The short answer
The system tells on itself: water sheeting over the edge in rain, tiger-stripe staining down the gutter face, plants sprouting from the run, birds and squirrels working one spot, sagging sections, overflow trenching in the mulch below, and downspouts that trickle when they should pour. Any one sign means cleaning; several mean now.
Watch the Rain
The best diagnostic is free: watch your gutters work during a decent rain. Sheeting over the edge anywhere means blockage backing water up; waterfall corners mean valley inlets or corner joints are packed; and downspouts trickling while the run above them holds water mean the elbow or leader is the clog. Ten minutes at a window during a storm reads the whole system.
Read the Evidence Between Rains
Tiger striping — vertical gray-black streaks down the gutter's face — is overflow's signature, written one storm at a time. Mulch trenches and splash craters under the gutter line mark where water has been landing instead of traveling. Sagging runs mean waterlogged debris weight is pulling hangers — a structural warning, not just a cleaning one. And paint peeling on fascia behind the gutter is moisture that shouldn't be there announcing itself.
The Wildlife Report
Plants growing from the gutter line are the famous sign — seedlings mean soil, and soil means years. But pest traffic reads earlier: birds repeatedly working one section, squirrels treating the run as a pantry, wasps favoring a corner. Animals find the debris before you do; their interest is data.
Why the Signs Escalate
Every sign on this list is the system asking early, while the fix is a $149 cleaning. Ignored, the same causes graduate into the fascia rot, foundation moisture, and ice-dam damage our escalation guide prices in multiples. The signs aren't the problem — they're the warning the problem sends first, per the schedule logic in our frequency guide.
The Bottom Line
Rain-watching plus a slow walk around the house reads your system without a ladder. Any sign means book the cleaning; several mean this week. Full service from $149, photos included, so the next check can happen from your inbox.
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