The Bellingham Homeowner’s Fall Gutter Checklist
You know the sound.
It’s 8:00 PM on a Tuesday, the wind is howling off Bellingham Bay, and you hear it: a heavy, rhythmic splashing hitting your back deck or, worse, the pavement right next to your foundation.
It’s not just rain. It’s a waterfall. And it means your gutters have officially given up.
Living in Whatcom County means managing water is a part of life. But when gutters get clogged—especially with our mix of heavy maple leaves and sticky fir needles—they stop being a drainage system and start becoming a liability. Overflowing water doesn’t just get you wet; it rots your fascia boards, ruins your siding, and threatens your foundation.
Here is a practical, no-nonsense checklist to get your home ready for the worst of the wet season.
1. The Safety Check (Before You Climb)
Every year, emergency rooms see homeowners who underestimated a wet ladder. Before you even look at a leaf, check your setup.
The Ground: The soil is soft this time of year. If you are placing a ladder on grass or dirt, use wide plywood bases to prevent one leg from sinking and tipping the ladder.
The Standoff: Never rest a ladder directly against the gutter trough. It dents the aluminum and damages the paint. Use a "ladder standoff" arm to rest the weight on the roof deck instead.
2. The "Elbow" Inspection
Most people clean the horizontal troughs and think they are done. They are wrong.
The Bottleneck: The number one cause of gutter failure isn't the trough; it's the "elbows" (the bends in the downspout).
The Fix: Even if the top looks clean, drop a small object (like a coin) or run a hose down the spout. If it doesn't come out the bottom instantly, you have a clog in the elbow. You may need a plumber's snake or to disassemble the elbow to clear the packed sludge.
3. Identify Your Debris Type
In Bellingham, we deal with two distinct types of clogging. Knowing which one you have changes how you clean.
The "Mat" (Fir/Pine Needles): These weave together to create a waterproof barrier over your drain outlets. You can't just hose these out; they must be removed by hand.
The "Sludge" (Deciduous Leaves): Maples and Alders break down into a heavy muck. This adds significant weight to the system, pulling the spikes away from the house.
4. Check the "Spike and Ferrule"
Look at the nails (spikes) holding the gutter to the roof edge.
The Gap Test: Can you see the shank of the nail? Is the gutter head pulling away from the fascia board?
The Danger: If water gets behind the gutter, it rots the wood you can’t see. If your spikes are loose, simple hammering won't fix it permanently. You may need to upgrade to hidden screw hangers for a tighter grip.
5. The 4-Foot Rule
Walk around the perimeter of your house and look at where the water exits the downspout.
The Standard: Water should be diverted at least 4 to 6 feet away from your foundation.
The Reality: If your splash block is tilted backward or missing, you are dumping hundreds of gallons of water directly onto your footing. This is a primary cause of basement moisture and crawlspace issues in the PNW.
When to Call the Pros
There is no shame in admitting that you don’t want to be on a roof in December. It’s cold, it’s slippery, and it’s dangerous work.
If you spot loose gutters, rotting wood behind the metal, or if the water is overflowing no matter how much you clean, it’s time to call Topside Roofing.
We can handle the cleaning, but more importantly, we can assess the system. Sometimes the issue isn't debris; it's the pitch (slope) of the gutter, or undersized downspouts that can't handle our volume of rain.
Keep your feet on the ground and your basement dry.
Schedule a Gutter Maintenance or Inspection
Contact Topside Roofing at (360) 752-2220.
