Seasonal

The September Gutter Checklist for St. Louis Homes

By St. Louis Gutter Service · September 11, 2026 · 7 min read

Mid-September in St. Louis is the quiet stretch. The spring hail season is behind you, the July storms are done, the sycamores haven't started dropping, and the ground won't freeze for two months. It's the one window where a gutter problem can be fixed on a dry, mild day instead of under leaves or ice. This is the walk-around to do this week, from the ground, no ladder.

What summer did

June and July storms here arrive with straight-line wind ahead of the rain. Wind gets under a gutter that was already loose and lifts it; hail dents the top lip and loosens the corner seals; and two-inch-an-hour rain in a run that lost its pitch overflows at the corner and soaks the fascia. By September the damage has had a couple of months to show itself. The fall secondary storm season — the metro gets a smaller run of severe weather in October and November — and the first ice in December will find every one of those weak points.

The checklist

Walk the whole house once, slowly, looking up.

1. Hangers and straps. Look for a run that dips in the middle or a gap between the back of the gutter and the fascia. Downspout straps should be every eight feet; a downspout that moves when you push it has lost one.
2. Corners. Dark streaks on the fascia or the brick below a corner mean it's been leaking all summer. Sealant fails at 10–12 years and this is the month to reseal, because polyurethane sealant needs a dry day above 40 degrees to cure and won't get one in January.
3. Fascia. Bubbled paint in a band along the roof edge, or a soft spot when you push it with a broom handle, is rot. It needs to be replaced before winter, because a gutter full of ice on soft wood ends up on the lawn.
4. Flow. Run a hose into the far end of each run for two minutes. Water should reach the downspout and come out the bottom. If it puddles mid-run, the pitch is gone. If it backs up, the downspout is blocked.
5. Extensions. Every downspout should end six feet from the foundation. The mower has knocked half of them off since May.
6. Roof edge. From the ground, see whether the shingles overhang the gutter by about half an inch to an inch. Shingles cut short, or a roof with no drip edge, let water run behind the gutter — common on houses re-roofed after a hail claim.
7. Trees. Note which branches hang over which runs. That's where the October load lands, and where guards would pay off.

What to bring

You don't need much. A pair of binoculars makes the corners and hangers on a two-story house easy to see from the yard. A garden hose with a spray nozzle helps with the flow test. A broom handle or a long screwdriver checks the fascia you can reach. And a phone camera lets you record what you find, with the date, so you can compare next year.

Keep a simple record

Draw a quick box for the house and mark each side: front, back, left, right. For each one, jot down the corners, the downspouts and anything you noticed. A note like "back left corner streaked, back downspout loose at middle strap, extension missing" turns into a short, clear repair request. It also shows whether a problem is getting worse year to year, which helps when you're deciding between a repair and new gutters.

Fall mistakes worth avoiding

• Waiting for the leaves to finish. Under sycamores, the first big drop can fill a gutter in a week. Fix what's loose before that.
• Climbing a wet ladder. Do the ground checks in the rain if you like, but save ladder work for a dry, calm day.
• Pulling down a loose gutter yourself. A run that's half off the house can take a strip of fascia with it. Secure it and ask for help.
• Leaving downspouts on the driveway. That water becomes ice on the first cold night.
• Forgetting the garage and porch. Small roofs get missed, and their gutters fill just as fast.

Fix now, or wait?

Why the dates matter here

St. Louis has a real leaf season and a real winter, back to back. The sycamores along the creeks and the older streets drop in a two-week rush in mid-October; the pin oaks in Kirkwood, Webster Groves and University City hold on into December. Then the first hard freeze arrives, usually late November, and whatever water is sitting in a badly pitched gutter turns to ice. A corner resealed in September has cured and been rained on twice before any of that. A corner found in December waits until March.

What the walk-around can't tell you

Whether the sealant at a corner is cracked but not yet leaking, whether a spike hanger has backed out an inch, and whether the fascia is soft behind a gutter that looks fine. Those are ladder findings, and they're what a gutter cleaning visit is for — the cleaning is the excuse, the inspection is the value. If you found two or more items on the list, a gutter repair visit in September is a morning; the same items in February are a spring project.

After the storm, not before

If a storm has already come through and a section is hanging: photograph it before anything is touched, get the loose piece secured so it doesn't take the fascia with it in the next wind, and route the water away from the foundation with anything to hand. Whether hail and wind damage to gutters is covered, and how the deductible applies, depends on your policy — check your policy or ask your agent. Photos taken before anything is touched help either way. Add your own notes on the date and time of the storm.

If you're hiring help this fall

Early fall is a good time to book, before the leaf rush fills calendars. When you call, read out your notes side by side, and mention the age of the house and whether you have guards. Ask for a written price for each item, so you can do the urgent ones now and leave the cosmetic ones for spring. If the checklist turned up a gutter that's loose on most sides, ask for a repair price and a replacement price on the same visit.

Common questions

How often should I do this fall gutter checklist?

Once a year in early fall is enough for most houses, plus a quick look after any big storm. If you have large trees over the roof, add a second walk-around in spring after the maples drop their seeds. It takes ten minutes and catches most problems while they're still small.

Can I do the checklist from the ground on a two-story house?

Mostly, yes. Binoculars show corners, hangers and the roof edge well from the yard. The hose test is harder on a second story, so watch the gutters during the next real rain instead. Leave anything that needs a tall ladder to someone with the right equipment.

What should I fix first if I find several problems?

Start with anything that moves water toward the house: a missing extension, a downspout off its elbow, a run that has pulled loose. Next come leaking corners and soft fascia, before the cold arrives. Small dents and paint can wait until spring.