Gutter cleaning, repair and new gutters in Plaquemine, LA

When to clean gutters in Plaquemine

The first fall frost comes around November 26 in a typical year here, and the last spring frost around February 28 (median dates, NOAA normals). A fall cleaning set for the weeks after that frost, when the branches over the house are bare, gets the year’s leaves in one trip; a spring visit follows once the pollen and catkins have come down.

When to clean gutters explains how the trees over a roof change the schedule.

Gutter and downspout size for Plaquemine rain

Gutters are sized for the worst few minutes of a storm, not for the year. In Plaquemine the five-minute rain expected about once in ten years falls at 10.01 inches an hour (NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 9). At that rate one 2-by-3-inch downspout drains about 720 square feet of roof and one 3-by-4-inch downspout about 1,440, by the rule in the Copper Development Association’s design handbook. Try your own roof in the gutter and downspout calculator, which starts from this figure.

The houses in Plaquemine

Half the homes in Plaquemine were built by 1965, 75% before 1980 (ACS 2020–2024). At that age a gutter has seen decades of leaves and storms, and the fascia it hangs from has too. On a house built before 1978, replacing more than 20 square feet of painted fascia or trim falls under the EPA’s lead-safe rule, so ask whether the crew is certified.

80% of households own their home, and 90% of homes are detached houses, 1% townhouses. If an association maintains the exterior, the gutters may be its job rather than yours; check before calling.

Hiring in Louisiana

Licensing for gutter work differs from state to state; ask a contractor in Plaquemine which license or registration they hold in Louisiana, and for proof of liability insurance. Hiring a gutter contractor