rust brush use a wire brush fitted in an electric drill to make it easier. After this is done you can paint the affected area with a rust preventing metal primer paint and then with black bitumen paint to prevent leaks. If there are any small holes in your gutter, fill them first with roof-and-gutter sealant like silicone. You can fill a bigger hole with fibre glass filler if needed but if the guttering is in poor condition with a lot of holes you should really replace the entire length.

How to Clean and repair your gutters

Overflowing

Water overflowing from a gutter shows that there are more than likley leaves or other debris in the gutter itself or possibly a blockage in the downpipe area. You can start by removing any leaves in the gutter iteself if the downpipe is blocked, try unblocking it from ground level using a host blowing water up or down the downpipe to dislodge debris. If that doesn’t work, use drain or flexible rod to unblock it from the top.