New Gutters, First Year: What to Check and When
New gutters are the one part of the house nobody looks at again after install day. That's mostly fine — a seamless system hung on hidden hangers doesn't need much — but your new gutters' first year is when the small things show up: a corner that weeps, a run hung a little flat, an extension the lawn crew moved. The first year is also usually the window an installer's workmanship warranty covers, so it's the cheapest time to find them. Here's what to look at on a Sacramento calendar, from the first storm through the first summer and back to the second fall.
The first storm with new gutters
If the gutters went up in September or October, the first real test is the first November storm. Go out in it, or right after, and walk every run.
- Corners. A new miter can weep a little in the first hard rain while the sealant finishes curing, especially if it was done on a cool day. A drip that stops by the second storm is normal. One that keeps going is a corner that needs a second bead — call the installer.
- Downspouts. Every one should run clear, with the water landing four feet out on the extension. If one is quiet while the gutter above it fills, something got in during the install — a piece of tile, a chunk of old sealant — and it needs flushing.
- Flow at the far end of each run. Water should move toward the outlet, not sit. A new run that pools was hung flat, and a re-pitch is a quick fix for the installer.
- Tile roofs. Watch where the water off the tile lands. It should be well inside the front lip, not on it. If you see spatter on the walkway a few inches out from the wall, the gutter is sitting too high behind the tile, and that's worth reporting while the job is fresh.
Take a phone photo or a short video of anything odd. A dated picture of a corner dripping in the rain is much easier to explain to an installer in April than a description from memory.
Gutter sealant curing: why the first month matters
Gutter sealant skins over quickly but takes longer to cure all the way through, and it cures slowest in cold, damp weather. That's why a corner sealed on a dry October afternoon usually holds from the first storm, while one sealed in a December drizzle can weep for a storm or two. A weep that fades from one storm to the next is curing. A drip that gets steadier is a joint that didn't take.
Resist the urge to fix it yourself with a tube from the hardware store. Silicone doesn't bond well over polyurethane, and a smear of the wrong product on a new corner makes the installer's repair harder — and can give them a reason to call it your problem rather than theirs.
The rest of the rain season
Between December and March, two things to watch.
Leaf load. New gutters under a London plane or a liquidambar fill exactly as fast as the old ones did. The 3x4 outlets pass more of it, but the December cleaning is still a December cleaning, and the fall leaf-season guide has the tree-by-tree schedule. If you had guards put on with the new gutters, look at the top of the mesh after a storm; plane fibers and catkins mat there and want a hose-off in spring.
Wind. Winter fronts here come with gusts, and a new gutter is only as strong as the fascia it's screwed to. If any run moves in wind, or you hear a downspout rattling against the wall, a strap has come loose. Small, quick, and worth catching before the run works itself loose at the corner.
Spring: corners, extensions and buried lines
Sealant check, April. After the last storm, look at every corner and end cap from the ground for a drip stain. On a new system there shouldn't be any. If there is one, it's a corner that didn't take, and it's easier to redo in dry April than in November.
Downspout extensions moved. Winter wind, lawn crews and the dog all move them. Put every one back pointing away from the house before the ground dries, since a downspout that dumped at the slab in March has already done that month's damage. Downspouts and your foundation covers why four feet is the number.
The buried lines. If the new downspouts were connected to the old drain lines, this is the season to confirm they ran all winter. A line that gurgled in February is plugging, and it's easier to jet in May than to reroute in November.
Summer
This is the season that decides how a Sacramento gutter ages, and there's not much to do except look.
Expansion. A 40-foot seamless run grows about half an inch on a 105-degree afternoon and shrinks back at night. Hidden hangers let it slide; nothing should creak, pop or pull. If a run oil-cans loudly in the late afternoon, it's usually the thin .027 coil. There's not much to do about it, but it's worth knowing what you got.
Fading. A baked-on finish on a south or west run will lose a little gloss in the first summer. That's normal; the finish warranty covers actual chalking and peeling, not a slight softening of color. Sealant at the corners is the thing to check at the end of the summer: summer heat and sealant failure explains why a corner that survived winter one can start in winter two.
Ash. If it's a smoke year, the gutters will have a layer of ash by September. It's fine, packs hard when wet, and is worth a rinse before the first storm — from the ground with a hose, or from the ladder if you're comfortable.
Second fall
The one-year mark. Walk the house once more with the same list as the first storm: corners, flow, outlets, downspout straps, tile height. If everything is dry and moving, the gutters are settled, and the routine from here is a December cleaning and an April look at the corners. If something's off, this is the last easy time to say so.
New gutters, first year: the calendar at a glance
| When | Look at | Call the installer if |
|---|---|---|
| First storm (Nov) | Corners, outlets, pitch, tile height | A drip that doesn't stop, a pooling run, water past the lip |
| Dec – Mar | Leaf load, guards, wind | A run that moves, a downspout rattling |
| April | Corner stains, extensions, drain lines | Any new stain, a line that gurgled all winter |
| Jul – Sep | Expansion, finish, ash | Loud oil-canning, sealant lifting at a corner |
| Second fall | Everything above | Anything that changed |
What the workmanship warranty covers
Two warranties usually come with new gutters, from two different places. The aluminum finish carries the coil manufacturer's warranty, typically 20 years or more against peeling and chalking. Workmanship — leaks at corners, pitch, hangers, tile reset — is the installer's, and one year is common; get it in writing, along with what it covers and how to report a problem. The point of that year is a full rain season and a full summer, so anything in the "call the installer if" column above is worth reporting before the year runs out. Keep the contract, the invoice and your photos together.
Some first-year problems aren't the installer's at all — a plugged drain line the new downspout was connected to, or a roof with no drip edge. The gutter repair page explains those fixes plainly, and the replacement page covers what a full installation should include.
Common questions
Is it normal for new gutters to drip at the corners?
A little, in the first storm or two, while the sealant finishes curing — especially on a corner sealed in cool weather. A drip that fades by the second storm is normal. One that stays steady or gets worse means the joint didn't take, and it's a call to the installer while the workmanship warranty is running.
What should I check after the first storm with new gutters?
Walk every run during or right after the rain. Look at each corner and end cap, check that water moves toward the outlet instead of pooling, confirm every downspout runs and lands on its extension, and on a tile roof make sure the water lands inside the gutter's front lip. Photograph anything that looks wrong.
How long should new gutters stay leak-free?
A properly installed seamless aluminum system should stay dry at the corners for years, not months, and the aluminum itself lasts 25–30 years here. A leak in the first year usually points to workmanship — a corner, the pitch or a hanger — rather than the material. That's why the first year is the time to report it.
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