Leaking gutters are not only an inconvenience, they also have the potential to cause damage to your home. The build-up or overflow of water in gutters and downpipes can damage roofs, sidings, and the structural integrity of your property, as well as being a major cause of penetrating damp.
If you experience an issue with your gutters the first step is to find out if your gutter is broken or blocked. A broken gutter i.e. one with a gap, hole, or split will likely start to leak and a blocked gutter i.e. one that is clogged with moss, leaves, or other debris will probably overflow. This is because a blockage prevents the flow of water which can cause it to build-up and spill over.
Fixing a broken gutter
Being outside, gutters are susceptible to the elements year-round and the impact of wind and rain can cause wear and tear over time. This can result in their joints deteriorating, with the seal between two sections becoming less effective and developing a leak. Both cast iron and plastic gutters also expand and contract in the sun, loosening joints or causing cracks. This can even lead sections to detach and drop.
A leaking joint can also be caused by a loose or wrongly positioned bracket that has caused the gutter to sag so that the water pools and doesn’t flow away. In the case of steel gutters, these can be affected by rust build-up.
To repair leaks in metal guttering or a damaged union section in plastic guttering, you may be able to resolve the issue with roof and gutter sealant. Be sure to make careful preparations for working at height and to always protect your hands by wearing heavy-duty gloves, especially when you’re applying the sealant.
Where plastic gutter joints are damaged, you can look to replace these, which is the best way to guarantee you have fixed the issue. Gutter fittings are relatively cheap, so in some cases, it may be easier to replace them, rather than fix them. With older guttering this can be challenging – however, most modern gutter fittings are interchangeable with other brands so are simple to replace.
Resolving a blocked gutter
When gutters are blocked it will often be a simple case of getting out some rubber gloves, a plastic scoop, and a ladder to manually unblock them. Just be careful of where you rest your ladder as you don’t want to crush or damage your gutters while you’re clearing the blockage.
Once you have cleared the moss, leaves, or other debris, run water along the gutter to check it is flowing away correctly. You can also buy gutter caps and guards which form a barrier to keep debris out but let water through.
If water is overflowing from the gutter hopper (the functional component of the guttering system that connects the gutters to the downpipe) this could indicate there are leaves or some other debris in the head itself, or maybe a blockage in the downpipe below it. A downpipe leaking from the joints or hopper during heavy rain could be a sign that the section of pipe below the leak is obstructed.
Is a leaking gutter a problem?
Leaking or overflowing gutters will not resolve themselves, so ignoring them is not wise and could lead to penetrating damp. Penetrating damp is due to water infiltration from the outside of a property to the inside, and this can be caused by faulty rainwater goods at the property.
Penetrating damp can affect any building with absorbent walls such as solid brick or stone walls. If left untreated it can result in significant structural damage to your property over time. This can include damage to the brickwork, the deterioration of external render or internal plaster on walls, additional heat loss as the wall is wet, and wet or dry rot in structural timber, resulting in changes to the structural integrity of the property.
Aside from these more serious issues, penetrating damp can also cause a musty smell in the home, and lead to damaged wallpaper and paint. The key to treating penetrating damp is to first identify and rectify the source of water ingress into the property.
Finally, although gutters may be the issue, do not forget that the downpipes and drains also need to flow easily or penetrating damp can occur elsewhere. It is a good idea to check all three every few months to ensure overflow in heavy cloudbursts is less likely.
To learn more about treating penetrating damp and leaking guttering, visit our penetrating damp web page for advice and professional solutions.
