What a gutter cleaning includes
Everything in the trough comes out by hand and goes in a bag, not on the lawn. Then each downspout gets flushed with a hose until it runs clear, and if it does not run clear we clear the clog from the top or the bottom. We check that the hangers are holding, that the end caps are not leaking, and that the downspouts actually point away from the house. Anything we find that we cannot fix on the spot, a sagging run or a split seam, you hear about before we leave.
Gutter guards get lifted and cleaned under where they are the snap-in kind. Screwed-down covers add time and we quote them after a look.
Pine straw, oak leaves and shingle grit
Pine straw is the main problem. It is light, it blows in, and it mats into a sponge that holds water and seeds. Oak leaves on top of it make a lid. Underneath, the granules a shingle sheds settle into a grey sludge that weighs the gutter down and pulls the hangers loose from the fascia. A gutter that has held that sludge for a couple of winters usually has a stripe of rot on the fascia board behind it.
Houses under a heavy canopy, in the older neighborhoods and along the river bluffs, fill twice as fast as a house in an open subdivision lot. If the roof above is streaked, the same algae is growing in the gutter sludge, and we can wash the streaks off the shingles on the same visit.
Downspouts and underground drains
A clogged downspout is worse than a clogged gutter, because the gutter still looks fine from the ground while the water backs up and spills over the back edge behind the fascia. We flush every one. Downspouts that run into an underground drain pipe out to the street or the yard get flushed hard, and if the pipe is packed with roots or silt we tell you so you can get it jetted. Splash blocks get set back where they belong.
The usual clog is at the elbow where the downspout turns at the top, where pine straw folds over and wedges. The second most common is at the bottom where the pipe meets the ground and the sludge settles. Both clear from the outside with a hose and a little patience, and we do not take a downspout apart unless it has to come apart.
If the water from a corner has been pouring onto the ground for a season, look at the foundation under it. A trench in the mulch, a band of orange on the brick, or a damp spot in the crawl space all point to the same gutter. Fixing the gutter is the cheap half of that repair.
The black stripes on the outside
The dark vertical streaks on the outside face of a white gutter, the tiger stripes, are oxidized aluminum and road film bonded by rain running over the lip. Plain washing does not touch them. They need a gutter-brightening solution and a brush, done section by section, and when it is finished the gutters match the trim again. We do it as an add-on to a clean-out or to a wash of the siding below them. Hangers, downspouts and the fascia get the same treatment.
When to schedule in Tuscaloosa
Twice a year is the common schedule here. Once in late November or December after the oaks finish dropping, and once in May after pollen season, when the yellow film and the pine pollen cones have washed into the troughs. Houses under heavy pine get a third visit in late summer. If you only do it once, do it after leaf drop, so the gutters are clear for the winter rains.
Out past the city, toward the houses up around Holt and the lake, the tree cover is heavier and the schedule tightens. We work Monday through Saturday, 7am to 6pm, and answer quote requests the same day.
Related
House Washing
Low-pressure soft wash that lifts algae, mildew and pollen film and keeps water out of the wall.
Questions we get
How do I know my gutters need cleaning?
Water pouring over the edge in a rain, plants growing out of the trough, or a stripe of red clay splashed up the foundation under a corner are the usual signs. Sagging gutters mean the sludge has been in there a while.
Do you take the debris with you?
Yes. It goes in bags and leaves with us. Nothing is dumped on the lawn or in the beds.
Can you clean gutters with guards on them?
Snap-in guards, yes. Screwed-down covers take longer and are quoted after we look at them.
Do you fix gutters?
We reattach loose hangers and reseat downspouts while we are up there. Replacing runs or seams is a gutter contractor job, and we will tell you if it needs one.
Is the clean-out priced the same as the brightening?
No. The clean-out is the base job, by the foot and the story count. Brightening the outside face is an add-on, quoted with it so you can take it or leave it.