A Northwest winter puts gutters through more water than most systems anywhere in the country handle. Spring — dry enough to work, before summer bakes the debris in place — is the right time to deal with what the winter revealed.
Clear out the winter's needle load
Conifer needles are the local problem: they pack tight, hold water, and quietly rot the debris bed at the bottom of the gutter. Scoop them out rather than flushing them down the downspout, where they form the blockage you'll be chasing next year.
Test every downspout end to end
Run a hose into each downspout and confirm water comes out where it's supposed to. Many homes here drain into buried lines that clog with roots and silt; if water surfaces near the foundation or backs up at the elbow, that line needs clearing.
Check pitch, hangers and fascia
Standing water in a gutter after the rain stops means the pitch has sagged — usually a pulled hanger or a spike backing out of soft fascia. Look for rust streaks, separated seams, and gutters pulling away from the house. Soft or dark fascia behind the gutter means water has been overflowing there all winter.
Look at where the water lands
Splashback against siding, eroded beds, and pooling by the foundation all trace back to a downspout that discharges too close to the house. Extensions or a simple splash block solve most of it.
Decide about guards before the needles return
Leaf guards help under deciduous trees. Under fir and cedar the fine needles can still get through cheaper screens, so it's worth choosing a system rated for conifer debris rather than the first one on the shelf. Spring is also the cheapest time to replace a failing gutter run — not October, when everyone calls at once.
Gutters in Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater
The South Sound gets a lot of winter rain, and the tall evergreens around Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater drop needles and cones year-round. By spring, gutters here are often packed, sagging at the hangers or pulling away from the fascia. Clearing them and checking that downspouts drain away from the foundation protects both the roof edge and the crawlspace.
Serving Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater and nearby communities. Call (425) 783-9543.