How to Patch a Gutter Leak

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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When it rains, it pours--right down the side of your house, if you have a leaky gutter. These leaks generally occur at connections between gutter sections or gutters and downspouts. Very old metal gutters (especially steel ones) may corrode all the way through. For all repairs, start with a well-cleaned gutter.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

Gloves
Steel Wool Or Abrasive Pad
Utility Knife
Putty Knife
Caulking Cartridge And Gun
Ladder
Metal Flashing
Metal Snips
Asphalt flashing cement and cartridge, or gutter patch

Step1

To patch a hole, scrub the inside of the gutter around the hole with steel wool or an abrasive pad, using a ladder if necessary.

Step2

Cut a patch from metal flashing using metal snips. Make the patch a little larger than the corroded area.

Step3

Using a putty knife, coat the back of the metal patch with asphalt flashing cement (or gutter patch), and press it into place.

Step4

Smooth any adhesive that oozes out at the edges with a gloved finger.

Step5

To seal leaks at joints, you can try to clean and caulk, but usually the better approach is to disassemble the gutter as needed to remove the leaking connector. Then clean mating surfaces and caulk as you reassemble. Cut the tip off your caulking cartridge with a utility knife and insert the cartridge into a caulking gun to apply.