Storm-Season Gutter Checklist for Portland Homes
Portland's storm season does not look like anyone else's. There is no hurricane date circled on the calendar. What we get is a run of Pacific fronts from November through February that bring 40 to 60 mph gusts a few times a season, an atmospheric river or two that drops two inches over a day, and one east wind out of the Columbia Gorge that finds every loose gutter on the east side. Add a roof full of fir needles knocked down by the first big blow, and the first real storm of the year is when gutters fail.
September and early October are the dry weeks you have to prepare. Here is what to check, in a sensible order.
1. Hangers and straps
Walk the house and look up at every run. You are looking for a gap between the back of the gutter and the fascia, a spike head standing proud of the front lip, or a run that visibly dips. Tug the gutter gently where you can reach it; if it moves more than a quarter inch, the hangers are pulling out.
Loose hangers are what the wind exploits. A gutter that is tight to the fascia has nothing for a gust to get under. A gutter with a half-inch gap is a sail. The fix is hidden screw hangers every 24 inches driven into the rafter tails, and it is $150–$320 a run.
2. Fascia
Press a screwdriver into the fascia board behind each downspout outlet and at each corner. Solid old-growth fir will not give. If the tip sinks in, the board is rotting and no hanger will hold in it. Fascia and soffit repair Portland-wide runs $10–$24 a foot and it has to happen before the gutter can be secured. On a 1920s house this is one of the most common problems, and it is invisible from the ground.
3. Flow
Run a hose into the far end of each run for five minutes. Water should reach the outlet and come out the bottom of the downspout at close to the rate it went in. If it pools in the middle, the pitch has gone. If it backs up at the outlet, the outlet is undersized or the downspout is packed. Do this now — not in November when the trough is full of maple leaves and you cannot tell what is wrong.
4. Downspouts
Every elbow and every strap. A downspout strapped to the wall at only one point will rattle loose in the first storm, and a downspout that has separated at the top elbow dumps the whole run down the siding. Pull the bottom elbow and check for a plug of needles. Two straps minimum per story, three on a tall run.
5. Extensions and where the water lands
This is the one that protects the basement. Every downspout needs to end at least 6 feet from a basement wall, onto ground that slopes away. Hinged extensions get flipped up for the last mowing of the year and forgotten. Flip them down. Check that buried rain drains actually take water — pour a bucket in and see if it backs up. The downspouts and basements post has the distances and the options.
6. Roof edge
Look at where the shingles meet the gutter. On a composition roof the shingles should overhang the gutter by about an inch, with a metal drip edge under them. On cedar shake there is often no drip edge at all. If the fascia behind the gutter is dark and streaked, water has been running behind it. That is not a storm problem, it is an every-day problem, but a storm is when the fascia finally lets go.
7. Trees
Fir limbs over the roof are the other thing the wind brings. A limb that drops on a gutter does not dent it; it tears the run off the house. If a branch is within 6 feet of the roof, an arborist visit in September is cheaper than a gutter repair in January.
The quick version
- Gutter tight to the fascia, no gaps, no proud spikes
- Fascia solid under a screwdriver at corners and outlets
- Hose test: water reaches every outlet and exits every downspout
- Two straps per story on every downspout
- Extensions down and pointed away, rain drains taking water
- Drip edge present, fascia dry
- Nothing overhanging the roof that could come down
When to call
If the hose test fails, a run moves when you tug it, or the screwdriver sinks into a board, get a gutter contractor out before the end of October. Repairs made in dry weather cure properly. Repairs made in a December gap between fronts are done on wet wood with a sealant that may not set, and they cost the same. The full cleaning and inspection covers every item on this list from a ladder, which is the point of doing it once in the fall.
After each big storm: a second walk-around
The checklist above is for the dry weeks. Once the storms start, a five-minute walk after each big blow catches damage while it is still small.
- Look at the roof line from the street. A run that has dropped at one end, or a gap at a corner, shows best from a distance.
- Check the downspouts. Wind can pop a downspout off at the top elbow or swing it off its straps.
- Look for limbs. A branch lying across the gutter can bend the front lip or pull hangers loose even if it looks harmless.
- Check the extensions. Storm runoff and wind move them out of place.
- Look inside. If you can see into the basement or crawl space, check the corners that got wet last year.
If a gutter comes down
Stay off the ladder in the wind. A run hanging off the house is heavy and can swing.
- Keep people and cars clear of it.
- Take photos and a short video of the damage, the fallen limb if there is one, and the surrounding roof edge, before anything is moved.
- If a downspout is now dumping at the wall, move the water away with a temporary extension or a length of pipe.
- Call for a repair estimate and say that a run is hanging. Simple re-hangs are often quick to book.
- If you plan to contact your insurer, do it with the photos in hand. Policies differ, so ask your agent what applies.
What to keep on hand for the season
- A spare 4- to 6-foot rigid downspout extension
- A few gutter screws and a nut driver for a loose downspout strap
- A flashlight for checking downspouts in the dark afternoons
- Binoculars for looking at roof edges without a ladder
- A note on your phone with the date of your last cleaning and anything that was flagged
Mistakes in storm season
Climbing in the wind or the wet. Most gutter injuries come from ladders, and wet moss makes them worse.
Ignoring a small gap. A gutter that has pulled a half inch away is what the next gust peels off.
Covering the problem with tape. Duct tape on a split downspout lasts until the first freeze.
Forgetting the trees. A limb you meant to have trimmed in September is still there in January.
Waiting for a dry week to fix it. In a Portland winter that can mean waiting until spring with water at the foundation the whole time. Temporary fixes now, a proper repair at the first dry spell.
At the end of the season
In late February or March, walk the house once more. Note any run that moved over the winter, any downspout that came loose, and any spot where water reached the foundation. That list becomes the plan for the dry weeks of the next late summer, and it is usually short if the fall checklist was done.
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