Gutter Cleaning Question

[troyt]

I am thinking about doing gutter cleaning with a pressure washer. I have in the past just hand cleaned them. I don't understand how you do not make a mess of the whole house with a pressure washer. What I mean is the material in the gutter, what do you guys and gals do? What psi do you run? I was thinking around 500psi, but that is still going to throw leaves onto the side of the house and on the roof.

I really enjoy your pressure wash industry banter, and way this is my first post. Nice to meet all of you.

[paul-uk]

most of the time when people are talking about washing gutters......they are talking about the outside of the gutters during a house wash.

cleaning the inside of the gutters is a job that most do in the fall.....myself i do it by hand \hosepipe......when you use a p\washer it creatates more mess than its worth....
paul.

[Firedkm]

If you are going to wash the house also yes you can use a powerwasher to clean the gutters.

If the stuff is dry I will walk the roof with a backpack leaf blower. Its fast and the gutters are spotless. If there is water in them I will clean them by hand.

When I blow out the gutters I usually will leave the stuff on the gound if its in the fall and the yard has not been cleaned yet. If the yard is cleaned my helper will rake the stuff up and bag it. By the time I am done and putting my stuff away my helper is also done.

I have found the above is the quickest in my opinion. Using a power washer just to clean gutters is a waste of time.

[jon chapman]

I have recently done several gutter cleanouts, with my pressure washer. no house wash included. ended rinsing the house anyway, along with the neighbors wall, the drive, and the car. Charged enough to make it worthwhile anyway, but never again unless doing roof or house anyway. Looking at getting a gutter getter.

[CCPC]

It really depends on how full they are. When they are packed full and have trees growing in them, you will probably find it easier to use gloves and a bucket, where as if they are not that bad I find pressure washing with a 95 degree tip and sending the leaves down the down spouts to be a fairly easy task. Keep in mind that when I do this I am usually cleaning the house as well.

[RyanH]

If there is any dirt/dust/furry things from the trees, using water to clean *out* the gutters will make a big mess. You will notice stuff getting on the outside of the gutters and house (both of which will require rinsing). Possibly windows and surrounding areas as well, like has been said. If the gutters have streaks or dirt on them, upsell your service and clean the outside with Gutter Zap (or another gutter capable cleaner...I like Purple Power). best to leave the inside to hand cleaning or a blower. There are bent adapters for cleaning gutters with your wand and you can do it from the ground....worst $30 I've ever spent on equipment (in my opinion).

Ryan H.

[troyt]

My rig also has a high pressure air system that I use for dryer vent cleaning. Would blow the junk away from the house better than using water. It runs at 175psi. Or just keep doing it by hand. It is a slow process by hand. Any tools that help the hand cleaning go quickly? Some kind of mini shovel? I read in here that some are cleaning 15 homes a day. Wow, I am lucky if I get 3 done a day. Thanks for the tips. BTW what is a gutter getter and where do I find them?

[Firedkm]

I use this gutter scoop for the steep roofs that are not walkable. I attach it to a 16' extension pole and can do most gutters in one ladder placement.

[troyt]

Where do you order yours. I tried making one out of a plastic milk carton, but the plastic is too thin and cules. I have seen others, but worry about the same problem happening.Is the one you have strong?

[Firedkm]

Yes it pretty strong. They do break if its cold and you throw it off the roof to the ground though

I have several on hand and they only cost about 8 bucks a piece.

I got mine from http://www.squeegees.net/maintenance.htm

Just about any window cleaning place on the net will have this.

[Cleveland Mobile]

Ryan...try putting a "T" with 2 tips on the end of that hook to wash out the gutters...makes it more controllable.

[RyanH]

I think my problem with the gutter cleaner (tool) I have is not so much the attachment itself as it is the application. MOST people around here wait until they have plants growin in their gutters or the gutters are flowing over before calling for help. The pine straw, leaves, dirt, ant beds, bird nests, and snake skin (things I have found in gutters) tend to make a dense weave and make it very difficult to easily clean them. Cleaning by hand is the only thing I've been able to do. But again, this will vary according to geography and habits of the people in an area. The mess is too dense to blow out, and there is too much to move it from one end of the gutter to the other. Fortunately I don't get much of a call to clean out the gutters (most of my target areas use gutter guards which work pretty well for the types of foliage around here), so it's not a problem.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by Firedkm

I use this gutter scoop for the steep roofs that are not walkable. I attach it to a 16' extension pole and can do most gutters in one ladder placement.

I like the way it looks, but one question, what if the gutters are jam packed full? I dont see how you'd be able to slide 10 feet of leaves to your ladder without them spilling out over the edge all over the ground. How will does it handle wet leaves?

Thanks.

[newlook]

We power wash the gutters and blow out all downspouts and do a quick but thorough rinse of the house.

There is no "trick" that I know of that will enable you to power wash out the gutters without making a mess. Even with low psi you are still going to get the "stuff" that is in the gutter to blow out over.

Troyt..what is the ball park figure that you would charge for gutter cleaning only? Let me know if you can.

[tinman]

Originally Posted by Cleveland Mobile

Ryan...try putting a "T" with 2 tips on the end of that hook to wash out the gutters...makes it more controllable.

I am guessing that points the pressure in a better direction and the 2 tips offset each other's force.Got a picture ? Thanks