Why it happens
Debris is only the first cause. The others are a blocked outlet or downpipe, a run hung with no fall or a reverse fall, dropped brackets letting a section sag, a split joint that leaks rather than overflows, and roof water overshooting the gutter entirely because tiles overhang too far or a valley dumps into one short section.
What to do about it
Watch the gutter during real rain and note where the water actually appears.
- Water over the front edge along a whole run usually means debris packed the full length
- Water only at one end points at the outlet, hopper or downpipe rather than the channel
- Standing water sitting in the gutter on a dry day means fall, not blockage
- A visible dip between brackets means fixings have pulled out of the fascia
- Dripping at a single joint on a clear run is a perished union seal
- Water shooting past the gutter in heavy rain only points at overshoot from a valley or tile overhang
The mistake to avoid
Do not keep booking clears for a gutter that is not blocked. If it stands with water on a dry day, another clear changes nothing and the fall needs correcting.
How we handle it
This is the call-out job rather than the annual maintenance visit. Something is already overflowing, a run has packed solid with moss and silt, or water is sheeting down a wall every time it rains. We locate the blockage with a pole camera, vacuum the run out, flush it with water and show you it draining before we pack up.
- Gutter vacuum with carbon fibre pole sections
- Pole-mounted wireless inspection camera
- Water flush from a fed pole to prove flow
- Hand clearance from a tower where a run is too packed to vacuum
The service behind this guide
Blocked runs cleared out and proven to flow again before we leave.
See Gutter Clearing & Unblocking