Gutter & Stormwater Maintenance Before Storm Season

It’s easy to forget about gutters and stormwater drains — right up until a downpour overwhelms them and water ends up where it shouldn’t. A bit of maintenance before storm season is cheap insurance against some genuinely expensive water damage.

Why it matters

When gutters and downpipes are blocked, rainwater overflows — back into the eaves and walls, or pooling around the foundations. Blocked stormwater drains send that water across paths and into low spots, sometimes into the home itself. Both cause damage that costs far more to fix than the maintenance would have.

What to check

• Gutters. Clear leaves, debris and silt so water flows to the downpipes instead of overflowing.
• Downpipes. Make sure they’re clear and actually carrying water away — a blocked downpipe makes clean gutters pointless.
• Stormwater drains and grates. Clear debris from surface drains and pits so they can take heavy flow.
• Roof valleys. Check these channels aren’t holding leaves and debris.
• Where the water goes. Make sure the system actually drains away from the house, not towards it.

Signs of a problem

• Water overflowing the gutters in rain.
• Damp patches on walls or ceilings near the roofline.
• Pooling water around the foundations or in the yard after rain.
• Stormwater pits that fill and don’t drain.

Get ahead of it

The time to sort this is before the storms, not during. If a stormwater drain is already slow or you’ve seen overflow in past downpours, it’s worth investigating the cause now — sometimes it’s debris, sometimes it’s a deeper blockage or a damaged underground pipe that a drain camera can find.