Clogged gutters aren't just a nuisance — they're a foundation disaster waiting to happen. Clean them in spring and fall. It takes 90 minutes and saves thousands.
🍂 Fall Priority: Clean gutters after leaves have fully fallen — late October through November depending on your region. Don't clean too early or you'll need to do it twice.
Water pooling at the foundation causes $5,000–$50,000 in foundation damage. Gutters direct water away.
Overflowing gutters rot the wood fascia behind them. Easily preventable. Expensive to fix.
Water cascading over clogged gutters saturates siding, causing rot, mold, and paint failure.
Proper gutter drainage is the first defense against basement water infiltration.
The most un-glamorous task in homeownership is also one of the most important. 90 minutes twice a year prevents thousands in damage.
Work from one end toward the downspout. Use a small garden trowel or gutter scoop. Drop debris into a bucket or onto a tarp. Don't push it toward the downspout — it will clog it worse.
Run water through the gutter from the far end toward the downspout. Check that water flows freely and none is escaping through cracks or joints. This also reveals any sags (areas where water pools).
Run high-pressure water down the opening. If it's blocked, use a plumber's snake or a pressurized tank sprayer. A clogged downspout defeats everything else you just did.
The downspout should direct water at least 6 feet away from the foundation. If it ends at the foundation wall, add a downspout extension ($8 at any hardware store). This is critical.
Gutters develop leaks at the joints (where sections connect) and at cracks. Both are $15 fixes with gutter sealant.
Run water through the gutter with a hose and watch for where water drips. Mark spot with chalk. Leaks are almost always at end caps, joints, or holes from rusted screws.
Use a wire brush to remove grime and rust. Dry completely with a rag and let sit in sun for at least 30 minutes. Sealant won't bond to wet or dirty metal.
Apply gutter sealant (Flex Seal, Bostik, or brand-matched seam sealant) to the inside of the joint. For larger holes, apply a metal patch first, then seal over it. Let cure per product instructions before running water through.
Gutter guards don't eliminate maintenance but drastically reduce cleaning frequency. Foam, micro-mesh, and reverse curve are the main types.
Gutters that sag or pull away from the fascia aren't draining properly — water pools in low spots and overflows at the sag instead of reaching the downspout. This is almost always a failed hanger, not a damaged gutter.
Older gutters used spikes (long nails) that eventually pull out of the fascia. Replace them with gutter hanger screws (hidden hangers or gutter spikes with sleeves) — they thread into the fascia with a screw and hold 5× longer. $1.50 each at any hardware store.
Walk along the gutter and look for sections that sag visibly or pull away from the fascia. Run a level along the gutter — it should slope very slightly toward the downspout (about 1/4" drop per 10 feet). Any section that's flat or sloping away from the downspout is a problem area.
Use a pry bar or vice grips to pull out old gutter spikes. If using old-style spike hangers, the sleeve (cylindrical spacer inside the gutter) can often be reused with a new screw. If the fascia wood is soft at the old nail hole, move the new hanger 2 inches to either side into solid wood.
Have a helper hold the gutter at the correct slope while you fasten the new hanger. Install hidden hangers every 24 inches — not just at problem spots. Drive a 3" exterior screw through the hanger, through the gutter, and into the fascia board and rafter tail behind it.
After re-hanging, run water from a hose at the far end of the gutter. Water should flow steadily to the downspout with no standing pooling. If water sits, that section needs to be re-angled. A 1/4" per 10 feet drop is invisible to the eye but very effective.
A downspout that ends at your foundation wall dumps hundreds of gallons of water directly where it can seep into your basement or crack the foundation. The fix: a $10 extension that redirects water 6 feet away.
60-70% of basement water infiltration is caused by inadequate surface drainage — which means water collecting at the foundation. Adding downspout extensions and grading the soil away from the house fixes this without expensive waterproofing systems in many cases.
Most residential gutters are 2×3" or 3×4" downspouts. Take the measurement to the hardware store — extensions need to match. Buy a standard elbow + extension piece, or a flexible extender (accordion-style), or a roll-out drainage hose (coils flat, unrolls when water flows).
If the downspout runs straight down and terminates near the foundation, add an elbow piece to redirect water horizontally away from the house. The elbow should snap or screw onto the bottom of the downspout. Point it at least 6 feet away from any foundation wall.
Splash block ($15–$25): A concrete or plastic channel that sits under the downspout and directs water away. Slope it away from house. Simple, zero maintenance.
Buried drain pipe: For tight spaces, bury a 4" perforated or solid pipe from the downspout extension to daylight 10–20 feet away. This is the cleanest solution but requires digging a shallow trench.
The slope of the ground itself is the first line of defense. Soil should fall away from the foundation at least 1" per foot for the first 6 feet. Fill low spots against the foundation with clean fill dirt and slope it outward. This works together with downspout extensions to keep water away from your footings.