How Clogged Gutters Cause Roof Leaks
Where the water goes when the gutter can't drain, and why the stain shows up near an outside wall.
Read more →
Gutter Guide
A Gutter Maintenance Calendar For New England Homes
Gutters here deal with maple seeds in May, thunderstorms in July, oak leaves in November, and ice in February. Here's what to do in each season, and how to tell when maintenance isn't enough and the gutters themselves are the problem.
Early Spring (March To April): The Post-Winter Check
Winter is hard on gutters. Ice adds weight for weeks at a time, and the freeze-and-thaw cycle works on every seam and hanger. Before the spring rains, walk the house and look for:
- Hangers pulled loose or a run that now sags between them
- Seams that have split, and joints that drip long after a rain
- Downspouts cracked near the bottom, where water froze inside them
- Fascia board that looks stained, swollen, or soft behind the gutter
- Shingle grit collecting in the gutter, which is normal in small amounts and a roof-age sign in large ones
Flush each run with a hose and watch it drain. A gutter that held ice all winter has often lost its pitch, and that shows up as water sitting in one spot instead of moving.
Late Spring (May To June): Seeds And Pollen
Maple seeds, the helicopters, come down in one big drop in May and pack a gutter as tightly as leaves do. Pollen, catkins from the oaks, and the first pine needles follow. A quick clean in early June, after the seeds have finished, sets you up for summer. This is also the moment to install or reset gutter guards, before the leaves start and while the ladder work is pleasant.
Summer (July To August): Heavy Rain And Heat
Summer thunderstorms are the real capacity test. An inch of rain in an hour sends water off the roof faster than a small, poorly pitched, or half-blocked gutter can move it. The best diagnostic tool you have is a storm: step outside during a downpour and watch the gutters. Any spot that sheets over the edge is telling you exactly where the problem is.
- Size. Five-inch gutters handle most houses. A large or steep roof, or a long run feeding one downspout, often needs six-inch gutters and larger downspouts.
- Outlets. One downspout can't drain a long run in a downpour. We place them roughly every thirty to forty feet.
- Where the water lands. Every downspout should let out four to six feet from the foundation. Add extensions before the August storms, not after the basement gets wet.
- Heat. Vinyl and plastic gutters soften and warp in summer sun, and the sealant at the seams of sectional aluminum gutters dries out and cracks. Seamless aluminum has no seams to fail along the run, which is why it's what we install.
Fall (October To November): The Big Clean
This is the one that matters most. Clean after most of the leaves are down, usually late October around Tewksbury, and again after the oaks let go in November. Get the leaves off the roof valleys at the same time, from a ladder or with a pole brush, never by walking a wet roof. Fall is also the right time to book a gutter replacement: the ground is still workable, the crew isn't fighting ice, and the new gutters are in place before winter tests them. We covered the whole leaf problem in what falling leaves do to your roof.
Winter (December To February): Ice
There's no cleaning to do in winter, only damage to avoid. Don't chip ice out of a gutter with a hammer or a shovel; the gutter bends, the seams split, and the shingles above lose granules. If a gutter is full of ice and there's water backing up behind it, that's an ice dam in progress, and our crews clear it with low-pressure steam that melts the ice off without touching the roof. The prevention side, which is mostly about the attic, is in our ice dam guide, and the service side is on our ice dam and snow removal page.
Heat cables along the eave can keep a stubborn spot draining, but they cost electricity all winter and don't touch the cause. Think of them as a patch for one bad corner, not the plan.
When Maintenance Isn't Enough
Gutters have a working life, and some of the ones we see on 1970s colonials around here are the originals. Signs the gutters themselves are the problem:
- Seams that leak again every year no matter how often they're sealed
- Sag that comes back after the hangers are reset
- Rust on steel gutters, or pitting on old aluminum
- Gutters pulling away because the fascia behind them has rotted
- Overflow during every hard rain even when they're clean, which means they're undersized
We form seamless aluminum gutters on-site to the exact length of each run, size the downspouts to the roof, and replace rotted fascia at the same time so the new gutter has something solid to hang from. Copper and wood gutters are available for homes that call for them. Most jobs in our area run about $3,000 to $5,000, and if you're replacing siding with us, the gutters are included.
Gutters due for a look?
· 80 Google Reviews · 48-hour response on repair calls · Free, no-obligation. We reply within 24 hours.
Gutter questions we hear all year
How often should gutters be cleaned?
Twice a year in Massachusetts: once in early summer after the maple seeds and pollen, and once in late fall after the leaves. A house under oaks usually needs a third pass in late November. Guards cut to fit the gutter reduce that to a quick check, though they don't stop pine needles or seeds entirely.
What size gutters do I need?
Five-inch K-style gutters handle most single-family homes. A large roof, a steep pitch, or a long run feeding a single downspout pushes water at the gutter faster than five-inch can move it, and those homes do better with six-inch gutters and three-by-four-inch downspouts. If your gutters are clean and still overflow in a downpour, size is usually the reason.
Aluminum vs vinyl gutters: which is better?
Aluminum. Vinyl is cheaper up front but it softens and warps in summer sun, gets brittle in cold, and is only available in sections with a joint every few feet. Aluminum doesn't rust, holds its shape through New England winters, and can be formed seamless on-site to the exact length of each run. Copper and wood are the premium options for homes that suit them.
Seamless vs sectional gutters: what's the difference?
Sectional gutters come in ten-foot lengths joined with connectors and sealant, and every joint is a place that will eventually leak. Seamless gutters are formed from a continuous coil on a machine at your house, so each run is one piece with joints only at the corners and outlets. Fewer seams means fewer leaks and less to maintain over the life of the gutter.