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3 Gutter Repairs Your Old Gutters Might Need

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If your gutters are old and in disrepair, you may wonder if it's time to replace them. Consider calling a gutter repair company instead to see if you can save your old gutters and put off having to buy new ones. Although some damage can't be repaired, many common problems can be fixed so you get more years of life from your gutter system. Here are some gutter repairs you might need.

1. Fix A Broken Downspout So It Drains Properly

Downspouts are often put together with pieces like straight tubes and elbows so the spout can attach to the gutters and empty on the splash pad. The seams in downspouts may not be sealed. This makes it possible for the parts to come loose or fall off completely.

The gutter repair professional may need to put the downspout back together and replace missing hangers so the spout is secure against your house until it gets close to the ground. Then they may run water from a hose through the spout to make sure the water exits the bottom of the spout quickly and that there are no clogs that cause water to back up in the spout.

2. Seal Seams In Sectional Gutters To Stop Leaks

If your home has sectional gutters that are pieced together, the seams where they join can start leaking when the gutters are old. The seams in troughs are sealed with adhesive, and the adhesive can get old and break apart. When that happens, you might see water dripping or streaming down from a gutter trough.

This is a fairly easy gutter repair that needs to be done when the gutters are completely dry. The repair professional can apply new adhesive to make the seam watertight again.

3. Fasten Or Replace Hangers To Tighten Gutters

You might see hangers or spikes coming out of the fascia board when they work loose. If you stand against the house, you might notice the trough is no longer tight against the house but is loose due to the hangers not keeping the trough secure. This situation should be repaired since water can pour over the gutters on the back and get the siding and windows wet.

The gutter repair professional might fix this by driving spikes back in or tightening hangers. However, this may not always work since the holes may be too big to hold the spikes in place. When that happens, the repair professional may need to install new spikes or hangers so they're held tightly in the fascia board and the loose gutter trough is pulled back in place.

The fasteners may get pulled out of place by sagging gutters. If a gutter trough starts sagging and holds on to water, the weight in the troughs could pull other spikes or fasteners loose. Sagging gutters should be repaired right away, and that can often be done by replacing the hangers. 

For more info, contact a local company like Dun-Rite Seamless Gutters, Inc.


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