Figuring out when to clean your gutters in the fall can be a learning process to say the least. If you have the gutters cleaned out too early, then they’ll likely fill up with leaves again before the fall season is over. And if you wait too long, an early winter storm could hit and lead to damages if the gutters are clogged. 

To make matters worse the cycle of when leaves fall has been varying the past few years due to changes in weather patterns. It seems that lately the leaves have been waiting longer and longer to drop. 

It’s important to learn the leaf cycles of the trees around your home, that way your gutter cleaning schedule is as efficient as possible.

FALL GUTTER CLEANING SHOULD TAKE PLACE:

• AFTER THE MAJORITY OF THE LEAVES FALL FROM TREES

• BEFORE THE FIRST MAJOR WINTER STORM

If you only plan to clean your gutters once during the fall season, then the best time is the majority of the leaves have fallen from the trees. The idea is to wait as long as possible for the leaves and other debris to drop from the trees. That way the gutters aren’t able to fill with leaves again after they have already been cleaned out for the season.

For homeowners that live in wooded lots, or that have a few large trees close to the home, a second fall cleaning is beneficial to help keep the gutters clear throughout the season. Especially if it turns out to be a rainy November or December.  Our two fall cleaning recommendation is to clean the gutters after the first wave of leaves come down, (typically late October or early November) and then a final clean out just before winter (Mid to Late December).  We even have a few customers that need three fall gutter cleanings, which are usually spaced out as late October, late November, and late December into early January. 

WHY IS FALL NECESSARY FOR GUTTER CLEANING?

• PEAK SEASON FOR LEAF ACCUMULATION IN GUTTERS

• JUST BEFORE WINTER TEMPERATURES SET IN

• PREVENTS DAMAGES TO GUTTER SYSTEM & ROOFING EAVE

Fall is the most important time of year to clean your gutters because deciduous trees shed their leaves in the fall. Coincidentally to fall being the time of year for leaves to fall, it also comes just before winter when it is absolutely necessary for the gutter system to be clear of all obstructions and clogs. 

When the gutter system is not able to drain properly from clogs, the water is not able to go anywhere but overflow and leak from the gutters. However, in the winter this can cause damages to the gutter system.  As snow and ice from the roof thaws it needs to be able drain through the gutters. Otherwise, it will be trapped in the gutters until it expands as it re-freezes.  Downspouts are prone to damages as well when they are clogged during freezing temps. When the trapped water freezes it will expand which often splits open downspouts at the seam. 

Ice damming at the gutters is often a sign that the gutter system is not draining properly in the winter.  When the melting snow or ice can’t drain it overflows the gutters as large icicles. Besides being a safety hazard if they were to fall, ice causes heavy strain to your gutters and the boards they are mounted to.

HOW TO KNOW WHEN GUTTERS NEED CLEANING

• VISIBLE DEBRIS ACCUMULATION IN THE GUTTERS

• DOWNSPOUTS ARE NOT FLOWING PROPERLY OR LEAKING

• ALL LEAVES HAVE FALLEN FROM THE TREES NEAR YOUR HOME

• GUTTERS ARE LEAKING AND/OR OVERFLOWING

• ICE DAMMING IN GUTTERS

If you can see piles of leaves sticking out of the gutters around your home, than that means the gutters are full and need to be cleaned. Keep in mind that you can’t see the leaves in the gutter from the ground. So if there is a pile sticking out of the gutter, than that gutter is full to the brim and likely not able to drain water properly.

Water leaking or overflowing from the gutters is one of the easiest signs to notice.  Piles of debris in the gutters will cause the water to splash over the gutter. And clogged downspouts cause water to leak or overflow. The easiest way to find out if your gutters are clogged is by observing them during a decent rain. 

If the downspouts are leaking in any way then that confirms they are clogged. Clogs in the downspout are the only issue that causes water to leak from the downspouts. Whenever water overflows from the gutter above the downspout that would also indicate a clog. The easiest way to know if your downspout is clogged is to see if water is coming out during rain. If there is barely any water flow from the downspout then that indicates that it is likely clogged. 

FALL GUTTER CLEANING WITH PINE TREES

Evergreens aka conifers are trees that stay green year round by not dropping their leaves. Pine trees are the most common type of conifers that most people know, but other trees such as firs, spruce, cypress, or hemlock are also conifers.

Even though conifers don’t drop leaves in the fall they still do drop other types of debris. Such as needles, pine cones, berries, branches, seeds, etc.. Pine cones and pine needles will end up on roofs and into gutter systems if they are close enough to the home. Some pine trees only drop their needles in the spring and some only drop in the fall. And then there are types that drop pine needles all year round. If you have pine trees close to your home and you’ve been there more than a year or two, then you should be familiar with the schedule of how the pine needles pile up.

Proximity to the home and size of the evergreen trees are the determining factor in how much pine needles end up on your roof. The larger and closer the trees are, the more of their debris that ends up on your home. Wind is also a major factor. Homes that live in windier areas don’t have to worry so much about pine needles, as they will blow off in most areas.

REGULAR CLEANING SCHEDULE

The key to long lasting gutters that cause minimal damages to your home is regular gutter maintenance. Making sure the gutters are cleaned out at least once a year is the best way to prevent damages, and to help your gutters last as long as possible. Figuring out the warning signs for when to clean gutters is the key.

Once you’ve been in the same home for a couple years, the leaf drop cycles of the trees near your home should start to be become more familiar. Whether you clean the gutters yourself, or hire a service provider to take care of them, it’s important to wait until after the majority of the debris has fallen. That way the gutters don’t fill back up with leaves before the season is over.

Check out our Gutter Cleaning Service page to learn more about gutter cleaning, or our Annual Services page for more information regarding gutter cleaning service plans.

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