Storm-Season Gutter Checklist for Pittsburgh Homes
Pittsburgh doesn't have a hurricane season. What it has is a summer thunderstorm season that runs from late May through August, a September that occasionally delivers the wet remains of a Gulf storm (Ivan in 2004 is the one people still talk about), a windy, wet October and November, and then ice. Mid-September is the gap between the two halves, and it's the best week of the year to walk around the house and see what the summer did before the fall does something worse.
What summer does to gutters
Thunderstorm rain is the overflow test. If a run overflowed in July, you'll see the evidence now: a strip of washed-out mulch under the eave, mud splashed up the siding, a dark stain on the fascia at one corner. Wind from the same storms works on loose hangers, and a gutter that was slightly loose in May is noticeably loose by September. Heat cycles the sealant at every corner. And a summer of maple seeds and locust leaflets has settled into a mat in the bottom of the trough that's now holding water.
The walk-around
Do it after a rain if you can, with a flashlight, looking up.
- Hangers and straps. Every run should sit tight against the fascia with no gap at the top. A gap, or a run that's visibly lower in the middle, means hangers backing out. Downspouts should be strapped every 8 feet and not rattling.
- Fascia. Look for peeling paint in a band along the roof edge, worst at corners and below downspouts. That's water getting behind the gutter. Push a screwdriver in if you can reach; soft wood needs replacing before anything is hung on it.
- Flow. Every downspout should be running in the rain. One that isn't is plugged, or the gutter feeding it has gone flat. One that's running full while the gutter overflows is too small for the roof.
- Extensions. Every downspout should end at least six feet from the wall, on ground that slopes away. Kicked-over splash blocks and disconnected extensions are common, and the easiest thing on this list to fix.
- Corners and seams. Look for drip marks, a white sealant that's gone chalky, or a dark line under a corner on the siding.
- The roof edge. From the ground, check that the shingles or slate overhang the gutter by half an inch or so. Shingles that stop short, or a missing drip edge, let water run behind the gutter down the fascia.
- Trees. Anything hanging over the roof that's going to drop into the gutter in six weeks. Branches over the roof also drop in October wind.
What to fix now, and why now
Loose hangers get worse with every wind, and October is the windy month here. A re-hang in September is $150–$300 per run; the same gutter on the ground in November is a replacement.
A dead downspout or one that dumps at the wall matters more in fall than summer, because the ground stays wet longer once the temperature drops. See downspouts and your foundation for the extension distances.
A leaking corner is a nuisance in summer and a problem in winter, when the drip freezes into an icicle that pulls on the corner every day. Reseal it while the joint is warm and dry; sealant applied in November on a cold wet joint doesn't hold.
Overflow that showed up in July will show up in October rain, and the standing water it leaves in a flat run is what freezes solid in December. If a run overflows, the reason is one of three things and this post sorts them.
The one thing to leave until November
Don't book the fall cleaning yet. The maples and oaks haven't dropped, and a gutter cleaned in September is full again by Halloween. Clean the obvious mat out of any run that's holding water, flush the downspouts, and book the proper gutter cleaning for mid-to-late November after the pin oaks have finally let go. The fall leaf post has the timing by tree.
Tools for the walk-around
- A flashlight, even in daylight, for looking up under the eaves
- Binoculars for the second-story runs and the roof edge
- A long screwdriver for testing any fascia you can reach
- Your phone, for dated photos of anything that looks wrong
- A rough sketch of the house to mark each problem on
Wind and trees
October wind is where the trees come in. Dead branches over the roof can fall onto a gutter and crush it or tear it off the fascia. Walk the property and look up: limbs with no leaves in September, cracked branches hanging in the canopy, or a tree leaning toward the house. Trimming anything over the roof is a job for a tree service, and it costs less before a storm than after one. While you're looking, note which trees drop into which gutters; it tells you where guards might pay off.
Photos for your records
Photos taken on a calm day give you a "before" record. Take a wide shot of each side of the house, then closer shots of each run, the corners and the downspouts. If a storm does damage later, you can show what things looked like beforehand. Keep the photos dated, and store a copy somewhere other than your phone.
If you're short on time
- Re-attach or re-hang anything that's loose.
- Clear any downspout that isn't running.
- Put extensions and splash blocks back in place.
- Reseal the corners that drip.
- Note anything else for the November cleaning visit.
Rental and vacant houses
If you own a house you don't visit often, the same walk-around applies, but the stakes are higher, because a problem can run for weeks before anyone notices. Ask a neighbor or tenant to tell you if they see water coming off the roof edge in the wrong place, and book the fall cleaning and a ladder check as one visit.
Gutters and the September rains
When the leftovers of a tropical storm reach western Pennsylvania, they tend to bring hours of steady, heavy rain rather than the short burst of a July thunderstorm. That's a different test. A gutter that copes with a ten-minute downpour can still overflow in a long soaking if the downspout is partly blocked, and hours of water against a foundation finds every weak spot in the drainage. If a big rain is in the forecast, the two most useful things to do the day before are clearing any downspout that's slow and making sure every extension is attached and pointing downhill. Afterwards, walk the house once more and look for washed-out soil, new stains on the siding and any run that has dropped. Each of those tells you where the next repair belongs.
Two quick questions
Should gutters come down before a big wind storm? No. A securely hung gutter handles normal storm wind. Loose runs are what come down, which is why the hangers are first on the list.
How do I know if a gutter is loose enough to worry about? If you can see daylight between the back of the gutter and the fascia, or a run moves when you tap it with a broom handle from the ground, it needs re-hanging before the October wind.
Is it safe to go on the roof after a storm? Usually not. Wet shingles and slate are slippery, and storm damage can hide loose material. Look from the ground with binoculars and leave the roof to a professional.
After a bad storm
If a storm has already taken a gutter down or peeled a run off the fascia, photograph it before anyone touches it, then call. Wind damage may be covered by your homeowner's policy, and dated photos of the damage help with any claim; check your policy or ask your agent what it covers. Most local contractors move storm damage ahead of routine work. The gutter repair page covers what the repairs involve and what they typically cost.
Need gutter work in Pittsburgh?
Call for a free estimate. Mon–Sat 7am–7pm.