Before the rains

Gutters that run clear to the last downspout

Leaves, twigs, shingle grit and packed sediment cleared, then every downspout flushed to prove it runs.

Chapter 01

What actually packs a South County gutter

Around Mission Viejo and Laguna Hills the usual suspects are eucalyptus leaves, sycamore and oak leaf drop, and grit that sheds off the roof. Twigs and wind-blown Santa Ana debris ride in on top of all that. Any one of them is harmless on its own. Wet and packed together, they turn into a compacted sediment that holds water instead of moving it.

You rarely see this from the ground. What you see is a downspout that runs dry in a storm, or a line of overflow down the stucco below the eave.

Clean white gutter and downspout under a terracotta tile roof

Clear the trough, then prove the downspout runs

Alan's crew clears the leaves, twigs, shingle grit and packed sediment out of the gutter run first. That's the part you can see from the driveway. The part that matters comes after it.

Every downspout gets flushed with water to confirm it flows. A gutter that looks clean and still backs up usually has a plug where the downspout turns, and flushing is how you find it before the first storm does.

No guessing from the ladder. If water goes in at the top and comes out at the bottom, the job is done.

Chapter 03

Rainy season runs November to March, so book ahead of it

Gutters have one real deadline: the first heavy rain. Our rainy season runs November to March, and by then the eucalyptus, sycamore and oak debris has had months to pile up. Cleaning in the fall gives that first storm somewhere to go.

Call or text Alan at 949-457-1227 with the number of stories and a rough idea of how much gutter the house has. He quotes a flat rate by phone, no visit needed for most jobs, and scheduling is usually same-week, Monday through Saturday.

Alan's has worked these streets since 1990, from Nellie Gail Ranch to Dana Point, and knows which neighborhoods sit under the heaviest canopy.

Alan's Cleaning: California licensed and bonded, $2 million liability insurance on every job. Call or text 949-457-1227.

What comes out of South County gutters

Four things account for most of what the crew pulls out. Once the trough is clear, the stucco and concrete underneath are often next in line for a rinse, which is a job for pressure washing. Planning the whole exterior at once? Glass is the other half, so have a look at window cleaning too, or browse the blog for the rain season checklist.

Eucalyptus: Long narrow leaves that lie flat and pack tight in a trough, season after season.
Sycamore and oak: Heavy seasonal leaf drop, worst under the Mission Viejo tree canopy.
Shingle grit: Sheds off the roof with every rain and settles into a sediment in the low spots.
Santa Ana debris: Twigs and dust the wind carries in, which land in gutters of every house on the block.