Gutter cleaning, repair and new gutters in Salem, IL

When to clean gutters in Salem

The first fall frost comes around October 26 in a typical year here, and the last spring frost around April 9 (median dates, NOAA normals). Plan the fall visit for after the frost, when the trees over the roof have finished dropping, and the spring visit for after the pollen and catkins.

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

Gutter and downspout size for Salem rain

What overwhelms a gutter is a burst, not a season. In Salem the five-minute rain expected about once in ten years falls at 7.76 inches an hour (NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 2). At that rate one 2-by-3-inch downspout drains about 930 square feet of roof and one 3-by-4-inch downspout about 1,860, 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 Salem

Half the homes in Salem were built by 1970, 71% before 1980 (ACS 2020–2024). In a neighborhood that age, many houses are on their second set of gutters or due for one, and the fascia board behind them is worth checking at the same visit. 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.

63% of households own their home, and 70% of homes are detached houses. Where an HOA governs the exterior, its rules on gutter color and style apply before any order is placed.

Hiring in Illinois

Ask any contractor working in Salem what Illinois requires of them for gutter work, and to show proof of insurance. Hiring a gutter contractor