Your guttering plays an important role in maintaining your roof and property's integrity. By directing water away from your property, it reduces the risk of damage and protects its foundations. 

Even if your guttering is relatively new, it's not unusual to experience problems. By learning more about gutter problems and common fixes, you can ensure your roof stays stronger, for longer.

Blockages

As most homeowners know, it isn't just rainfall that accumulates in your gutters. You're also likely to experience a gathering of leaves, dirt, and even plants growing inside them. Unfortunately, while your gutters suffer from blockages, they're not working to their full potential.

Over time, blockages can lead to other common gutter problems. As such, it's in your best interests to remove them as soon as you can. Check your gutters periodically and give them a thorough clean to ensure that debris does not build up.

Sagging

If it's been a while since you've checked your gutters for blockages, or if you're occupying a property where the previous owner didn't check, you may encounter sagging. Guttering designs typically accommodate water that flows freely. As a result, when a lot of debris builds up, it may begin to sag. Sagging may also occur when the guttering is old.

Removing heavy debris may reduce the sagging, but whether your gutters bounce back will depend on how much debris is in there in the first place. Both age and a lot of strain over time can cause gutters to continue to sag. When this happens, you may need a roofer to reinforce the installation to bring it back to its previous shape.

Positioning

Poor positioning can prevent gutters from executing their role altogether. For example, if the downpour aims at the wrong angle, the water won't head in the right direction, and you may experience flooding or structural damage to your property.

Depending on how the positioning is, you may need to remove the downpipe and reposition it entirely. If you're not confident in your ability to reposition, it's best to ask a roofer to complete the job for you.

Ice

When temperatures do dip low enough for ice to form, it can soon cause damage to your gutters. As water turns to ice, it expands, which means there's a chance your gutters will suffer from cracks that are difficult to repair.

If ice does become a problem, you'll need to get a ladder out and pour warm water into your gutters to thaw it. If the damage is significant, call a roofer so they can perform a repair.