Common Gutter Issues and Solutions

by admin | Mar 6, 2019 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

1. Corner leaks

Signs and symptoms of corner leaks

Rotting fascia

Splash damage to grass and concrete below

Closeup of the crack forming in the aged sealant

Solution to corner leaks

Scrape out the old sealant, clean down to bare, dry metal, and reseal! It’ll last 20-25 years.

2. Downspout detachment

Causes:

9/10 times the cause is dead outlets: the plastic ages and snaps, and releases the connecting screw.

1/10 times the cause is lazy install.

Solution to downspout detachment

If the cause is dead outlets then remove, clean, replace, and reseal.

If the cause is lazy install then screw it all together.

3. Drips behind the gutters

At best causes stain and slow rot

At worst it causes a torrent

Solution to drips behind gutters

The solution: drip edge! Westside Gutters makes custom flashing and vents

Funky Stuff: Issues that are a little harder to figure out

4. Overflows…

Reasons for overflows: full gutters

Reasons for overflows: bad slope

Reasons for overflows: house lean

Reasons for overflow: rotting fascia or nails

Reason for overflow: the infamous leaf guard and small outlets A slow trickle of debris sneaks past leaf guards. If installed with normal outlets this will build up. It’s impossible to see or clean without removing the guard, and eventually causes big overflows!

Solution to overflows caused by pairing a leaf guard with small outlets

Leaf guards are great if installed with big, low
obstruction funnel outlets.

Consider leaf traps as well to protect the drainage
system from flushed gunk.

Here are some views of funnel outlets installed.
Westside Gutters once saw a house with the funnel outlets
installed over the small outlets- a big no-no which Westside Gutters corrected.

5. Dead-end Downspouts!?

Westside Gutters worked on a strata where the installer
had made home-made connections (pictured above), however
the installer accidentally let the metal from one side
completely block the other, resulting in major overflow.

Solution: It took a plumber’s snake to find and figure it out.

Wolf Pack Home Inspection can assist to identify common gutter issues!

In a Standard Residential Home Inspection we inspect and report on roof drainage components including gutters and downspouts. If an issue is identified and repair is recommended, companies like Westside Gutters can assist!

https://www.westsidegutters.com/

Let us help!
We solve these issues constantly
We warranty our work
We’re pretty nice to talk to

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