Water Leaking From Gutter

A typical place for leaks to occur in the gutter system is at the downspout joints.

Water leaking from gutter.

This guide will teach you a few simple repairs that will keep your downspout joints tight and reliably leak free for many years. When water drips between the fascia and the gutters the problem could be a compromised drip edge but it s also possible the gutters are overflowing. A gutter apron is a bent piece of flashing that tucks up under the shingles and over the gutter. Water should run out the downspout and away from the house without filling the gutter.

Over time gravity can cause joints to open up or they can get jostled from below and come loose. Assuming the gutters have the correct slope the main reason for overflows is that the gutters are full of debris and need to be cleaned. Over time rain gutters often start to pull away from the roof allowing water to drip over the gutter sides or between the gutters and the walls. If the gutters are clogged it s possible that the water is overflowing the gutters and this is contributing to the leak.

First check for signs of standing water and sagging. If the gutters look clear run a hose and fill the gutters with water. Video of the day volume 0. When the roof shingles do not extend past the metal drip edge the water will suck back on the metal drip edge this is called capillary action and run behind your gutters.

Capillary action is a water activity in which water adheres to a surface and follow the surface around. The gutters then direct the water to a downspout allowing the water to run down until it reaches the ground. If water is dripping behind your gutter it s probably because it was installed without any flashing over the back of the gutter. Home centers sell a gutter apron in 10 ft.

Standing water in gutters eventually will rust galvanized steel seams or seep through the seams in aluminum gutters. If your gutters are leaking the prime suspects are the joints between sections. Adjust or add gutter hangers as needed see more about hangers below. The gutter apron will prevent the dripping.

Should you notice the gutter leaking in one or a few small ish spots you ll want to carefully inspect the area to see if you can spot either of these problems. Usually this is due to gutter fasteners rusting.