A gutter calendar for Townsville
September and October
September is Townsville's driest month at the airport. It's the easiest time to work on a ladder, and it's just before Queensland's cyclone season officially opens on 1 November. Book early, because everyone else remembers in late October.
Mid-wet, after a big blow
Wikipedia says Townsville's cyclones usually arrive between December and April. A storm that strips leaves and twigs off the trees can refill clean gutters overnight, so check them from the ground after strong wind.
Any time you're preparing
Get Ready Queensland says cyclones can come outside the official season and recommends coastal towns like Townsville prepare all year. Clear gutters are a small part of that, alongside tying down loose things in the yard.
The wet years
Wikipedia calls Townsville's rainfall swings from year to year almost uniquely large. A blocked gutter might get away with it in a dry year and overflow into the eaves in a wet one.
Ladders, high-set houses and asbestos
By historian Henry Reynolds' account, most of the city's houses in 1965 were raised on stumps, so on older homes the gutters can sit well above the ground. Safe Work Australia says falls are the major cause of death and injury in roof work, even on small jobs like gutter cleaning. If you do it yourself, use a stable ladder on level ground, have someone hold it and never step onto the roof. ASSEA warns gutters under an asbestos cement roof will likely hold asbestos debris that should be treated as friable, so leave those to a professional.
What a proper clean includes
Removing the leaves and sludge and bagging it, not tipping it on the garden, then flushing each downpipe to make sure it runs. A good cleaner tells you about rust spots, sagging sections and loose clips. Ask whether valleys are included, because that's where the QRA says cyclone winds can push water up and under.
Monier suggests cleaning gutters, downpipes and valleys at least once a year, twice in tree-lined areas. For most Townsville homes, once before the wet does it. Under big trees, add a mid-season clean.
Before you book a gutter clean
- Is a high-set house priced as one storey or two?
- Do you take the waste away?
- Will you flush the downpipes and check the valleys?
- Will you send photos of any rust, splits or loose clips?
- Do you have public liability insurance?
Our suggestion
Put a gutter clean in the calendar for September every year. Ask the cleaner to photograph anything rusty or loose while they're up there, then get those fixed before November. Cleaning a gutter that's about to fail is money you'll spend twice.
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.
Send us your suburb and whether the house is low-set or high-set. Where we have a licence-checked roofer who does gutters in your part of Townsville, they'll get the job, and if we don't, we'll say so. Our main gutter cleaning page and the Townsville hub have more.