If you engage in gutter maintenance and cleaning on a routine schedule, chances are you may assume your gutters will not require any additional attention. In truth, gutters are prone to permanent damage either from the amount of use they are under or just being past their shelf life. That is why it is essential for homeowners to know how to spot any symptoms of irreparable gutter damage and so you can have the gutters replaced before your structure and roofing develop extensive water damage. So how do you know that the time for gutter replacement is nigh?

The gutters have developed cracks

Minor hairline cracks in your gutters could probably be remedied through some DIY caulking. However, if cracks are not noticed in time, they get the chance to expand into holes and gaps in your gutters. If the surface of the gutters were compromised, then using these devices to direct water away from your residence would be an effort in futility—more so during the wet seasons when the amount of precipitation is much higher when compared to other times of the year. Instead of seeking a temporary fix, you should consider complete gutter replacements.

The gutters have started sagging

If you notice that your gutters are not staying in position anymore, you may want to consider having them replaced with new ones. Sagging gutters will come about due to a couple of causes. Firstly, the fasteners holding the gutters may have become compromised. Luckily, this can easily be remedied by installing new, stronger fasteners. The second reason your gutters would start to pull away from your structure is that they have been bearing the weight of excessive volumes of water, debris and more. In this case, the structure of the gutters could be compromised, and you would be better off with entirely new gutters.

The basement has rising damp

When some homeowners suspect gutter problems, they tend to look for signs and symptoms either at their roof or on the gutters themselves. However, sometimes issues with your gutters do not manifest in such obvious locations. One such symptom is if your basement starts to develop rising damp. This moisture in the basement could stem from leaking gutters that are allowing water ingress to happen in your foundation, which would also imply your foundation has been compromised. You would need to engage in immediate water damage repairs as well as have the gutters replaced post haste.