Sometimes things around your home fail and need repairing or replacing. It’s inevitable, especially as your home ages and stuff inside and outside gets older. Every major home component inside and outside the home has a lifespan. Certain things, like a roof, can last longer than others, like an HVAC system. Eventually, you’ll need to repair or replace most things inside and outside your home, especially if you plan on owning the house for a lifetime.
Every home should have gutters installed, especially in Kansas City where we have extreme, unpredictable weather with high humidity. Compared to other regions, the Heartland has heavy precipitation year-round, snowfall, a rainy season, strong wind gusts, and a moister climate. Kansas City homes need quality gutters installed, or at least a working gutter system that doesn’t have damage.
Unfortunately, some gutter systems will be damaged over the years. How do you know if they can be repaired? Keep reading to learn what gutter damage can be repaired so you can decide whether to repair or replace it.
Gutter Damage that Can be Repaired
Some gutter damage is fixable and doesn’t require immediate replacement. Below are some common damages that can most likely be repaired:
Leaks
Leaky gutters are unsightly and can cause significant damage to your roof, soffit and fascia, landscaping, and other things surrounding your gutters. Leaks most often occur from holes or cracks in the gutter, loose sections if it’s a sectional gutter system, misaligned gutters, or loose bolts and screws. Most leaks can be repaired by a homeowner or professional gutter repair company by reconnecting loose gutter sections, tightening bolts and screws, and sealing cracks or holes.
Cracks
Gutter cracks are an eyesore that can cause significant damage to your home. Water can leak through the cracks, collect near the foundation, and cause wood rot to your soffit and fascia. Luckily, if the crack isn’t severe, cracked gutters can most often be repaired as a DIY fix. You can purchase a gutter patch kit and follow the instructions to fix gutter cracks.
Loose Gutters
Loose gutters can happen for many reasons: excess weight on the gutter system from debris, clogs, snow accumulation, strong winds, or ice dams. When excess pressure is put on sections of the gutter, they’ll loosen over time and can potentially tear away from the home. Luckily, you can usually repair loose gutters by realigning the gutter and tightening or replacing loose bolts and screws.
Damaged Joints
If your gutter system has difficulty flushing water through the downspout, it’s most likely clogged or the sealant has worn off. Water should flow freely through the gutters to the downspouts, but oftentimes, if gutter cleaning has been neglected, debris can get lodged inside the joints where the gutter meets the downspout. Remove clogs by cleaning the gutter and using a plumber’s snake to remove debris trapped inside the joints. Next, dry the joint and apply a new sealant for outdoor use. Remember to keep up with routine gutter cleaning to avoid future clogs!
Replacing Sections
We don’t recommend replacing gutter sections yourself = save that for the professionals. Sometimes, sections can be replaced without replacing the entire gutter system if the rest is in decent shape. If your gutter system is under warranty, contact the installation company you hired to repair or replace damaged sections.
Gutter Damage that Likely Can’t be Repaired
Some gutter damage most likely can’t be repaired and requires replacing your gutter system for the best performance. The following most likely can’t be repaired:
Rust/Holes
Rust and corrosion indicate an issue with the gutter material, causing it to develop more holes over time. Rust and holes form when the gutter material isn’t high quality and rusts from exposure to moisture and humidity. As a result, the rust will eventually wear down the material causing holes that will cause leaks and extreme water damage. Rather than repairing rust and holes, consider replacing your gutter system with one made from a high-quality material like K-Guard.
Sagging
Sagging gutters are often caused by excess weight, such as heavy snow, ice dams, or extreme weather conditions. As gutters sag, they put excess weight on the hangers, potentially damaging your roof and voiding your roof’s warranty, the soffit, and fascia, depending on how the system was mounted. It’s recommended that sagging gutters be replaced to avoid extensive water damage.
Replace Damaged Gutters with K-Guard, the Permanent Gutter Solution
Hate cleaning or repairing your gutters? We don’t blame you! If you switch to K-Guard Gutters, you’ll never need to clean, repair, or replace gutters again. Our gutter product is a complete system with components to keep water flowing rapidly through the gutters and downspouts while keeping all debris out. The result? Gutters that will never clog, overflow, rust, or sag. Our heavy-duty aluminum gutter guards will never sag from heavy downpours or snowfall because of how durable our gutter material is. Traditional gutters are made from 0.27 gauge aluminum while K-Guard is made from 0.32 gauge aluminum, a thick aluminum coil.
Our gutter guards are also sleek, adding curb appeal to any home. Whether you have a multiple-story colonial, new construction, historic, or a single-story ranch, K-Guard will complement the beauty of your home and add value. Our gutters are available in many colors including earthy neutrals to vibrant blues and greens. We have plenty of color options in stock and access to 25 extra color options, making it easy to customize your K-Guard Gutters.
From the most extreme weather, like hailstorms and severe thunderstorms, to high humidity levels, K-Guard will last for the life of the home. Our aluminum gutters are so durable that we offer three-lifetime warranties, including a lifetime no-clog warranty, a paint warranty, and a workmanship warranty. K-Guard is better than other gutter guards and gutter covers, protecting your home from water damage year-round.
We also have a convenient estimation calculator that gives you a ballpark estimate for installing K-Guard Gutters. In just minutes, you can get a free quote without having to schedule an estimate to get a feel for the installation cost. Our installation process is simple with three easy steps to get lifetime gutters. Contact K-Guard Heartland today for a free estimate, a detailed analysis of your current gutter system, and estimated costs for installing K-Guard on your home.
