8 Signs You Might Need New Gutters

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Gutters are extremely important in protecting your home from water damage. They direct water away from the windows, doors, and exterior of your home and make sure water doesn’t leak inside. Cleaning your gutters regularly is helpful, but eventually gutters need to be replaced. How do you know when the time has come to replace and not repair? Here are 8 signs you might need new gutters.

Cracks and Holes

Some of the most blatant signs of wear and tear on your gutters are cracks, holes, and rust spots. These can be occasionally fixed with sealant or other patch-up techniques, but if you start to see too many problem spots, you’ll want to invest in new gutters. Small cracks may not seem like a big deal, but even the smallest cracks become big issues, eventually.

Hardware Issues

Noticing nails and screws on the ground or broken fasteners (those pieces of metal that hold your gutter to your roof and keep it level)? While a few random instances don’t mean you need to bother with a full gutter replacement, if you start seeing many nails and screws scattered below your gutters or constantly find yourself fixing gutter fasteners, there may be an underlying issue with your gutters that could warrant a full replacement.

Gutter Separation

If you see that your gutters are not holding together in a continuous channel, it might be time to replace them. After all, gutters are meant to hold together and carry rain water away from the home, so if the gutters are constantly separating and dumping water in unwanted spots, you may spend more money on home repairs than a gutter replacement!

Gutters Pulling Away from Roof

If you notice the fasteners aren’t quite doing their job as they should and the gutters aren’t flush with your roof anymore, you should be concerned that your fascia boards (the long board that runs along the lower edge of the roof and what the fasteners are attached to) may be rotting. Replacing your gutters includes new fascia boards.

Sagging or Incorrectly Pitched Gutters

You might see water pooling in or spilling over your gutters; this can be caused by your gutters not having proper pitch (the angle to have the water run down and away from the home). If you can’t fix this, you’ll need to get new gutters to protect your home from water damage.

Peeling Paint or Flecks of Orange

Leaky gutters will cause water to seep down onto siding and trim which in turn will cause your paint to peel if the water is a consistent problem. Notice weird flecks of orange? That’s a sign of rust! If you see flaking, of paint or rust, look into the issue a little further. You may be in need of new gutters to save you from re-painting your home.

Basement Flooding

A major red flag is water damage in your basement. Water damage could mean your gutters aren’t getting rid of water efficiently and instead are pouring it near your home’s foundation, where it leaks into the basement and causes flooding. If you have to repair your basement due to flooding, you’ll want to double-check your gutters and replace if necessary.

Landscaping Problems

Noticing more mud around your home than usual? What about pools of water or mildew? Maybe your flower beds appear eroded? Gutters that aren’t properly doing their job can cause all kinds of landscaping issues by dumping water where it shouldn’t go. If your weekend gardening just got more difficult, take some time to investigate your gutters at the potential cause.

Gutters, as mentioned, are integral to keeping your home from water damage. Despite their importance, it’s easy to forget they’re even there, which in turn makes it easy to forget they could be the cause of any number of issues with your home if they aren’t taken care of properly! If you think your gutters need to be replaced, contact Select Home Exteriors. Our experienced gutter contractors can evaluate your current gutters and make any necessary recommendations for replacement or repair. Schedule your consultation today!