Gutters have one job: catch the water that runs off the roof and carry it away from the house. When they are full of leaves and shingle grit, the water goes everywhere else instead. It pours over the front edge onto the foundation, backs up under the shingles at the eave, soaks the fascia board behind the gutter, and in cold climates freezes into ice dams that lift shingles and leak into the attic.
Fall is the season for it because that is when the leaves come down, and in most of the country the right time is after most of the trees are bare. This article explains how to tell whether your gutters need attention without climbing anything, what a gutter service or roofer does, and how to decide whether guards are worth it.
What clogged gutters actually damage
The damage from a clogged gutter is slow and mostly hidden, which is why it is so expensive by the time it is noticed. Water that overflows at the eave runs down the fascia and soffit and rots them from the back. Water that sits in the gutter adds weight and pulls the brackets out of the fascia, so the gutter sags and holds even more. At the ground, water dumped at the foundation finds its way into basements and crawl spaces and erodes the soil the slab or footing sits on.
The University of Georgia Extension's home maintenance checklist puts gutter and downspout cleaning on both the spring and fall lists and notes that downspouts should discharge water two to three feet from the house. The National Roofing Contractors Association lists gutters and drains among the places debris collects and limits drainage, and recommends a roof inspection twice a year.
How to check your gutters from the ground
You do not need to see inside the gutter to know it is clogged. The signs are visible from the yard and most of them show up during or right after rain. Pick a rainy day and walk the perimeter with an umbrella.
- Water sheeting over the front edge of the gutter during rain, or a line of splash marks and bare soil below one section.
- Little or nothing coming out of a downspout while it is raining hard.
- Plants, grass or small trees growing out of the gutter. Seeds germinate in wet leaf litter within a season.
- Sagging sections, visible gaps at seams, or brackets pulled out of the fascia.
- Dark streaks on the fascia or siding under the gutter, or paint peeling there.
- In winter, icicles along the eave or a ridge of ice at the gutter line.
Why ladder work belongs to a pro
A fall from a ladder is the main hazard in gutter cleaning, and gutter cleaning is one of the main reasons people are on a ladder in the first place. Wet leaves, soft ground, a ladder leaning on a gutter that is not meant to hold it, and reaching sideways to get one more handful are how it goes wrong. The National Roofing Contractors Association tells homeowners to inspect from the ground and leave anything higher to a contractor with the right equipment.
A gutter cleaning service or roofer brings stabilizers that keep the ladder off the gutter, works in short sections, and bags the debris. The job usually takes an hour or two on a typical house.
- Clear leaves, grit and nests from the gutters by hand or with a scoop.
- Flush the gutters and downspouts with a hose and confirm water runs freely to the outlet.
- Clear a blocked downspout, which is often the real problem when a whole run overflows.
- Re-seat loose brackets, re-seal leaking seams and end caps, and note sections that have lost their slope.
- Check the roof edge and the first course of shingles while they are there, and report anything that needs a roofer's attention.
When to schedule, and how often
Once a year in fall after the leaves are mostly down is the minimum for a house with trees nearby. A second cleaning in late spring catches seed pods, pollen and spring storm debris. Houses under pines or oaks, which shed year-round, may need it more often. In regions with hurricane season, a cleaning before the season starts means the gutters can handle the heavy rain instead of dumping it at the foundation.
Book early. Gutter companies fill up in the same two or three weeks every fall.
Gutter guards: what they do and do not do
Guards reduce the large debris that gets in. They do not eliminate maintenance. Fine needles, seeds and shingle grit still collect on top of or inside many designs, and some types shed water over the front in heavy rain. The NRCA notes that it has no performance data to recommend specific guard products. If you consider guards, ask the installer how the gutters will be cleaned with the guards in place and what the warranty actually covers. A good guard on a well-sloped gutter under deciduous trees can stretch cleaning to every few years; it is not a reason to never look again.
Questions people ask
When exactly should fall gutter cleaning happen?
After most of the leaves are down, which in much of the country is late October through November. Cleaning too early means doing it twice. In the South and on the coasts, a second cleaning before hurricane season is worth adding.
Can I clean gutters from the ground with an extension tool?
Hose and pole attachments can flush light debris and are safer than a ladder, but they do not clear packed leaves or a blocked downspout, and you cannot see what is left. They are a stopgap between professional cleanings.
The gutters overflow even when they are clean. What then?
The gutter may have lost its slope, the downspouts may be too few or too small for the roof area, or the roof may shed water faster than the gutter can take it in a storm. A roofer or gutter installer can re-hang the run or add a downspout.