Timing gutter cleaning around Sydney's year
Autumn: before the lows arrive
East Coast Lows usually come between autumn and early winter, and June is Sydney's wettest month at 142.0 mm on 1991 to 2020 averages. NSW's heritage inspection schedule suggests clearing gutters, guards and rainwater heads each autumn, which lines up neatly with that.
Late winter or spring: before fire and storms
The NSW RFS wants leaves cleared from roofs, valleys and gutters before the bush fire season. Southerly busters start from October, and Sydney averages 20 to 25 thunder days a year, so a clean gutter also handles the first summer downpour.
Tree-lined and wet suburbs need more
Monier suggests cleaning gutters, downpipes and valleys at least once a year, and twice in tree-lined areas. Turramurra on the upper north shore averages about 1,400 mm of rain a year, roughly twice Penrith's, so leaf litter there turns to sludge quickly.
Old roofs leave hazardous debris
If the roof above is old asbestos cement sheeting, ASSEA says the gutters will likely hold asbestos debris that should be treated as friable, the higher-risk kind. The NSW EPA says homes built before 1990 probably contain some asbestos. Don't scoop or hose that debris yourself.
What a good gutter clean includes
Leaves and sludge scooped out and bagged rather than blown into the garden, downpipes flushed to check they run freely, and a look at the valleys while the cleaner is up there. Ask for before and after photos so you can see the result without climbing up.
A cleaner who's up at gutter height is well placed to spot cracked tiles, rusted gutter joints or loose ridge caps. If they find any, a roofer is the next call. For a broken or rusted gutter, see gutter replacement in Sydney.
Doing it yourself, or getting someone in
You can
- Clear a single-storey gutter from a stable ladder, on a dry, still day, if you're comfortable with heights and someone is holding the ladder
- Watch the downpipes in the next rain to check water comes out the bottom
- Look along the gutter line from the ground for sagging or water stains on the fascia
Leave to a roofer
- Two-storey gutters and anything that means stepping onto the roof
- Gutters below an old roof that might be asbestos cement
- Gutters that are rusted, leaking at joints or pulling away from the fascia
Before you book a gutter cleaner
- Do you carry public liability insurance, and can I see the certificate?
- Will you flush the downpipes and send before and after photos?
- Where does the waste go?
- Will you tell me about any damage you see, and photograph it?
- What do you do if the roof looks like it could be asbestos?
What we'd book
We'd book a clean every autumn, and on bush fire prone land or under big trees, again in late winter. We'd ask for photos and a quick note on anything that looks wrong, which turns a cheap visit into a free check of the roof edge. If the gutters keep filling between cleans, we'd look at guards. The national gutter cleaning page covers methods, and the Sydney roofing hub covers what else is local.
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.