Seven signs your gutters are blocked, all visible from the ground

You do not need to climb up to know your gutters are blocked. Every sign below can be seen with both feet on the ground, which is where they should stay. Going up a ladder for a look is the most dangerous part of the whole job.

1. Water sheets over the edge when it rains

Rain should leave the roof, run along the gutter and go down the pipe. If it pours over the front edge in a curtain, something past that point is stopping it. This is the clearest sign there is and the easiest to spot.

2. Green or black streaks down the wall

Water going over the edge lands on the same strip of wall every time it rains, and algae follows the water. Streaks under the gutter line usually mean the overflow has been going on a while. Clearing the gutter stops it getting worse, but the wall stays marked, so it often needs a soft wash to bring it back.

3. A damp patch inside on an outside wall

Damp has several causes and a blocked gutter is only one of them. It is worth ruling out first because it is the cheapest to check. Stand outside in heavy rain and look at the wall behind the patch.

4. Plants growing out of the gutter

Grass, moss cushions and sycamore seedlings do not grow on plastic. They grow in silt, which means the run holds enough compacted material to keep water and roots in place. At that stage a rinse will not shift it.

5. The run sags or tilts

Wet moss and silt are heavy. When a section fills up, the weight pulls on the brackets and the line starts to dip. A visible dip is worth acting on quickly, because a gutter that comes away takes fascia board with it.

6. Drips from the joints between sections

A blockage backs water up until it finds the next way out, which is usually a joint. Joints dripping in ordinary rain normally mean standing water sitting in the run rather than a failed seal.

7. The downpipe stays quiet in heavy rain

Stand near the downpipe while it rains hard and you should hear water moving. Silence, or a trickle while the gutter above is overflowing, points to a blockage at the outlet or in the bend at the bottom.

The best time to check is during a downpour

Most of this is invisible on a dry day. Five minutes outside in the rain with a coat on tells you more than a ladder does.

What to do next

Take photos from the ground showing the front, the back and any awkward corner, then send them over with your address. James checks the height, access and length of the run and confirms the price before you book. If you want the roofline looking right as well, ask about the outside of the gutters, the fascias and the soffits at the same time, because that is a separate part of the job.