It is the smallest maintenance item on a house, and the one that costs most when forgotten. A blocked gutter makes no noise: it quietly overflows against the facade for two winters, and the problem shows up indoors.
The right time
Once a year, after leaf fall and before the sustained winter rain: in Belgium the ideal window runs from mid-November to mid-December. That is the visit that covers you through the wettest season.
Twice a year if there are trees within ten metres, or if your roof is edged with conifers: the needles fall all year round and form a mat that never breaks down.
What happens when you skip a year
- The water sheets down over the facade and saturates the brick.
- As it freezes, that water blows the face off the brick and eats the joints out.
- The moisture migrates inwards and shows up as a stain or as saltpetre at the foot of the wall.
- The weight of the debris pulls the brackets loose and distorts the fall of the gutter.
- The downpipes block in turn, often at the bend.
What a proper gutter clear-out looks like
Debris taken out by hand — not a jet of water that simply pushes the blockage down into the downpipe. Downpipes checked and cleared. Brackets, joints and fall inspected. Then a full water test to confirm it drains, rather than a verdict by eye from the ladder.
And leaf guards?
They hold back most of the leaves and genuinely space out the visits. They do not hold back conifer needles, fine sediment or the moss washing down off the roof. They turn a yearly clean into one every two years: useful, not magic.
