Maintenance
Gutter cleaning, done by hand
Cleared by hand rather than blown out, downspouts flushed and checked, and the debris taken away with us. Twice a year suits most properties in this region, and more under heavy pine.
Fully insured Free estimates Residential & commercial
What goes wrong
It is the fascia that pays, not the gutter
A blocked gutter does not simply stop working. It fills, holds water, and that water goes over the back edge rather than the front, straight down the fascia board and behind the siding. By the time anyone notices a stain inside, the wood behind the gutter has usually been wet for a season or more.
In winter it is worse. Standing water in a blocked run freezes, and a gutter full of ice is heavy enough to pull its own hangers out of the fascia.
What's included
What a clean actually covers
Blowing leaves out of the top and driving away is not a gutter cleaning. It moves the problem into the downspout.
- Cleared by hand. Hand clearing gets the packed sediment at the bottom of the run, which a blower leaves behind and which is what actually holds water.
- Downspouts flushed and checked. The blockage is usually in the elbow or at the outlet, not in the gutter. Flushing is how you find out.
- Debris taken away. Not left in a pile on the lawn or in the beds under the downspout.
- Hangers and pitch checked while we are up there. If something has worked loose or the fall has gone, you hear about it then, with the ladder already against the wall.
- An honest word about guards. If your tree cover means you are going to be calling twice a year forever, we will say so. If guards would not help much on your roof, we will say that too.
Second homes and rentals
Nobody sees an overflow from three hours away
A lot of the properties in this territory are weekend houses, camps and short-term rentals, and a good number of the owners are in New Jersey or downstate for most of the year.
That is the worst case for gutters, because an overflow can run every time it rains for six months and nobody is standing in the driveway to see it. It is also the easiest case to solve, because a scheduled clean twice a year removes the need for anyone to notice anything at all.
Straight answers
Gutter Cleaning questions
How often do gutters need cleaning?
Twice a year suits most properties here, once after leaf fall and once in spring. Under heavy hardwood or pine cover it can be more.
The honest test is what comes out. If a spring clean produces almost nothing, you can probably move to once a year. If the autumn clean is overflowing before the leaves have finished dropping, you need a second visit or you need guards.
Do you blow them out or clear them by hand?
By hand. A blower shifts dry leaf off the top and leaves the packed, wet sediment sitting in the bottom of the run, which is the part that holds water and causes the problem. It also tends to pack debris down into the downspout rather than removing it.
What do you do with the debris?
We take it away. It does not get left in a pile on the lawn or tipped into the beds under the downspout.
Can you clean gutters that already have guards on them?
Usually yes, depending on the type fitted. Some guards lift off easily, some are screwed down under the first course of shingle, and a few are genuinely awkward. Tell us what you have and we will tell you straight whether it is a sensible job.
Will cleaning fix an ice dam?
It helps, but it is not the cause. Ice dams form when heat escaping through the roof melts snow that then refreezes at the cold eave. Clear gutters give that meltwater somewhere to go, so the problem is milder, but the underlying fix is insulation and ventilation in the roof itself. We would rather tell you that than sell you a clean and let you think it is solved.
Do you do commercial buildings?
Yes. Storefronts, offices and commercial roofs, where the runs are longer and the consequences of an overflow across a doorway or a parking area are more immediate.
Also
The rest of what we do
Four services, all of them gutters. Based in Equinunk and working both sides of the Upper Delaware, across six counties in Pennsylvania and New York.
Free estimate
Tell us about the property
The fastest way is to call. If it is easier to type it out, send this and we will come back to you.
Fully insured Free estimates Residential & commercial