Have you Considered your Rain Gutters Lately

When was the last time you thought about your rain gutters? While it's understandable that rain gutters may slip your mind during our current rain drought, it's important to make sure they are in proper working condition before the rain begins to fall.

Gutters serve an extraordinary function in any home, especially rentals as proper redirection of rain water can mitigate thousands of dollars in repairs that can be caused from rainfall.

Luckily there are many options for rain gutters in Long Beach, from professional installation to DIY (do it yourself) friendly systems. Below are options and solutions for inspecting and replacing your rain gutters.

Inspecting Your Rain Gutters

Even with routine maintenance, it's always a good idea to inspect your rain gutters for leaks. Walk around your Long Beach rental property and visually inspect the gutters, keep an eye out for any cracks or gaps present in the gutters. If it passes the visual test, you should consider running water through the gutter system to test for leaks. 

Before you start make sure you’ve cleaned the gutters from leaves, debris or the occasional bird nest. Once cleaned from debris simply take your water hose and secure it, you don't want the water pressure to move it. After the hose is secure, turn on the water and give the rain gutters another visual inspection. Keep doing this until you have tested the entirety of the gutter system, with some luck you’ll have no leaks. Or alternatively if you are unable to properly inspect them, contact a rain gutter specialist to inspect it for you. 

If leaks are present, take note of the location and how much water leaks. There are times when you can go to a hardware store and buy a rain gutter to replace the broken section. If it is evident that you’ll need to replace the whole system there are options to do the work yourself or you could hire professionals.

Why are Rain Gutters Important?

Rain gutters play an important role in diverting rainwater away from your rental property. If they are leaking, or your rental doesn’t have rain gutters you can be putting your property at risk of water damage. Water damage can be a problem before you realize it, uncontrolled water can creep into the walls causing structural damage to the foundation of the home. Water damage to wall studs and internal walls, humidity in walls makes a perfect breeding ground for mold which can cause your tenants to have health problems.

Installing Rain Gutters to Help Protect Your Rental

If after your inspection you decide it's time to replace your rain gutter system there are plenty of options out there to fit your needs.

A popular option right now are seamless rain gutters. Seamless rain gutters use a single continuous piece of metal gutter typically made from aluminum but are also offered in copper. Since the gutters are a single piece, they are more rigid and reliable than sectioned gutters. And since there are no seams, there are fewer points of failure making leaks essentially eliminated. Depending on the linear footage of your home, the complexity of your roof and how many downpipes are necessary, prices can range from $1,000 to $5,000.

If you prefer the DIY option, rain gutter replacement isn’t considered a difficult job. Though you may be limited by what's available at your home improvement store. They usually carry 8ft or 10ft  lengths of gutter made of aluminum or vinyl meaning you’ll have to put together your gutter system with the prefabricated lengths. And every 40 feet you’ll need a downspout that matches your gutter material and whatever necessary connectors.

We may be in a drought now, but you don’t want to be caught off guard and risk water damage. If you need help repairing your rain gutters or want to install seamless rain gutters call us at (562) 888-0247 or feel free to fill out our free rental analysis to see what your rental could yield today.