Cleaning Gutters After a Calgary Summer Storm

A summer afternoon in Calgary can turn dark in a hurry. One minute you are enjoying the sun, the next you are watching hail bounce off the deck. After the storm passes and the sun comes back out, most people are looking at their gardens or checking their car for dents. The last thing on their mind is what just happened on the roof. I walked through a home once where the owner had a persistent damp spot in the corner of his basement rec room. He was convinced he had a foundation crack. The real culprit was a blocked downspout, overflowing from a single heavy summer downpour and dumping water right beside the foundation wall for an hour. A little bit of prevention would have saved him a lot of worry and a drywall repair.

The Aftermath on the Roof

Cleaning your eavestroughs in the summer is a different task than the typical fall cleanup. In autumn, you are dealing with dry, lightweight leaves that mostly blow around. After a summer storm, especially one with hail, the debris is heavy and dense. It is a thick mixture of shredded green leaves, small twigs, and sometimes a surprising amount of asphalt shingle granules. Hail is very good at stripping the protective granules off your shingles, and the gutters are the first place they collect. This thick sludge does not just block your gutters, it holds moisture against the edge of your roof and fascia, which is the wooden board the gutters are attached to. This can lead to rot over time. The weight of this wet debris can also cause the gutters themselves to sag or pull away from the house.

Safety on the Ladder

Before you set a ladder, take a look at the ground. After a heavy rain, the soil will be soft. This can make it a risky place to set up a ladder, as one foot of the ladder can sink into the ground and make the whole setup unstable. If you have patio stones or a solid walkway to work from, that is ideal. If not, a sturdy piece of plywood placed under the ladder feet can help spread the weight. Use a ladder that is tall enough for you to reach the gutters without standing on the top rungs. It also helps to have someone else home to act as a spotter. If you have a very high roof, a steep pitch, or you just do not feel comfortable working at that height, this is a job for a professional. There is no shame in hiring out a task that feels unsafe. A few hundred dollars for a professional cleaning is much less than a trip to the hospital.

The Cleaning Process

The right tools make this a straightforward job. You will want a good pair of thick work gloves, as you never know what is hiding in the trough. A small garden trowel or a dedicated gutter scoop works well for scraping out the thick muck. Have a bucket handy that you can hang from your ladder to collect the debris. It is much easier than trying to throw it down to a tarp on the ground. Start at one end and work your way along the eavestrough, scooping out the sludge and dropping it into your bucket. Once the heavy debris is gone, you can use a garden hose with a spray nozzle to flush out the remaining dirt and granules. This is also how you will check your downspouts. Run the water and watch for it to flow freely out the bottom. If it backs up, you have a clog. Often, a strong blast from the hose at the top opening can clear it. If that does not work, you can try tapping gently on the side of the downspout to loosen the blockage. Doing these small seasonal jobs, like making sure you keep your garage door working before the first big freeze, prevents much larger headaches down the road.

What to Look For While You Are Up There

While you are cleaning, you also have a chance to do a quick inspection. This part of the job can save you from bigger problems. Pay attention to how the water flows when you flush the gutters. If you see standing water that will not drain, it means the gutter is not sloped correctly and may need to be adjusted. Look at the brackets that hold the gutter to the fascia. See if any of them are loose or pulling away from the wood. Check the seams where sections of the gutter are joined and look for any drips or signs of leaks. You should also take a peek at the shingles on the roof itself. After a hailstorm, you might see dents or cracks. The granules you find in the gutter are a big clue. A few are normal over the life of a roof, but a large amount means the shingles have taken a serious beating and may be nearing the end of their life.

I remember one house in McKenzie Towne where the homeowner was cleaning his gutters and noticed one section was sagging badly. He got a contractor to fix it, and they discovered the fascia board behind it was completely rotted through. The water had been seeping behind the gutter for years, but because he finally got up there to clean it, he caught the problem before it damaged the roof structure itself.

Finishing the Job and Looking Ahead

Once your gutters and downspouts are clear and flowing well, clean up the mess you have scooped out. You do not want that sludge sitting against your foundation or on your lawn. For homeowners who find this is a constant problem, you might consider installing gutter guards. They can be helpful for keeping out larger leaves and twigs, but be aware they are not a perfect solution. Fine debris, seeds, and those asphalt granules can still get through and create a different kind of clog under the guard that is harder to clean. They reduce the frequency of cleaning, but they do not eliminate it. Keeping your eavestroughs clean is about one thing: controlling water. Directing the water that lands on your roof away from your home is one of the most basic and effective ways to protect your foundation and reduce the chance of leaks in your basement. It is a simple job that pays off every time it rains.