Canberra's gutter calendar
Spring: before the storms
Thunderstorms in Canberra mostly arrive between October and April, and November is the wettest month at the airport on 1991 to 2010 averages. A spring clean means gutters and downpipes are ready for the first heavy downpour.
Early summer: before fire danger peaks
The Insurance Council of Australia put the damage from the 2003 fires at $350 million, and in 2020 the ACT's Chief Minister called the Orroral Valley fire the biggest threat to Canberra since then. Both came in January. A gutter full of dry leaves on the bush edge is a fire risk you can remove for the price of a clean.
Dry most of the year
Canberra averaged 579.5 mm of rain a year over 1991 to 2010, so leaves can sit in gutters for weeks, dry out and pack down before rain arrives. That's why a quick look from the ground every few months beats waiting for an overflow.
Asbestos roofs and their gutters
WorkSafe ACT lists cleaning leaf litter from the gutters of an asbestos cement roof as minor routine maintenance, but cleaning any asbestos material with high pressure water or air isn't, and that's illegal in every state. ASSEA warns that gutters under asbestos cement roofing collect asbestos debris that should be treated as friable, meaning it can release fibres easily. If your home was built before 1990 and the roof is sheeting, get a professional who knows how to handle it, and never use a blower or pressure cleaner.
What a proper gutter clean covers
Leaves and sludge scooped out by hand and bagged, not blown across the roof. Downpipes flushed or cleared so water actually leaves the roof. Valleys cleared too, since they carry the most water. A good cleaner will also tell you about rust, sagging sections or loose brackets they spot, which saves a separate inspection.
On a two-storey house or a steep roof, a cleaner should have proper fall protection. Safe Work Australia says even gutter cleaning carries the same fall hazards as bigger roof jobs.
What you can do, and what to hand over
You can
- Look from the ground for plants, overflow stains or sagging sections
- Keep the downpipe outlets and stormwater grates at ground level clear
- Rake leaves away from the house before summer
Leave to a roofer
- Anything at gutter height on a ladder you're not comfortable on
- Gutters on two-storey homes or steep roofs
- Any gutter under asbestos cement roofing
Before you book a cleaner
- Do you remove and bag the debris, or blow it out?
- Will you clear the downpipes and valleys as well as the gutters?
- What fall protection do you use on two-storey homes?
- My roof might be asbestos cement. How do you handle that?
- Will you send photos of anything that needs repair?
What we'd do
We'd book a clean every September or October, and on the bush edge add a second one in December. If the roof is old fibre cement, we'd only use someone who knows the ACT asbestos rules. The national gutter cleaning page has more on the job, and the Canberra hub explains the local storms and fire history.
Want a roofer to take a look?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match it with a Find My Roofer certified roofer who specialises in that kind of work, and they call you to quote. Your number goes to them alone.