House Gutter Clean

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Bung

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#2816558 21-Nov-2021 13:55

alisam:
I do have something very, very similar to your link to the telescopic wand. I don't know where it came from (but was NZ online). It is a pretty robust telescopic wand which fits onto my Briggs and Stratton Power Washer.

So, all I need is to find an attachment and at least try it, before spending a lot of money.

Having an overflow on your gutter lower than the back edge might stop rainwater getting into the soffit but I don't think that would help with a high pressure jet that you couldn't see from ground level.

mattwnz

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#2816689 21-Nov-2021 15:55

I have seen a company cleaning gutters, and they just used long pole thing and hose to flush the gutters on the second level. But those prices are very high for what shouldn't be more than a days work and people don't need qualifications for. Looks like a great job for the money. I have found tradies in my area tend to ask what they want these days, some will double prices to cherry pick the most profitable jobs. You can get a huge variance in pricing. So I would get at least 3 quotes. Removing debris from gutters that haven't been maintained for year though can be a more time consuming job. I would suggest using a narrow plastic trowel instead of your hands. Also I have ever been a fan of that guttering system. IMO always put PVC gutters on the outside of the fascia in case of overflow.
I have cleaned gutters on second level with scaffolding before the most time consuming thing is moving the mobile scaf.

timmmay

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#2816691 21-Nov-2021 16:11

alisam:

Why can't you put the 'gunk down the drain'? Because it's not eco friendly? Most of the debris in the gutter is leaves and grit that has come off the Monier tiles.

I am not sure how I can avoid it. The downpipes are totally self contained and I would have to cut a drainpipe (several) in two (near the bottom).

You can have a huge amount of gunk, and in my case it would fill the sumps around the property, at least one of which is underground and inaccessible. So probably just a generally bad idea.

Gordy7

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#2816699 21-Nov-2021 17:31

In the seven years I have been in my current house I have never had to clean out the plastic gutters. Plenty of trees near by.

It seems we have some well trained black birds that come spring time, they gather nest building material from our gutters.

What they don't want they flick out on to our paths.... makes quite a mess.

We used to wonder what the noise was when they were scratching and kicking around in the gutters.

Unfortunately the birds are not trained clean the outside of the gutters yet 😀

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Eva888

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#2816943 22-Nov-2021 10:17

Definitely get a few more prices not necessarily from a roofing outfit. We had a small leak in a bad Northerly. A well known roofing company in Lyall Bay quoted me fifteen thousand to fix it. I wrote the number in case anyone thought it was a mistake. It was fixed with a new flashing for $1,300 by a builder. It was actually a little less but we gave him extra for being honest. That same outfit quoted $5,000 for a friend's roof leak that their builder fixed for $350.

alisam

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#2817037 22-Nov-2021 13:27

alisam:

I have a 2 storey house in West Harbour, Auckland. The second storey is an oblong, but the first storey has many roofs.

The gutters are Taylor Fascia with square down-pipes. The house is 31 years old and I have owned it from new.

I recently noticed weeds growing in the gutters on the first storey and went up on a ladder to clear them out.

I was astonished at the amount of debris in them. There are a lot of palms surrounding our property, but we don't have any palms.

I think the debris is bits of the palms.

I could get the weeds out, but the small gap in the gutters (fascia to Monier Tiles) meant I couldn't get my hand in.

So I contacted an Auckland company, recommended by Edwards and Hardy (because they only do 1 storey houses) and they quoted:

$745 (incl GST) - GUTTER CLEAR - Hand Clear of Gutter System and flush if blocked (2 technician safety team)

$981 (incl GST) - PREMIUM GUTTER CLEAR - External clean of gutters and fascia. Clear and rinse of gutter system,
including downpipe check - 2 man safety team.

I was taken aback about the cost, but I assume the days of someone just climbing up a ladder and walking around the roof without any safety gear is long gone due to Health and Safety.

24 hours after the receiving the quote, I had a follow up email asking what our intentions were. I thought that was a bit quick.

I will be ringing them on Monday, because 'Hand Clear' in mind is not going to work and so I need to know what 'Clear and rinse' entails.

Anyone had gutters cleaned on a 2 storey house and what methods are used nowadays?

Any recommendations on the Company used?

Also, what happaens to the debris once it goes down a downpipe. Is the debris free to enter the stormwater pipes?

I rang the Company and both 'GUTTER CLEAR' are 'Hand Clear' only. So both options are off the table without asking any more questions.

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Scott3

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#2817061 22-Nov-2021 13:46

I have done mine myself a few times. Likewise, a lot of bits I couldn't get my hand into.

only about 3m up so able to access easily with a ladder

Used a hose one time - worked OK, but created a lot of mess (tried to blast away from the drains to minimize the amount of stuff that went down the drains).

Used a leaf blower next time. worked OK. I note that there are various poles / extensions for leafblowers if access is an issue. i.e:

https://www.amazon.com/BLACK-DECKER-BZOBL50-Connect-Attachment/dp/B075JNM981

https://www.bunnings.co.nz/ryobi-18v-roof-and-gutter-leaf-blower-attachment-skin-onlyryobi-one-18v-roof-and-gutter-leaf-blower-attachment-skin-only_p0266499

Possibly could combine a pole type setup with standing on a table to get 2nd story gutters?

Not sure where OP is located, but I just came across this business. Looks like a time effective way of having the work done:

https://guttersucker.co.nz/

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mdf

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#2817074 22-Nov-2021 14:08

Scott3:

I have done mine myself a few times. Likewise, a lot of bits I couldn't get my hand into.

<snip>

These are good: https://www.bunnings.co.nz/prestige-plastic-gutter-cleaner-green_p0250563. I own several since I inevitably cannot find one when it is time to clean the gutters so go buy another one.

Off topic but FWIW, I am replacing gutters at the moment, going with Marley Typhoon high flow gutters and external brackets - so both nice and wide and no brackets to get in the way when cleaning. I'm also fitting Marley Twist and Curve leaf and water diverters. Cleaning is *sooo* much more straightforward. We have overhanging trees and they gutters can get very full if not monitored - which was the default setting of the previous owners of the place and so now I get to fix their oversights...

alisam

829 posts

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#2817190 22-Nov-2021 15:49

mdf:

Scott3:

I have done mine myself a few times. Likewise, a lot of bits I couldn't get my hand into.

<snip>

These are good: https://www.bunnings.co.nz/prestige-plastic-gutter-cleaner-green_p0250563. I own several since I inevitably cannot find one when it is time to clean the gutters so go buy another one.

Off topic but FWIW, I am replacing gutters at the moment, going with Marley Typhoon high flow gutters and external brackets - so both nice and wide and no brackets to get in the way when cleaning. I'm also fitting Marley Twist and Curve leaf and water diverters. Cleaning is *sooo* much more straightforward. We have overhanging trees and they gutters can get very full if not monitored - which was the default setting of the previous owners of the place and so now I get to fix their oversights...

At "Total Weight 99 kg" I may struggle. LOL.

But thanks, and I will try and measure a random gap in the gutters.

mdf

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#2817191 22-Nov-2021 15:53

alisam:

At "Total Weight 99 kg" I may struggle. LOL.

🤣 I hadn't noticed that before. Clearly I'm *waaaay* stronger than I thought since I quite easily got it up the ladder on my own without any support, mechanical assistance or counter-gravity apparatus.

Technofreak

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#2817201 22-Nov-2021 16:12

We have the same setup but only two story on one side. It's 5 metres to the spouting and I use one of these as suggested by @Dynamic and stand on the ground wearing a raincoat. https://www.mitre10.co.nz/shop/gutter-boss-extendable-gutter-cleaner-2-1m/p/322880

I highly recommend it.

I have the down pipes set up so that it is easy to remove them or at least the lower part so that the stuff you flush out doesn't go down the drain pipe. I'd recommend doing this for future cleans even if it means cutting and putting in a joiner.

When you need to replace the spouting the only stuff that will fit behind the fascia is the same as what you have. Plastic is too bulky. I got some made up by one of the local roofing firms. It wasn't expensive. I replaced it myself, it was relatively easy. The guy at the roofing place told me how to do it and it was very simple. I though I'd have to pull the fascia apart but you just remove the down pipes cut off the droppers that the down pipes fit onto and roll the spouting out. Installation is just the reverse.

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Bung

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#2817251 22-Nov-2021 19:25

alisam:
At "Total Weight 99 kg" I may struggle. LOL.

But thanks, and I will try and measure a random gap in the gutters.

Bunnings often have a problem with weights, it is likely to be 990gms.

If you can't get your hand into the gutters any vacuum solution probably won't work. I've tried with domestic sized hoses and they kept blocking up as soon as there were clumps of leaves. I think some commercial solutions use 70 - 80mm pipes and hoses.

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