What Toowoomba's gutters are up against
A year that saves its rain for summer
Toowoomba averages 68.5 rain days a year, and they bunch up between November and March. Leaves that collect through the drier winter are still sitting in the gutter when the first big storm hits.
Fire near the city in 2019
The Ravensbourne fire began on 11 November 2019 and burnt over 20,000 hectares, destroying houses, while other fires threatened Pechey. A gutter full of dry leaves is exactly where a drifting ember lands.
Hail on top of leaves
Toowoomba gets more hail than a lot of the state. Hailstones pack into a half-full gutter and plug the outlet, then the meltwater backs up under the roof edge.
Verandah gutters on older houses
Queenslanders and Victorian-era homes often have verandah roofs with their own gutters. They're low enough to forget about, and they block just as easily.
A Toowoomba spring gutter check
- Gutters and valleys scooped clear of leaves and sludge
- Downpipes flushed, with water running freely at ground level
- Verandah, pergola and shed gutters done along with the main roof
- Overhanging branches cut back, if you can do it safely from the ground
- Gaps along the roof edge noted for a roofer to seal before fire weather
- Rust holes or sagging runs photographed so you can get a quote
Your job, or a gutter cleaner's?
You can
- A single-storey gutter over flat, firm ground, from a ladder someone is holding
- Checking from under cover in a storm that every downpipe runs
- Flushing downpipes from the bottom where there's a cleaning eye
- Bagging the leaves rather than piling them beside the house in fire season
Leave to a roofer
- Two-storey gutters and anything above sloping ground
- Valleys and box gutters that can only be reached from the roof
- Gutters under an old fibre cement roof, which ASSEA says can collect asbestos debris
- Winter mornings when the roof edge is frosty or wet
Before you book a gutter clean in Toowoomba
- Do you clear the downpipes as well, and check they actually flow?
- Will you do the verandah and shed gutters too?
- Do you take the leaves away, or leave them bagged on site?
- What happens if you find rust holes or loose brackets?
- Will you send me photos of the gutters once they're done?
What we'd do before November
Book the clean for September or October, every year, and add an autumn clean if big trees hang over the roof. If the gutters fill again within weeks, we'd price guards, and on the bush side of town we'd only consider metal mesh, since NSW RFS guidance calls for non-combustible guards in fire areas. The basics are on our gutter cleaning page, and the Toowoomba roofing page covers the city's weather.
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.