How do I clear gutters safely?

Blocked gutters cause damp walls, rotten fascias and overflowing water at exactly the point where it does most damage. Clearing them is straightforward; the risk is entirely in the ladder work, and ladder falls are one of the most common causes of serious injury in household maintenance.

Safety

What you'll need

• Ladder with a stabiliser, or a ground-level gutter clearing kit
• Bucket with a hook
• Gloves
• Trowel or gutter scoop
• Hose
• Someone to foot the ladder (optional)

Step by step

1. Choose a dry, still day and check the ground is firm and level.Wind and wet ground are the two conditions that turn a routine job into a fall.
2. Set the ladder at about 75° — one metre out for every four metres up — and have someone foot it.Tie it off at the top if you can. A ladder stabiliser spreads the load against the wall rather than the gutter.
3. Hook a bucket to the ladder and scoop debris into it rather than dropping it.Dropped debris blocks the gully at the bottom, which is the next thing you'd have to clear.
4. Work along the gutter, moving the ladder rather than reaching.Overreaching is the single most common cause of ladder falls. Keep your belt buckle within the stiles.
5. Flush the gutter with a hose and watch where the water goes.This is the actual test. You're looking for slow flow, standing water and overflow points.
6. Check the downpipe runs freely — if not, clear it from the bottom with a drain rod or hose.Standing water in the gutter after flushing usually means a downpipe blockage, not a gutter one.
7. Check the gutter falls consistently towards the outlet and that brackets are sound.Standing water in a clear gutter means it's sagging and needs re-hanging.
8. Clear the gully at the bottom of the downpipe.It's the part everyone forgets, and a blocked gully backs water up the whole system.

Tips

• Twice a year — late autumn after leaf fall and again in spring — is the right frequency for most houses with trees nearby.
• Ground-level gutter vacuums and camera poles have got much better and remove the ladder risk entirely. Hiring one for a day is worth considering.
• Gutter guards reduce but don't eliminate clearing, and they can make the clearing you do need harder.
• Check gutters during heavy rain from a window — overflow points are obvious then and invisible in dry weather.

Common mistakes

• Leaning the ladder against the gutter itself — Plastic gutters distort or break under load, and the ladder slips.
• Overreaching to save moving the ladder — The most common cause of falls from ladders.
• Clearing the gutter but not the downpipe or gully — The blockage is often below the gutter, and the water still backs up.

Questions people ask