Gutters spend most of the year being ignored, then winter tests them all at once. Leaves pack in during October and November, the first hard freeze turns that wet debris into a dam, and by January the gutter is carrying ice instead of water. A little attention in the fall heads off most of that.
Here is a checklist for Lehigh Valley homes, in roughly the order to do it.
1. Wait for the leaves, then clear the gutters
Clean after most of the leaves are down, which around Allentown usually means late October into November. Clearing too early means doing it twice. Scoop debris out rather than washing it into the downspouts, and bag it rather than leaving a pile at the foot of the wall.
If you clean your own gutters, set a sturdy ladder on firm, level ground, keep three points of contact, and never lean the ladder on the gutter itself. Second-story gutters and steep roofs are a job for someone with the right equipment.
2. Flush every downspout
Run a hose into the top of each downspout. Water should come out the bottom at full flow. If it backs up, the downspout is clogged, often at an elbow. A downspout that cannot drain turns the gutter above it into a trough that fills, freezes and overflows.
3. Check where the water goes
Downspouts should discharge onto ground that slopes away from the house, ideally several feet out, using an extension or a splash block. Water dumped beside the foundation soaks into the soil there and often shows up later as a damp basement. In winter it can also freeze into a slick patch on walks and steps.
4. Look for sagging, leaks and loose hangers
While the gutters are empty, sight along each run. It should slope gently toward its downspout with no low spots that hold water. Look for loose or missing hangers, seams and end caps with drip stains under them, and places where the gutter has pulled away from the fascia. These are easy repairs in the fall and much harder ones once the gutter is full of ice.
5. Understand ice dams before they form
Ice dams are ridges of ice along the roof edge that hold back meltwater, which can then work its way under the roofing and into the house. The main cause is heat escaping from the house into the attic. It melts the snow on the upper roof, and the water refreezes when it reaches the colder eaves. University of Minnesota Extension and UMass Amherst both make the same point: gutters do not cause ice dams, but a clogged gutter gives the ice somewhere to build and can be torn off by the weight.
The lasting fixes are air sealing and insulation in the attic, plus good ventilation from soffit to ridge. In the short term, the National Weather Service recommends keeping gutters and downspouts clear and using a roof rake from the ground to pull heavy snow off the lower roof.
6. Decide about gutter guards
If your gutters fill with leaves every fall, guards can reduce how often they need clearing. They do not eliminate maintenance: fine debris, roof grit and pine needles still get through or collect on top, and the guards themselves need checking. They make most sense under heavy tree cover.
7. Know when it is a repair, not a cleaning
Call a roofer if you find gutters rusted through, split seams that keep leaking, runs pulling off the house, fascia boards that are soft or rotted, or overflow that continues even when everything is clear. Those usually mean the gutter is undersized, pitched wrong or at the end of its life.
The short version
- Clear the gutters after the leaves are down
- Flush each downspout with a hose
- Make sure downspouts discharge away from the foundation
- Sight each run for sags, leaks and loose hangers
- Check the attic for warm air leaks before the snow comes
- Note anything rusted, split or pulling loose for repair
If your checklist turns up repairs, see our gutters and downspouts page or call (610) 432-9870 before the weather turns.
