Gutters in Boynton Beach, FL

Florida Building Code requires gutters with downspouts where eaves project less than 6 inches. Gable end rakes and roofs above other roofs are exempt. The water must land at least a foot away from the wall, carried by underground piping, tail extensions or splash blocks.

Only 40.9 percent of Boynton Beach housing units are single-family detached, so many roofs sit close to a neighbor, a wall or a shared walkway. Check where a tail extension lands before you accept the layout. Water pushed toward the next unit becomes your problem.

The median home here dates to 1984, close to the Palm Beach County median of 1986. Gutters from that era are likely worn or undersized. That is an inference, so inspect each run. The code also requires metal or approved plastic, with corrosion-resistant fasteners.

At West Palm Beach Intl Airport, 67.3 percent of normal annual rain falls May through October, and August is the wettest month at 8.68 inches. Clean gutters before May. The Atlantic hurricane season starts June 1.

A Florida insurer advises cleaning at least twice a year, more often under overhanging trees. A Central Florida schedule puts one cleaning after oak leaf drop and pollen in late April or May, and another after the autumn pine needle peak. Fine-mesh screens tested better than large-hole ones, but still need brushing.

Storms bring lightning. The National Weather Service tells people not to work on rooftops when thunder can be heard. Clean gutters on a dry, calm day, from a ladder you trust.