Gutter cleaning, repair and new gutters in Sun Lakes, AZ

When to clean gutters in Sun Lakes

The first fall frost comes around December 11 in a typical year here, and the last spring frost around February 1 (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 Sun Lakes rain

What overwhelms a gutter is a burst, not a season. In Sun Lakes the five-minute rain expected about once in ten years falls at 4.81 inches an hour (NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 1). At that rate one 2-by-3-inch downspout drains about 1,500 square feet of roof and one 3-by-4-inch downspout about 2,990, 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.

Sun Lakes is dry by national standards, about 7 inches in a normal year, but much of the rain that does come can arrive in short, hard storms: the five-minute downpour expected once in ten years still runs at 4.81 inches an hour. Where gutters are used here, the job is moving that burst away from the foundation, and keeping a dry season’s dust and debris from blocking the first storm.

The houses in Sun Lakes

Half the homes in Sun Lakes were built by 1990, 16% 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.

87% of households own their home, and 82% of homes are detached houses, 4% townhouses. In a townhouse or HOA community, check who owns the gutters and what colors are allowed before booking.

Hiring in Arizona

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