10 signs your gutters need cleaning
You don't need a ladder to spot a blocked gutter. Most of the signs are visible from your own pavement.
1. Water overshooting in rain
Stand outside in heavy rain. Water should flow into the gutter and down the downpipe. If it's cascading over the front edge, the gutter is blocked or the fall is wrong.
2. Drips from joints between sections
Old gutters in 1m sections are joined with seals that perish. If you see drips at every join after rain, the seals need replacing — but check the gutter is clear first, because a full gutter pushes seals beyond their working capacity.
3. Water running down the wall
Dark stain on render, paint or stonework directly under the gutter. Means overflow has been happening for a while. Get it cleared before the damp gets behind.
4. Plants growing out of the gutter
Buddleia, grasses, dandelions. If something is rooting in your gutter, there's enough organic matter in there to be holding water permanently.
5. Sagging gutter sections
A gutter that's full of wet debris is heavy. Brackets pull off the fascia, the run dips in the middle. You'll see it from the ground — gutter that isn't level.
6. Pooling water at the base of the wall
Water that overflows close to the wall ends up in the soil and brick at the foot of the property. If you see a dark damp patch at ground level along the wall, especially after rain, the gutter is probably the cause.
7. Birds nesting in the gutter
House sparrows and starlings will nest in a blocked gutter. Nice for them — bad for you. Means there's enough debris to support a nest, and gutters won't be cleared until the birds finish breeding.
8. Damp patches on internal walls near the ceiling
An overflowing back gutter can drive water in at the top of the wall. If you've got a damp patch on a bedroom ceiling corner that wasn't there last year, check the gutter directly outside.
9. Granules at the bottom of the downpipe
Find the bottom of the downpipe and look at the drain or the gully. If there's a gritty deposit of roof granules, the gutter is doing its job — but the roof is shedding aggregate. Worth a roof check.
10. You can't remember the last time they were cleaned
If you've been in the house more than two years and never had them done — they need doing. Even on a well-built modern semi.
