Roof Gutter Leakage

This old house general contractor tom silva has a fast fix for a dripping rain gutter.

Roof gutter leakage.

If your gutters are pulling away or falling off your home it may appear you have a leak. If your gutter is still basically sound the easiest way to stop the leak is by covering the damaged area with roof and gutter repair tape available at home centers and hardware stores. Draining upper roof gutters directly onto a lower roof can lead to the lower section becoming overly saturated which can cause leaks. Before you go and spend your hard earned money on new replacement gutters make sure that it is in fact the gu.

If the gutters are clogged it s possible that the water is overflowing the gutters and this is contributing to the leak. If clips or brackets hold your gutters check for broken clips and loose or missing screws. If the leak is flowing water into your home through the ceiling and this area of water leakage is not near the eaves of your roof or your gutter system this is more than likely a roof issue. Some of the water may leak behind the gutters down towards the soffit and the fascia.

Extend the downspout to the next gutter or down to the ground. There should be no more than a inch drop in the direction of the downspout. When water flows off the edge of your roof some of it clings to the underside of the shingles and dribbles toward the fascia. Your leak is a gutter problem if there is a clear issue with an element of the gutter system or definite water coming from the gutters end caps downspout or gutter seams etc.

Water should run out the downspout and away from the house without filling the gutter. If you have gutters but no gutter apron to stop the water it will wick behind the gutter. If the gutter is clogged some of that water will back up on the roof soaking it. See below for a shopping list and tools subscribe to this old house.

Water can t run off the roof and into the gutter so it runs between the gutter and the roof s edge. And it doesn t stop there. Gutter leaks usually start at rusty spots or seams that have opened up because of expansion and contraction. Do you have water leaking behind your gutters.

If your gutters are fastened with spikes and some spikes are loose or rusted simply hammering the spike back in isn t. Left long enough the water runoff will cause damage to the roof shingles as well as your home s facade.