In fact, it can be completely intact and still send a huge amount of rainwater exactly where you don’t want it.

All it takes is enough leaves and debris to stop the water from getting where it’s supposed to go.

And once that happens, the problems don’t necessarily stay at the roofline.

It was raining hard during this inspection.

Normally, that just means a wetter day for me. But this time, it gave me a front-row seat to what was happening at the roofline.

The gutters were packed with leaves, dirt and debris — something I see regularly during inspections.

The problem was obvious.

But with the rain coming down, I could also see the consequences in real time.

Water was coming off the roof faster than the clogged gutters could handle it. Instead of flowing along the gutter, into the downspouts and away from the house, it was spilling over the edges.

Some was running down the exterior. Some was landing right beside the foundation.

It was going everywhere except where it was supposed to.

And that’s the part homeowners can easily miss.

A clogged gutter might look like a minor maintenance issue.

But the gutter isn’t really the problem.

It’s where all that water ends up. Luckily, not in the basement. Yet.

Your gutters and downspouts are really one system.

Their job is simple:

Collect roof water and move it away from the house.

Leaves and debris can interrupt that system without anything actually breaking.

When water can’t flow properly, you may start seeing:

That last one is particularly important in our climate.

Debris that holds water in the gutter can freeze, and repeated freeze-thaw cycles can make an already poor drainage situation worse.

One plugged section can affect much more than the gutter itself.

You don’t necessarily need to climb a ladder to spot a problem.

The best time to check your gutters is while it’s raining.

From the ground, watch what the water is doing.

You’re looking for water flowing through the downspouts — not pouring over the front or back of the gutter.

Also walk around the house after a heavy rain and look at the ground.

Are there washed-out areas below the roofline?

Is water pooling beside the foundation?

Are there dirty splash marks on the siding?

Those can all be clues that roof water isn’t being controlled properly.

If your gutters are too high to inspect or clean safely from the ground, have them checked by someone with the proper equipment.

The simplest way to prevent this problem is straightforward:

Keep your gutters clean.

How often they need cleaning depends heavily on what surrounds your house.

A home with large mature trees may need the gutters cleaned several times a year. A newer neighbourhood with few trees may need much less attention.

At minimum, check them after the leaves have fallen and after major storms. If you see leaves, dirt or other debris building up, have the gutters cleaned before they become clogged.

And don’t stop at the gutters.

Check that:

If you can’t safely access the gutters yourself, have them professionally cleaned.

Clean gutters keep the water moving.

And that’s really the goal: getting water off the roof and safely away from your house.

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Want to learn more about Gutter Cleaning?

This Old House — How to Clean Your Gutters Safely

Family Handyman — How to Clean Gutters

Angi - How Do Clogged Gutters Cause Foundation Problems?

This wasn’t something I wanted to see before winter.

Next week, I’ll show you what I found on the heating system — and why fall is a good time to find it.