When we make investments in our homes, it never ceases to amaze us how quickly the years can roll by until suddenly something needs replacing again! Although you will not need to replace quality gutters frequently, living in the South comes with heavy rain, wind, lightning, and thunderstorms every year that can greatly affect our guttering systems.
As gutter experts in Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia, it’s our job to help homeowners and business owners recognize when their gutters are no longer doing the job effectively. By catching the telltale indicators early, you may be able to anticipate when a system upgrade is necessary and prevent any structural damage to your building. Here are four signs when it’s time to replace your gutters:
Physical Deterioration – The most obvious sign that you will see is the physical deterioration of your gutters, which can come in multiple forms. You may observe cracks in a gutter, typically caused by severe weather, fallen branches, or continued excess clogging, which will only widen over time. Splits can occur at the seams of two connected pieces, which are also the weakest points of your gutter system, and eventually lead to outright separation. Both cracks and splits will get worse when cold weather hits and freezing temperatures cause ice to expand in the gutters.
When you witness gutters sagging or pulling away from the home, they are no longer effectively directing rain from your roof. These circumstances occur when the gutters are too full of water, too heavy for their fasteners, or your gutter fasteners have worn out. You can try cleaning your gutters to prevent further clogs and sagging, or re-fastening them to the home first, but they may be becoming too old to perform. If your gutters no longer direct water safely away from the home, the fascia board on your roof may have started to rot. When you notice any of these physically deteriorating conditions, it’s usually a clear sign that it’s time for replacement.
- Heavy Discoloration – Whatever the original color of your gutters is, discoloration can signal a bigger problem at hand. Since most gutters are painted for weatherproofing, peeling paint means that the weather protection is flaking away, and rusting is most likely forthcoming. If you notice any green or brown-tinged staining on your gutters, this most likely means that mold and mildew are growing because your gutters are clogged.
You can try repainting your gutters or pressure washing the staining off, but if the issues come back, you may have a permanent problem. This discoloration can lead to rusting which is the beginning of the end for effective gutters. Rust spots grow into holes, and seeping rainwater through the rust can lead to more staining on your home, with the widening holes eventually leading to water damage. So, pay attention to any discoloration!
- Yard Indicators – You may find that your yard says everything you need to know about the state of your gutters: If the ground below your gutters has empty channels in the dirt or you notice pooling water near the foundation of your house, this means that rainwater is no longer being properly diverted through the system and into the downspouts. At this point, water is actually spilling over the gutter directly, which can then take a toll on your foundation and weaken the ground around the edge of the house. Once more, cleaning the gutters may help solve the problem. If dirt channels and pooling water return, then this can foreshadow that gutter replacement is soon on the horizon.
- Flooding In Your Basement – The biggest risk of improperly diverted water is experiencing flooding in your home! Your basement will be the first area impacted and this observation will be a major indicator that gutter replacement is needed. If your basement consistently experiences even minimal flooding after a storm, water spilling over your gutters could be a huge part of the problem. Rather than directing water away from the home’s foundation and landscaping, the spilled water is seeping into the basement. Don’t waste any more time without acting, get this looked at by a professional!
If you observe any of these unfortunate signs to your gutters in the greater local areas of Birmingham, AL, Dalton, GA, as well as Chattanooga, Cleveland, and Knoxville, TN, let’s assess together whether it’s time to replace your gutters with a superior system!
Reach out to our experts today for a free consultation and we can also provide an estimate if any new guttering solutions are suggested.