What fills Central Coast gutters, and when it matters
The late-summer rain
Gosford's three wettest months are February (189.9 mm), March (146.6 mm) and April (135.8 mm). Gutters still packed with leaves going into that stretch overflow at the first heavy fall.
Bushfire season
The RFS recommends clearing litter from roofs, valleys and gutters before the bush fire season. The Central Coast has good reason to listen: in 1994 fire came within 1.5 km of Gosford's city centre.
After a big storm
Wind storms like the East Coast Low of June 2007 and the storms of June 2016 bring down leaves and twigs by the bucketload. A clean after a big blow is worth it even if you had one recently.
Homes that sit empty
At the 2021 Census, 14,532 private dwellings on the Central Coast were unoccupied. If yours sits empty for stretches, nobody's around to notice a gutter overflowing, so book cleans on a schedule rather than waiting for a stain on the ceiling.
How often, and who should do it
Monier, the tile maker, suggests cleaning gutters, downpipes and valleys at least once a year, and twice where there are trees. Here a sensible pair is one clean ahead of the bush fire season and one before February.
Safe Work Australia notes that gutter cleaning may not count as construction work but carries the same fall risks. It's a reasonable DIY job on a single-storey house with firm, level ground and someone footing the ladder. Never step from the ladder onto the roof, and leave it alone on a wet or windy day.
If the roof is old asbestos cement, leave the gutters to a professional. ASSEA says gutters under those roofs will likely hold asbestos debris that should be treated as friable (easily crumbled into dust).
Your job, or a roofer's?
You can
- Single-storey gutters on level ground, from a sturdy ladder with a helper, on a dry, still day
- Watching from inside during heavy rain to see where water spills over the front
- Keeping downpipe outlets and stormwater grates at ground level clear
- Writing down when the gutters were last done, especially on a house that's often empty
Leave to a roofer
- Two-storey houses and anywhere the ground slopes under the ladder
- Valleys and box gutters, which can only be reached from the roof
- Gutters under an old asbestos cement roof
- Rusted or sagging gutters, which need a roof plumber, not a clean
Questions to ask before you book
- Do you clear the downpipes and valleys, or only the gutters?
- Will you send before and after photos?
- Where does the waste go?
- Will you tell me about rust, sagging or loose brackets you notice?
- Can we set up a regular clean before the fire season and again before February?
What we'd book
Two cleans a year if you're near trees or bush: one before the bush fire season and one before February's rain. If a gutter keeps overflowing even when it's clean, it's probably too small or short of a downpipe, and that's a gutter replacement conversation rather than another clean.
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.