🔥 How to Protect Your Gutters Before Bushfire Season
🏡 Living in a bushfire-prone area? Your gutters could be putting your home at serious risk.
If you live in the Illawarra, Shoalhaven, or Southern Highlands, bushfire season is more than just a warm summer — it’s a real threat to your property. One of the most overlooked dangers? Gutters full of dry leaves and debris. These can act like kindling during ember attacks, turning a safe home into a high-risk zone.
In this post, we’ll show you how to prepare your gutters for bushfire season, the role of ember guard, and why proactive protection is better than emergency repairs.
1. 🔍 Why Gutters Are a Hidden Bushfire Hazard
Your gutters are a catch-all for leaves, twigs, bark, and debris — especially if you live near gum trees (like most of the Illawarra!). During a bushfire, flying embers can land in these dry materials and ignite a fire right at your roofline.
✅ Even homes that aren’t directly in the path of a bushfire can be damaged by wind-blown embers — sometimes travelling over 10km from the fire front.
2. 🛡️ Install Ember Guard to Comply With Bushfire Safety Standards
An ember guard is a fine metal mesh installed over your gutters and roofline. It’s specifically designed to block embers while still allowing water flow — and is required in many BAL-rated zones under Australian Standard AS3959.
✅ Choose mesh that is:
Aluminium or steel (non-combustible)
Has openings ≤ 2mm
Screwed down securely to prevent gaps
At AC Gutter Guard, we only use BAL-compliant mesh that meets or exceeds AS3959 regulations.
3. 🧹 Clean Your Gutters Before Summer
Even if you’re installing gutter guard, it’s critical to start the season with a full gutter clean-out. Dry, decomposing debris is highly flammable and also attracts pests like birds and rodents.
✅ A full clean should include:
Removing all leaves and sludge from gutters and valleys
Flushing downpipes
Inspecting for roof or gutter damage
We include gutter cleaning with all new gutter guard installs.
4. 🏠 Seal Entry Points for Embers, Pests, and Smoke
Loose tiles, open valleys, and uncovered roof vents can act as entry points for:
🔥 Fire embers
🐀 Rodents
🐦 Birds nesting in roof space
✅ Consider mesh covers for:
Valleys
Roof vents
Solar panels
Weep holes
We provide customised bird-proofing and valley protection to close off these fire-prone gaps.
5. 📅 Book Early—Before the Fire Season Rush
As soon as summer approaches, bushfire preparation becomes urgent — and many local installers book out weeks in advance. To avoid stress and rushed work, get your gutters sorted before the first hot winds arrive.
✅ Best time to prepare: September–November
✅ Ideal for: Homes in Wollongong, Shellharbour, Kiama, Nowra, south coast and the southern Highlands
✅ Protect Your Home the Right Way with AC Gutter Guard
We specialise in ember guard, leaf protection, and bushfire-safe gutter solutions across the Illawarra, Shoalhaven, southern highlands and South Coast.
All of our systems are:
✔️ Made in Australia
✔️ AS3959-compliant
✔️ Professionally installed with a gutter clean included
📞 Call 0423 611 350 or request a free quote online to get bushfire-ready now.