Why the timing matters on the Sunshine Coast
Spring fire season
Sunshine Coast Council runs its planned burns between March and September, ahead of what it calls the typical spring bushfire season. The 2019 fire at Peregian broke out on 9 September. Gutters full of dry leaves are fuel for embers.
Storms from November
Council says the wet season usually opens with thunderstorms in November, and storms carry on through March. A downpipe blocked with spring leaves will overflow in the first big one.
A lot of wet days
The airport records at least 1 mm of rain on about 106.5 days a year. Wet leaf litter breaks down into sludge that sits against the steel and holds water in the gutter.
Mostly houses, some sitting empty
Separate houses made up 73.1% of occupied homes in the Sunshine Coast council area at the 2021 Census, and 9.3% of private dwellings were unoccupied on census night (the census doesn't say why). If yours sits empty for stretches, book cleans on a schedule rather than waiting to spot a problem.
What a thorough clean covers
A proper clean covers every gutter, flushes each downpipe, clears valleys and box gutters and takes the waste away. Ask for photos of anything that needs attention, like rusted sections, loose brackets or cracked tiles near the edge.
Older homes need extra care. ASSEA says debris in gutters under an asbestos cement roof should be treated as friable asbestos, and in Queensland friable asbestos can only be removed by a Class A licensed removalist. Tell the cleaner if your home was built before 1990.
Picking someone
In Queensland, a licensed contractor's ads have to show the licensed name and QBCC licence number. A clean usually falls below the licence threshold, but if they find damage and offer to repair it, check that licence before you agree.
Questions for a Sunshine Coast gutter cleaner
- Do you flush and test every downpipe?
- Do you clear valleys and box gutters as well?
- If I have gutter guards, will you lift and refit them, and does that cost extra?
- Can you send photos of anything that needs fixing?
- Do you take the waste away?
From the ground, or not at all
You can
- Watch from the ground in heavy rain for water spilling over
- Keep ground-level grates and downpipe outlets clear
- Rake leaves and bark from around the house before spring
Leave to a roofer
- Cleaning at gutter height, especially on two storeys
- Valleys and box gutters
- Gutters under a roof that might be asbestos
Our take
We'd book one clean in August or September to cover fire season and storm season together, and a second in autumn under big trees. For a holiday home or rental, we'd set it on a schedule and ask for photos each time. See the national gutter cleaning page and the Sunshine Coast hub for more.
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.