Why are my gutters overflowing?

What usually makes gutters overflow?

• Leaves, flowers, sludge and grit packed in the gutter, especially under mature trees.
• A blocked downpipe, so the water has nowhere to go.
• A gutter that sags or is not sloped towards the downpipe, so water pools and spills over the edge.
• Joints that have opened and drip or spray water onto the wall.
• A gutter too small for the roof area it drains. Johannesburg's heavy summer storms show this up.

What can I check safely?

Stay on the ground if you can. Do not climb a ladder in the rain or on your own, and stay well away from power lines and cables at the roof edge.

• Watch from a safe spot during rain. Water pouring over the front edge points to a blocked or full gutter. Water spraying from a joint points to an open joint.
• Look for plants, leaves or grass growing in the gutter, which you can often see from the ground.
• Look for dark streaks on the wall below the gutter. They mean water has been running down the wall.
• Check the bottom of each downpipe during rain. If little or no water comes out, the downpipe is blocked higher up.
• Look for a gutter that dips or has pulled away from the fascia.

When should I call someone?

Call a professional when:

• The house has two storeys or a high roof.
• A downpipe stays blocked after you have cleared what you can reach.
• The gutter sags, has rusted through, or has come away from the roof.
• Water runs down the inside of a wall, or stains appear on a ceiling.
• The gutters overflow in every storm even when they are clean.
• The gutter is a box gutter built into the roof, which is hard to reach safely.
• Your roof has old cement sheets that may contain asbestos. Do not scrub, drill or pressure wash them.

How does Oaks fix overflowing gutters?

Oaks' price list covers cleaning gutters, flushing downpipes, and waterproofing box gutters. It does not cover replacing or re-fixing gutters. If you need that, send a photo on WhatsApp to 081 372 4079 and Oaks will tell you what it can quote.

• Gutters cleaned by the house: from R950 single storey, from R1,600 double storey.
• Gutters cleaned by the length: from R35 per m.
• Downpipes flushed: R150 each.
• Box gutters waterproofed: R190 per m.
• The price list gives 15% off bi-annual cleaning.

1. Send a photo of the gutters and your suburb on WhatsApp to 081 372 4079 or through the Instant Price form.
2. Oaks sends a fixed price in a quote, valid for 14 days.
3. Oaks books the job within 7 days.
4. When the job is finished you get a photo report.

Every Oaks job has a workmanship guarantee. A 50% deposit is paid before work starts and the balance when the job is done.

What does it cost to clean overflowing gutters?

A price marked 'from' is where that kind of job starts. These are northern-suburbs rates. For a worked example and what changes the price, read the gutter cleaning cost guide.