How NOT to Seal Your Leaky Gutters

Do you have leaky gutters on your home? Have you tried repairing your own leaky gutters but it hasn’t quite worked out? Then this article is for you.

One of the most common repairs we complete out in the field is to seal leaky gutters. Time after time we see the failed efforts of well intentioned DIY’ers head up the ladder and attempt to silicone and spray their way to success. However more often then not, weeks or even days later the leak returns to the befuddlement of the home owner.

Here’s two ways to NOT repair a leaky gutter and one solid way to do the job correctly so that it holds for years, not weeks.

1. DO NOT apply silicone on top of silicone or on top of the old gutter sealant. Water will eventually find its way under both layers of silicone and back to the original leak location. See pic for reference:

2. DO NOT use the “as seen on TV” liquefied rubber in a can sealants that promise the world, but in actuality work very poorly. Again water will find its way underneath the rubber and you’ll be back at square one.

So how do you properly seal a leaky gutter? The first step is to gain access to the area in a safe and secure way. If you aren’t comfortable on a ladder don’t get on one, it’s simply not worth it. Next use a chisel or some type of scraping tool and remove ALL of the old sealant. It will be difficult to remove and quite stubborn, but it ALL needs to go.

Next access the seam, is there a screw loose or is a rivet needed to properly secure the gutter pieces together? If there is a functionality issue with the aluminum where the joint is moving around no amount of sealant will do the job. Any issues like this need to be resolved before new sealant can be applied.

Finally, thoroughly clean the area of dirt, debris, shingle granules, etc so that the new repair will hold properly. Use a commercial grade gutter sealant and simply re-apply where needed in a thorough manner. Allow 24-48 hours dry time, yes avoid any rainy days in the forecast, and you should be good to go!

We understand this is a lot of work and is quite dangerous, however it can be completed successfully by following the tips in this article.

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