Gutter Cleaning near you

A clogged gutter fails in predictable ways. In a heavy rain, water sheets over the front edge and lands at the foot of the wall, the one place it should never go. When debris plugs an outlet, the trough stays full, grows heavy and pulls on its hangers, and water works its way behind the gutter.

The Government of Canada's flood-prevention guidance is to check eavestroughs and downspouts at least twice a year, in fall and spring, and more often after a severe storm, heavy rain or high winds, or when ice is building up. For the cleaning itself, the trees around the house matter more than the calendar.

What's included varies from one company to another, especially for downspouts, upper roofs and hauling the debris away, so ask for the list in writing.

Gutter debris is mostly leaves and other organic matter, and many municipalities accept it with yard waste or organic collection. Rules vary from city to city, so check yours, and agree beforehand whether the crew takes the bags away or leaves them for your collection day. Debris shouldn't be rinsed into the street or a storm drain.

Gutter cleaning is work at the roof edge: a ladder resting against a trough that may not bear the weight, one hand full of wet debris, slippery leaves underfoot, and often a deck, a slope or a flower bed at the base. The Government of Canada advises against doing this work alone and suggests hiring a professional. Crews use stabilizers that bear on the wall rather than the gutter, levellers for uneven ground, fall protection when the job calls for it and lifts for tall houses, and they keep ladders and poles well away from the electrical wire that feeds the house. Leave anything that needs a ladder or roof access to them, and never climb onto the roof or lean out a window to reach a gutter.

Gutter guards cover the trough with a screen, mesh or solid cap that lets water in while keeping most leaves out, and the Government of Canada recommends them to keep debris out. They can stretch the time between cleanings, especially under big trees, but they don't end the need for one. Seeds, needles and shingle granules still get through or pile up on top, and the guards themselves have to be lifted or brushed off during a cleaning.

If you already have guards, ask whether the cleaning company can service your type without damaging it. If you're thinking of adding them, a season or two of cleanings will show how fast debris builds up on your house, and the gutter installation page compares the options.

A cleaning is often the first close look anyone has taken at the gutters in a while, so it tends to turn up problems. Some cleaners handle small fixes on the spot, such as refastening a hanger, resealing a dripping joint or reattaching a downspout elbow. Anything more, like a run that has lost its slope, joints that keep leaking or sections bent by ice, calls for a gutter repair contractor, and the gutter repair page explains the options.

If the fascia behind the trough is soft, the rotten wood has to be replaced before the gutter goes back up, since new hangers won't hold in it. When an old system is damaged along most of its length, replacement usually makes more sense, and the gutter installation page covers that work.