Simple Tips for Cleaning Tree Leaves Out of Gutters Safely
Over the years, it seems like every single fall and winter we get a call from one client or another who has a leak into their roof (or at least they think it’s their roof, but really in some cases it’s a leak that comes through the rear wall of the building) because the gutter is overfilled with leaves. The leak actually comes in at or near the top of the exterior wall of the building, below the roof itself.
We wrote a few blogs about this issue in the past. The issue, although problematic itself, can be relatively simple and limited. One of the first things we recommend is simply cleaning out the gutter when they get leaves in them. That sounds simple, but it’s not always that straightforward. Most people don’t climb up to their roof on a regular basis to monitor exactly how many leaves have entered into the gutter, of course.
If the gutter was down on the ground or somewhere where people can access it without climbing up the exterior facade of a building, it would be easy to keep clean. Here though in cases like roof gutters, people have to climb or hire a contractor who can monitor these things for them. We always recommend our clients have us come out in the spring and the fall to do a regular service checkup and clean the gutters as well of course.
When leaves fill the gutter or even begin to build up, they will float with the rainwater that runs off the rear of the roof towards the downspout. The downspout connects to the gutter through an outlet that is a self-rimming type of metal sleeve, in most cases, particularly with the most common of all types of gutters in current times, the K-style aluminum gutter, the outlet will set on the inside of the gutter, and pass from there down into the downspout.
In most cases, the downspout will actually be fastened through top of the downspout and connect to this outlet sleeve. The sleeve really has two purposes, it will funnel the water from the gutter into the downspout, and it also gives a gutter a mounting location.
The picture below shows a sloppily applied rear roof termination that leads into the gutter. (We also recently wrote an article here on our website about improper roof terminations, as a side note, you can go back to that article and learn about that issue as well.)
The leaves that we see, in the pictures above and below, are from the early part of the fall season. These pictures were taken right before Halloween. At that point leaves have begun to fall from the trees, but many of the different trees in DC area hadn’t even begun to really drop most of their leaves yet. So even though these gutters are beginning to get clogged up, there’s much more leaf and foliage fall to come yet in this season, shown here. All of that foliage has a major Impact, as it lands on our rooftops, it will naturally wash down towards the gutters.
The list below separates and groups and some of the common types of trees in Washington DC by when they typically drop their leaves.
Early Leaf Drop Trees (September-October)
- Tulip Poplar (Yellow Poplar): One of the first to shed leaves, typically mid-September
- River Birch: Drops leaves early, usually by late September
- Red Maple: Among the earliest to change color and drop leaves
- Dogwood: Generally loses leaves by early to mid-October
Mid-Season Leaf Drop Trees (Late October-Early November):
- White Oak: Drops leaves gradually through October
- Pin Oak: Loses leaves in mid to late October
- Sugar Maple: Spectacular fall colors, drops leaves in late October
- American Beech: Retains some brown leaves into early winter
Late Leaf Drop Trees (November-December):
- Southern Magnolia: Essentially evergreen, minimal leaf drop
- Live Oak: Retains most leaves through fall
- Some Black Oak varieties: Can hold leaves into November
- American Holly: Maintains most foliage through winter
Even though, above, we list tiered the groupings of trees to explain the typical timeline of leaf fall, these ranges and dates are not exact or certain. Several factors influence the actual time or part of the season when each tree will drop its leaves. Some of those factors include the temperature of the particular year and season.
Higher temperatures that last longer into the fall and winter seasons will push the dates back farther and deeper into the winter. With global warming happening so quickly, this will become more of a factor. Moisture levels in micro climate conditions will also affect when the leaves will fall off of each tree. The tree health and age of each tree might also affect when leaves will fall.
The diversity and great range of trees and tree types found in DC means gutters will continue accumulating leaves well into the late autumn and even into the winter.
Homeowners and building stewards should monitor their specific property and neighboring trees and adjust gutter maintenance according to the type of trees around, typically planning for at least two thorough cleanings: one in late fall and another in early spring.
The point is that gutters can fill up significantly with these leaves and should be cleaned out relatively systematically at least once per fall and once per spring. It’s important because as the leaves fall into the gutter outlet, they get into the downspout and can be very hard to clean and remove later without taking the downspout apart.
As time goes on, those leaves, if they’re not cleaned and removed, break down into a type of decomposed sludge or mud. That type of debris will then filter down farther and get into underground rain leaders where the nature of the problem of both blockage and potential for cleanout and removal of blockages becomes way more complicated. At least, in the case of gutters and downspouts, where it’s hard to access, they can be dismantled and cleaned at a moderately low cost.
We recommend every building owner in DC who values the longevity of their roof (and their investments) and building use a contractor who values the simple and important principles of proper roof construction like Dupont Roofing DC. Learn more about our company and the proper techniques of working with roofing on historic buildings in Washington DC here on our blog at DupontRoofingDC.com, and you can call us at (202) 840-8698 and email us at dupontroofingdc@gmail.com. We are happy to help and at least talk through options.
