During drizzles and downpours, gutters protect your house from water damage and flooding. They collect and divert rainwater away from your roof, keeping the foundation, interior, and landscaping of your home intact.
That’s why defective or unkempt gutters are a massive problem—even worse than having no gutters at all, according to Noah Lantz, direct of the Rain Gutter Association. “With broken gutters, water is collected by your gutter system and focused below the point of failure, typically by the foundation of your property,” Lantz says. “This dumps all the water into one place, usually where it doesn't belong, accelerating the damage.”
While properly functioning gutters are crucial in any type of storm, they’re particularly important during storm season, when rain is heavier and winds are stronger. To prepare your home for extreme weather, we asked Lantz to identify the gutter maintenance tasks you should tackle well before storm season.
Clear Debris
When leaves, twigs, and pine needles get trapped in your gutters, they block the stream of rainwater, which leads to overflowing water, rotting wood, and foundation damage. To clear the debris yourself, Lantz recommends scooping up the buildup with gloves before properly disposing of it. If your gutters aren’t safely accessible, a professional will do the heavy lifting for you.
Flush Downspouts
After manually removing the debris from your gutters, use a garden hose to flush out each downspout, starting from the top. If the water exits the bottom without a hitch, the path is clear. If the water backs up, trickles, or leaks, you might have a blockage. A professional will help you loosen or clean any stubborn debris.
Test Water Flow
Next, test your gutters’ ability to freely flow water. To conduct an inspection, run water into the end of each gutter farther from the downspout. The water should travel steadily toward the outlet, but if it overflows or pools, you might be dealing with a loose hanger, sagging section, or incorrect slope.
Make Repairs
Once you’ve concluded that your gutters are faulty, it’s time to make repairs. For minor leaks, Lantz advises patching up the holes with a gutter sealant and a caulk gun from the hardware store. You can also replace loose fasteners, fix disconnected joints, salvage damaged hangers, and mend sagging sections yourself. But if your gutters are suffering from more extensive damage, call on a professional to help.
Inspect Fascia
Before you secure your gutter, take a look at the fascia, the boards behind the gutters. If you spot peeling paint, growing mold, stained sections, or rotting wood, your gutters may have been spilling water behind rather than properly draining.
Secure Extensions
To ensure your gutters are channeling runoff water away from the foundation of your house (rather than pooling beside it or eroding soil), secure extensions, loose downspouts, and splash blocks.
Observe the Changes
Once you’ve examined and repaired your gutters, you can gauge their effectiveness by watching how they operate during the next rainfall. From a safe, sheltered spot, make sure the rainwater moves seamlessly through the gutters without spilling over, leaking, or running behind.
By following these maintenance steps, your gutters will be able to handle even the heaviest rain.
Lilly Blomquist is the associate editor at The Pioneer Woman, where she writes lifestyle stories across a wide range of topics—including news, entertainment, holidays, food, and more.
