If your gutters are leaking, chances are water may seep down inside your walls and damage your paint. Here are a few ways you can keep your gutters and your downspouts in good condition.

First of all make sure that the gutter is sloping down towards the downspout. If it’s not you will have to re-pitch it so that it does slope down in the right direction.

The next thing you will want to check is to see if there is any debris in the gutter. And if there is be sure and clean that out. You can also take your water hose put it down through the downspout, turn the water on and clean out the debris from there as well.

While you’re up here you might as well do a visual check of your roof. Check to see if there are any broken or missing shingles that need to be replaced. If you do this check four times a year, you’re gutter will be ready for any season.

Here is some more information we found for you when it comes to taking care of your Gutters and downspouts.


Typically leaks and cracks tend to appear at the downspout joints. Between heavy use and gravity downspouts open joints up or they occasionally get jostled from below and come loose. A few simple repairs will keep downspout joints tight and when they’re tight leaks stay out of sight!

You will need:

Screwdrivers
Wire brush
Caulk gun and
Silicone caulking
First you will have to remove any screws or connecting hardware at the joint and then disassemble the leaking portion of the downspout. You may need to remove other gutter or downspout sections near the leaky joint before you get started.

Clean any caulk or adhesive from both parts of the joint using your stiff wire brush. Replace the rubber gaskets on vinyl or PVC gutters.

If you have basic carpentry skills and a basic knowledge of tools, you will be able to repair a joint in an hour.

An easy, inexpensive way to repair a piece of metal gutter that has rusted through is to patch it. You can make small repairs using only plastic roofing cement. To repair larger holes, cut a patch from a piece of galvanized metal flashing.

You will need the following:
Wire brush
Abrasive pad
Putty knife
Tin snips
Galvanized flashing for patches

Plastic roofing cement

To start with you will need to clean area around the leak with your wire brush and water. After the area has dried, scrub it with an abrasive pad.

Apply plastic roofing cement over the leak and feather it out on the surrounding area to flatten any steep edges in the repair.

To repair a leaky gutter with holes larger than nail size you will need to use tin snips to cut a strip of flashing (the same material as the gutter). The strips will have to be wide enough to fill the area. Bend the strip to fit then use your plastic roofing cement to embed the flashing. Feather out the cement around the edges of the repair.

We hope these tips help you keep your gutters and downspouts working well for a long time.