Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

Old Gutters

Aluminum and copper gutters slowly wear out and form pin holes in around 20-30 years . A way to tell if this is happening with your gutters is when it rains it appears that water drips from gutters or in some cases sprays out from them or the downspouts. Copper and aluminum gutters will oxidize with age and slowly break down causing these tiny pin holes, when this happens they will need to be replaced. Occasionally this is found when cleaning gutters in older neighborhoods.

Loose Gutters

Gutters that are not cleaned often can often sag because of the amount of debris in the gutters. This can also cause the gutters to overflow and flood basements, wear away soil around your foundation killing plants. Sometimes this is caused by a faulty spike and ferrul system that has become loose from this weight, or from ice buildup in the gutters. Gutters that become clogged cause the water to rise inside the gutters where it can often leak through the back of the gutter and rot away the wood around the spikes. (These nails go through the front and back of the gutter and into the facial board) Because metal constantly expands and contracts with temperature variations and ice build up, the gutters will pull the spikes out weakening the whole gutter system. Some contractors use these spikes as opposed to inside hidden gutter hangers which should be screwed into the facial board instead of nailed. With these hidden bracket systems other problems can occure. When the gutter becomes heavy with debris or ice it can pull away from the home bringing the facsia board along with it! This creates an opening for water to bounce off of the back of the fascia and dump into the soffit area or inside wall of home. Gutter replacement is not necessary in cases like this, they can be repaired by an experieced gutter repair company but not easily.

Wind and storm damages

These gutter repairs are necessary when the gutters get crushed by falling branches or other objects in the wind. In these cases it's usually replaced.

Ice dams

An ice dam is a wall of ice that forms at the edge of the roof, usually at the gutters or soffit. When it forms the water then backs up behind the ice dam and creates a pool of water. This pool of water can leak into your home and cause damage to walls, ceilings, insulation, and other areas.

What causes ice dams

Ice dams are usually caused by heavy snowfall and improper ventilation in the attic. This causes warmer areas in your attic then the snow begins to melt, even when the outside temperature is well below freezing. When the accumulated snow on your roof starts melting it runs down your roof underneath the snow until it reaches a "colder" section like the soffit's, valleys or in gutters then it begins to freeze again, this process of thawing and refreezing is what causes an ice dam.
Cleaning the gutters on your home can help prevent ice dams from occurring as quickly but they can still occur if the conditions are right. The gutters will be just as cold as it is outside and in some cases, full of frozen debris. So even if you don't have a soffit for the water to refreeze in, the melted water will most likely refreeze when flowing into the gutters.

Damaged down spouts

Downspouts are the vertical pipe that joins to the horizontal gutter running down to the ground. Down spouts collect the draining water and direct it away from the foundation of the property. When damaged they should be repaired quickly to avoid extensive damages to the foundation.

Standing water or pooling water in gutters

This can happen as the result of improperly installed gutters that don't pitch enough so that the water flows towards the downspout. It can also be the result of sagging gutters. This can usually be fixed by re-pitching the gutters properly, and reinforcing them with spikes and ferruls or inside hidden hangers and screws.

Leaking Seams

Leaking seams can occur when the caulking deteriorates because of UV sunlight damage, from a heavy load of debris in the gutters, or from ice buildup or ice dams. To fix it, first clean the area well and sand it. Then apply a liberal amount of gutter sealer to the area. This is usually something done when cleaning gutter systems if they are dry.



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