Hobart's gutter calendar
Autumn, before the wet
August is Hobart's wettest month, and sleet can fall from June to September. Gutters packed with autumn leaves turn into dams, and the water backs up under the roof edge. The big storm of 2018 hit on 10 and 11 May, before winter had even started, so don't leave the clean too late.
Late spring, before the fire months
Black Tuesday was 7 February. Dry leaves in a gutter sit exactly where embers land, so a clean before summer matters most if your land is on a council bushfire-prone overlay or backs onto bush.
Trees matter more than the suburb
The western shore is wetter than the eastern, but what fills your gutters is what grows over them. A house in Bellerive under gums may need more cleans than one in Sandy Bay with a clear roof line.
Tall houses take longer
Battery Point's multi-storey terraces and two-storey homes on steep blocks need longer ladders or roof access, and that shows up in the price. Ask for a quote that matches your house, not a flat rate.
What a proper clean includes
Scooping out leaves and sludge by hand, bagging it, flushing each downpipe to make sure it runs, and a look at brackets, joints and rust spots while they're up there. Ask for before and after photos so you can see what was done.
If the cleaner finds rust holes, gutters that hold water or a downpipe that won't clear, that's a sign of a bigger job. Our national page on gutter cleaning covers the rest, and gutter guards in Hobart are worth reading if you'd rather clean less often.
Doing it yourself, or calling someone
You can
- Clear a single-storey gutter from a stable ladder on firm, level ground, if you're comfortable at height
- Wait until the frost and dew have dried, since Hobart mornings can be slippery
- Flush downpipes from the ground with a hose to check they run
- Keep branches trimmed back from the roof line
Leave to a roofer
- Two-storey houses, terraces and steep blocks
- Anything that means standing on the roof
- Gutters with rust holes, sagging runs or broken brackets
- Gutters under an old fibro roof, which can collect asbestos debris that ASSEA says should be treated as friable
Before you book a clean
- Will you flush the downpipes as well as clear the gutters?
- Do you take the debris away, or leave it bagged on site?
- Will you send photos of anything that needs repair?
- Is the price for my house's height and access, or a flat rate?
- Are you insured for work at height?
Our take
Book the autumn clean for April, well before the May storms and the winter wet. If you're on bush-fringe land, book a second one for late spring, ahead of the fire months. On a single-storey house with easy access, doing it yourself from a ladder is reasonable on a dry afternoon. Anything taller or steeper, we'd hand to someone with the right gear.
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.