How do you fix gutters?

Leaking seams, corners and end caps

Clean the joint, let it dry fully, scrape off old sealant and apply a gutter sealant made for your gutter metal on the inside of the joint. Drips at a corner that keep coming back usually mean the corner itself has separated, and a new miter is the lasting fix.

Sagging or pulling away

Old spike hangers back out of the fascia over time. Replace them with hidden hangers that clip inside the front lip and drive a long screw through the back into solid wood, about every 2 feet. If screws spin without biting, the fascia is rotted and must be replaced first.

Water pooling instead of draining

Run a hose at the far end. If water sits, the run lacks slope. Loosen the hangers and reset the gutter with a gentle fall toward the outlet, commonly about a quarter inch per 10 feet. Long runs can slope from the middle toward downspouts at both ends.

Downspout problems

Clear clogs from the outlet down, reattach loose sections with short sheet metal screws, and add or extend the bottom elbow so water lands several feet from the foundation.

Small holes and rust spots

Clean, sand lightly and cover with a patch of matching metal flashing set in gutter sealant. On steel gutters, widespread rust means replacement is near.

Water running behind the gutter

That points to a missing or short drip edge or gutter apron, not the gutter itself. Read drip edge explained and gutter sizing and seamless gutters.