After a big storm, eavestroughs can look fine from the driveway and still be jammed or damaged. This guide puts safety first, explains why waiting tends to cost more, and gives a timeline for the first day, the first week and the weeks before freeze-up.
In This Article
Safety before cleanup
- Stay away from downed lines. The Electrical Safety Authority advises staying at least 10 metres away from downed powerlines, and 3 metres from overhead ones. Report them to your utility and keep others back.
- Do not climb in wind or wet weather. Wait until gusts have died and surfaces have dried.
- Watch overhead. Hanging limbs and loosened roof edges can fall without warning. Leave large limbs to an arborist.
- Look from the ground first, and photograph everything before touching anything.
Southern Ontario storms range from summer thunderstorms with strong gusts to fall windstorms and winter or early-spring ice storms. Each leaves a different mess, but the first rule is always the same: nothing on the roof line is worth an injury.
What a storm leaves in your eavestroughs
- Green leaves and twigs, torn off in bulk and packed by rain.
- Larger branches that bend troughs, snap hangers or tear a run loose.
- Shingle grit and fragments, if the roof edge took a beating.
- Dislodged downspouts and extensions, moved by wind or fallen limbs.
- Hidden damage, such as cracked seams and bent hangers that only show once water runs through.
The guide to spotting gutter damage lists what to look for from the ground.
Gutters overflowing, or overdue for a clean?
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Why waiting costs more
No one can put a fixed figure on delay, but the mechanisms are clear.
- Wet debris packs and rots. A week in a full trough makes it heavier and harder to remove, and it starts to smell.
- The next rain has nowhere to go. A jammed outlet spills water down the walls and toward the foundation every time it rains.
- Small damage grows. A bent trough holds water, a cracked seam weeps, and a loose hanger lets the run sag further.
- Freezing locks it in. Wet debris that freezes solid cannot be scooped out until a thaw, and the added weight can pull at the hangers.
- Rot follows overflow. Water behind the trough soaks the fascia, and rotten wood is a bigger job than a clogged trough. See how clogged gutters damage fascia boards.
- Everyone calls at once. After a big storm, contractors get busy, and a fixable problem can wait longer than you would like.
Picture two neighbours after the same windstorm. One clears the outlets and books a clean within the week. The other decides to wait until spring. By March the second trough is a frozen block of debris and ice, a couple of hangers have begun to pull, and a dark stain runs down the fascia. Same storm, very different bills.
A post-storm timeline
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| First day | Stay safe, photograph damage from the ground and note anything hanging or detached. Move vehicles and people away from risky eaves. |
| Within a couple of days | If damage is visible, contact your insurer and ask what documentation is needed. Take reasonable steps to stop further damage, and keep receipts. |
| Once conditions are safe | Clear the outlets and downspouts at reachable eaves, or book a crew for anything high. |
| Within the week or two | Have the troughs cleaned and flushed, and note any repairs needed. |
| Before the first hard freeze | Finish repairs and make sure the troughs drain, so ice cannot lock in the debris. |
Cost, insurance and getting help
D&D Home Services publishes a starting price of $125 for gutter cleaning on typical Kitchener-Waterloo homes. A storm-damaged or heavily loaded roof will land above that, and the final figure is confirmed in writing before work begins. Repairs to damaged parts are separate from cleaning and should be priced first. The pricing page lists every published starting price.
Coverage for storm damage varies by policy, so ask your insurer or broker what applies and what they need. Dated photos taken before cleanup help. For a crew, see gutter cleaning, and mention that the work follows a storm so the scope reflects it.
Key Takeaways
- Stay 10 metres from downed powerlines, keep 3 metres from overhead ones and never climb in wind or wet weather.
- Storms leave packed leaves, twigs, bent troughs, loose hangers, cracked seams and moved downspouts.
- Waiting costs more because wet debris packs, outlets jam, small damage grows, freezing locks debris in and overflow rots fascia.
- Photograph damage first, talk to your insurer early and keep receipts.
Sources & References
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