Fixing leaking and sagging gutters in Vancouver, WA

Gutter repair is spot work on a system that is mostly sound. A corner miter that has started dripping, a run that sagged after a heavy load of wet needles, a downspout that got knocked off by a ladder or ripped loose in a windstorm. These problems are common and usually quick to fix, and they are worth fixing soon, because water that misses the gutter lands on fascia, siding and the foundation.

We look at the cause as well as the symptom. A sag might be a missing hanger, but it might also be fascia that rotted from years of a slow drip. Reattaching the gutter to soft wood will not hold. If the board is bad, we replace that section of fascia first, then rehang the gutter on solid wood with screws instead of spikes.

The most common gutter failures

Leaking corners and end caps top the list. The sealant inside a miter dries out and cracks over a few winters, and water starts dripping through the joint. Next is sagging, which almost always traces back to the old spike-and-ferrule hangers. Each time the gutter fills with wet debris, the extra weight pulls the spikes a little further out of the fascia, until the run bows and holds a pool of water in the middle.

Downspout trouble is close behind. Elbows separate, straps let go, and the outlet where the downspout meets the gutter clogs with a ball of needles. When that happens, the whole run backs up and spills over the front. Slope problems also show up, especially after a house settles or a section has been rehung by hand, leaving water sitting at the wrong end. Standing water breeds mosquitoes and adds weight, and over time it corrodes the gutter floor.

Repairs we handle

Most repair visits cover several small items at once. We clean the gutter first, since you cannot reseal a dirty seam or judge the slope of a run full of debris. Then we work along the system, fix what we find and run water through it to confirm it drains to every outlet before we leave. Anything we could not fix on the spot gets photographed and priced so you can decide on it later.

• Resealing corners, end caps and outlets
• Replacing spikes with hidden screw hangers
• Resetting slope on runs that hold water
• Reattaching or replacing downspout sections
• Patching small holes and splits
• Replacing short sections of rotted fascia

When repair stops making sense

Repair is the right call when the problem is limited to a few spots and the gutter itself is in decent shape. It stops making sense when the trouble is everywhere. Sectional gutters with a seam every ten feet will keep developing new leaks as the sealant ages. Old steel gutters with rust working through the bottom cannot be patched for long. And a system that is too small for the roof will keep overflowing no matter how well it is sealed.

We give you an honest call on this. If a repair is going to buy you several good years, we will do the repair. If you are likely to be paying for the same fix again next winter, we will show you the numbers on new seamless gutters and let you decide. Often the fascia condition behind the gutter is what settles it. Rot along the whole length means new gutters and new boards together.

Storm and ladder damage

Wind, falling limbs and ladders account for a lot of sudden gutter damage. A fir limb can crush a run or rip it off at the hangers. If the damage came from a storm, your homeowner's insurance may cover part of it, and we can photograph and document the damage so you have what the claim needs. If a limb also hit the roof, we look at the shingles and decking above the damaged gutter, since the roof damage is often the bigger part of the claim.