It’s Best Not to Save This Chore for a Rainy Day

The most common problem homeowners have with gutters is clogging, which they usually discover after the first good rain.

“Just about anything on the roof that doesn’t get blown off by the wind ends up in the gutters,” says gutter installer Jay Pantal. “Leaves, twigs, sand, dirt, balls, toys--they can all make your gutter useless when it rains.”

It’s probably a good idea to clean out your rain gutters at least once a year.

“Use a garden trowel to scrape out the dirt and sand,” says Pantal. “Over time, this kind of sediment builds up and displaces the rainwater, making your gutter less efficient.”

“Many hardware stores carry a U-shaped attachment for a garden hose that can be used for your gutters,” says Mark Cilani of Rain Gutter Supply in Orange. “You hold it up as you walk along the gutter, and the spray flushes debris into the downspout.”

Close-up inspections of your gutter are best done on a ladder--a much safer alternative to leaning over the edge of your roof. But be careful about how the ladder is placed. “I’ve seen a lot of people dent and damage their gutters by leaning their ladders into them,” says Cilani.

Besides checking for sediment and debris in the gutter, make sure the brackets or spikes and ferrules, which connect the gutter to the wood fascia, are still tightly in place. Small holes in the gutter can be repaired with a plastic or metal patch kit.

One part of the gutter that is often forgotten is the downspout. It’s often assumed that gravity and rushing water will pull down any obstructions through it, but that’s not always the case.

If you’ve had any roofing work done in the past year and have noticed a problem with flooding gutters, there may be a downspout clog from discarded roofing felt, nails, etc.

“A good way to clear a downspout is with a plumbing snake,” says Kristen Miller of Orange Coast Gutters. “They seem to collect a lot of debris, especially tennis balls, which fit right down the tube.”