The spring gutter checklist after an Ontario winter

After an Ontario winter, check seven things: sagging runs, pulled hangers, opened seams, downspout flow, granule sludge, fascia stains, and grading erosion below the gutters. Freeze-thaw does mechanical damage leaves never do — spring is when you catch it while it is still a minor repair.

Why is winter harder on gutters than fall?

Fall fills gutters; winter bends them. Water trapped in a clogged trough freezes and expands with enough force to open seams and lever fasteners out of the fascia. Snow sliding off the roof loads the outer edge. Ice dams pry at the exact line where gutter meets roof. A system that went into December blocked comes out of March carrying damage — usually small, usually fixable, usually invisible from the couch.

The seven-point spring check

• 1. Sight down each run from the corner — a straight gutter has a barely-visible slope; a winter sag reads as a belly
• 2. Look for hangers or spikes standing proud of the fascia, or gaps between gutter and board
• 3. Watch seams and end caps during the first spring rain — winter opens joints that looked fine in November
• 4. Confirm every downspout pushes water out the bottom; ice can shift elbows and split seams from inside
• 5. Check for shingle granule sludge — a gritty black layer that washes down after winter and narrows the channel
• 6. Scan fascia and soffit for new stains, peeling paint, or soft spots — evidence water got behind the system
• 7. Walk the foundation line for trenching, splash marks, or washed-out mulch under any gutter run

Which findings are DIY and which need a pro?

When should the spring cleaning happen?

Late May into June, after the maple keys and blossoms drop — clean earlier and the seed shower refills the troughs in a fortnight. Burlington's hillside homes deserve one extra step: check the tall rear elevations too, because the run nobody can see from the street is the one that carries winter damage the longest. The two-visit rhythm — spring plus late fall — is exactly what the Crew Plan schedules, at 15% off each visit.

Two winter injuries have their own guides, sagging gutters and leaking seams and corners, and gutter repair in Burlington handles both in the same visit as a spring clean.

Run the checklist on the first decent weekend. Anything on the repair list gets priced on site before we touch it — and if winter was kind and it is just sludge and seeds, the spring clean puts the whole system back to zero with photos to prove it.