Monthly Archives: March 2014

Underground Downspout Clog


So your gutters are clogged? Are you sure? It could be your underground downspout clog.  This can happen from time to time whether it be from not cleaning your gutters or just forgetting about the downspouts themselves.  You first need to see if the clog is in the actual downspouts themselves.  If not then it’s possible that the leak is in the underground downspout, which can be trickier to handle. 1. Pull the underground drain away from the end of the downspouts. The underground drain often a black, corrugated, plastic pipe. 2. Place the end of a plumber’s auger, also known as a snake, into the underground gutter. Turn the handle clockwise to extend the end of the auger. 3. Turn the handle counterclockwise if it becomes hard to turn; There is some blockage.  Reverse the auger to pull it out of the drain and clear it of debris. Insert it back into the drain until you hit resistance again, then turn the handle back and forth to work some of the clog free. Pull the auger out periodically to remove debris until it moves past the blockage without resistance. 4. Flush water through the drain using a garden hose. Stand where the drain terminates, usually at the edge of your yard, to make sure the water is flowing smoothly through the drain. source If you are wary about your abilities to fix this problem or the time is simply not there then feel free to give us a call for a free estimate on investing in gutter guards or just for gutter cleaning or repairs , call us today! Gutters & Guards experienced team will take the guess-work out of the process, and ensure that your home is protected. Connect with us for daily inspiration, updates and information: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram  

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Fast Fact #16 – Standing Water In Gutters


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Standing Water In Gutters. Standing Water In Gutters is a breeding ground for mosquitoes and bad smells. Gutter debris that is wet and left in your gutters for a long time can start to decay after a while. Standing water can attract mosquitoes and other pesky bugs.Clean your gutters at least twice a year. Once in the spring and once in the fall. This will help you prevent clogs from occurring. For a free estimate on gutter cleaning, repairs or adding gutter guards, call us today! Our experienced team will take the guess-work out of the process, and ensure that your home is protected. Connect with us for daily inspiration, updates and information: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

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Spring Gutter Cleaning


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 Keeping those gutters clean is a pretty important part of keeping your home maintained. That’s why it is very important to keep your gutters clean and clean them at least twice a year. Once in the spring and once in the fall.  Since Spring has officially arrived it’s important to get them cleaned before all the “spring showers” are here. Spring Gutter Cleaning, if you are a DIY kind of person then you’ll probably be cleaning out your gutters yourself this Spring so there are a few things that you need to know before you prop that ladder up. 1.  The first and most important part of cleaning your gutters is ladder safety.  Many accidental injuries and deaths happen from ladder accidents.  You need to find a flat spot to place the ladder, make sure it is not muddy because that can cause the ladder to become unbalanced.  Also make sure that your shoes are dry.  Wet shoes can cause you to slip and fall.  Keep both feet on the ladder at all times and never climb to on the top 2 steps.  Placement of the ladder is very important as well.  If you place the ladder on your gutters that can cause ladder marks or worse partially collapse them.  For more tips of ladder safety please check out another blog post from a few months back on ladder safety. 2.  Plan to make one trip.  Before you climb up the ladder it might be best to plan and gather all the materials that you need to clean your gutters and place them in a bucket.  That way you can place them by your ladder for easier access and that makes it go a bit faster since you’re not taking time to find what you need. 3.  Start at the downspout.  That way you are going to stop a clog from forming in your downspouts leading to an even bigger problem.  This is important because as you clean debris is going to be down the downspouts and if there is already a huge clog then this can make a lot of trouble for you. A few other tips is to check to the condition of your gutters while you’re up there. Are they leaking or rusting quite a bit?  Invest in a new system or to get them repaired.  Also look at those shingles.  Are you missing any or do they look worn out?  That is another important part to keep maintenance on. If you have a lot of trees around your home that cause you to clean your gutters more than twice a year it might be in your better interest to install gutter guards.  You can see many of the benefits of gutter guards or if you need them in our previous blog post.  Also remember, if you are not confident in your abilities, please call a professional. The last thing you want to do is end up in the hospital because you went all Humpty Dumpty for the neighborhood kids. For a free estimate on investing in gutter guards or just for gutter cleaning or repairs , call us today! Gutters & Guards experienced team will take the guess-work out of the process, and ensure that your home is protected. Connect with us for daily inspiration, updates and information: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

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5 Reasons To Install Gutter Guards This Spring


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Spring is days away and that means it’s time to clean out your gutters. If you live in a area where there are lots of trees then it might mean only the first of many times you’ll clean out your gutter just this year. If you want to cut back on the amount of times that you have to clean out your gutters.  Never want to have the worry of clogs in them again. It may be time to invest in gutter guards. We offer a variety of gutters guards, the best seller is the screen mesh type; for more information about the different types of please check out one of our previous posts. There are a few different reasons that you should think about investing in gutter guards this spring and this is all in sincerity. They help you maintain your gutters, making it easier for you is the biggest pro. Not having to worry as much that your gutters are going to clog or get too heavy and fall off your home. We still have created a helpful list to show you more reasons that they are a smart investment. #1 Less Time Spent Cleaning Them If you live in a area where trees are always dropping large amounts of leaves, twigs and other debris into your gutters causing you to spend more time than really needed cleaning them.   This saves you time and money especially if you have to hire someone to clean it more than twice a year.  This will save you money and with that extra money you could do something else such as save up for a big renovation or a vacation.  Gutter maintenance is very important but it can be dangerous as well. So never make yourself do something your uncomfortable with just to save a few dollars. #2 Prevents Damage Clogged gutters and ice dams can cause extensive damage to your home and property from overflows. The extra weight of the water can even damage the gutters themselves, apart from damage to your foundations, and erosion of your property as well as damage to walls and roof timbers from water flowing under the eaves or penetrating the roof because of overflows. A Great gutter guard system will not only protect against these problems but will actually strengthen the gutters of your home, making them better able to withstand the worst our changeable weather can throw at them. #3 Improved home value It is expected that gutter guards are going to become a standard elements of any home. It will become more difficult to sell a home lacking gutter guards.  A reduced price might be necessary. In such cases, it has been found that purchasers deduct more than the cost of installing the gutter guards to compensate for the hassle factor. Very few home purchasers want to do work on a new home. New homeowners just want to move right in and enjoy! It make sense to install gutter guards now and enjoy the benefits yourself as long as you live in your home. Rather than wait until need or want to sell your home. #4 Pest cannot build nests in your gutters anymore. This is a great feature if your constantly having birds building nest in your gutters every spring.  This does call for the right gutter guard so make sure to do your research before going with what is suggested. Also make sure that if you home is prone to getting a fair amount of wasps nest that are around your gutters every spring and summer to find the right gutter guard to keep them out. #5 Clogs are no more Certain gutter guards will claim that your gutter guards will never clog again.  This is true if you choose the right one for your home.  Do clean your gutters twice a year.  Don’t believe a gutter guard can keep you gutters from gathering ANY debris.  This is impossible. A small amount of debris will find it’s way into your gutters through gutter guards.  If you clean it out twice a year then your worries will be gone the rest of the year. Gutter guards can be a great investment. if you do your research and pick with one is best for your area. For a free estimate on investing in gutter guards or just for gutter cleaning or repairs , call us today! Gutters & Guards experienced team will take the guess-work out of the process, and ensure that your home is protected. Connect with us for daily inspiration, updates and information: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

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Fast Fact #15 – Installing Gutters


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Installing gutters can be a difficult project to DIY. Installing gutters can be a difficult project to DIY.  Plan on installing the gutters yourself? Check with your HOA or POA to see if this is permitted. Some require gutter installation to be done by professionals. If you can install gutters yourself, be sure to follow ladder safety guidelines and never attempt this alone. Gutters & Guards does install gutters. We can provide a free estimate to let you know if this is in your budget. Call us today. For a free estimate on gutter installation, repairs or adding gutter guards, call us today! Gutters & Guards experienced team will take the guess-work out of the process, and ensure that your home is protected. Connect with us for daily inspiration, updates and information: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

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3 Signs That Gutters Need Replaced


3 Signs That Gutters Need Replaced. 3 Signs that gutters need replaced. It’s one of the bigger questions we can ask ourselves when we are faced with a gutter problem. Gutters are the biggest smallest helper on protecting your home from unwanted repairs.  Like everything eventually they will need to be replaced.  This always depends on where you live (because of the amount of rain or snow you receive), and how much upkeep you’ve done. Gutters typically last for 20-30 years depending on upkeep, and material.  We have a few different tell-tell signs that will let you know that your gutters need to be replaced. 1. The biggest sign that shows you that your gutters need to be replaced is numerous holes, cracks, and rust spots.  This can accumulate from years of wear and tear. Patching holes in your gutters can only last so long and when you gutters get so old there is nothing you can do anymore. Most gutters are not seamless if the house is older so the seams of the gutters will have leaks and rust spots in them. 2. Gutters that flop and bend.  This happens when gutters have had to support heavy weight of snow or water.  Sometimes we can’t help the ice dams that can happen (there are ways to take care of it but it’s going to happen) So if this starts to happen, it’s best to replace them before they fall of your home which can cause more damage if they hit anything. 3. Mold and water stains on the façade. This could mean either that there is a clog in your gutters ( one that has been clogged for a while) or the there is a leak in them that is toward the inside of your home and is causing this.  It’s best to take care of this immediately because if you let this go on too long you will have to replace more expensive materials.   For a free estimate on gutter cleaning, repairs or adding gutter guards, call us today! Our experienced team will take the guess-work out of the process, and ensure that your home is protected. Connect with us for daily inspiration, updates and information: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

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Fast Fact #14 – Ladder Safety


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Ladder Safety & Gutter Cleaning Ladder safety is extremely important while cleaning your gutters. Avoid standing on the top three rungs and don’t reach past the side rails.  Never farther than your belt buckle. Clean your gutters while standing firmly on a ladder. Ladder safety is very important to keeping yourself protected. For more tips on gutter cleaning, please visit our other posts on the subject. If you are not comfortable cleaning your gutters yourself. Please feel free to call us for a free estimate and get your gutter cleaning process started today. For a free estimate on gutter cleaning, repairs or adding gutter guards, call us today! Gutters & Guards experienced team will take the guess-work out of the process, and ensure that your home is protected. Connect with us for daily inspiration, updates and information: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

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Do I Need To Clean My Gutters? 5 Reasons You Need To Clean Your Gutters This Spring


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Spring is on its way which means it’s time for your bi-yearly gutter cleaning. Before you ask yourself ” Do I Need To Clean My Gutters?” Know this: The best time to do the spring gutter cleaning is early spring for those April showers hit (it can be hard to pinpoint a day to do this because winter can be sporadic when it decides to stop), so watch the weather and when it seems like a few days of nice warm weather bust out your ladder and cleaning supplies or give a local professional a call to set up a date for them to do it for you. If you’re thinking that your gutter do not need to be cleaned twice a year, we have a few facts that might change your mind.   1. Leaves that were slow at falling off the trees and found their way into your gutters in the late winter are in your gutters now waiting for a big rain so they can clog up your gutters and cause for a million more problems. 2. Roof Debris from winter storms and winds are waiting to be washed into your gutters yet again clogging them up to annoying amounts. 3. Clogged gutters can lead to mold and mildew problems.  If an excessive amount of water pools by the foundation of your home it can seep under your home and become a big problem. 4. If left unchecked, clogged gutters can cause wood rot on your home’s fascia boards, soffits and eaves. When this occurs, gutters must be removed from your home so the damaged wood can be replaced. Clogged gutters are also a popular breeding ground for mosquitoes! 5. Also speaking of pests such as mosquitoes, birds are coming back to build nests for their young and gutter debris are high quality building materials for birds, rodents, etc. Things To Remember When Cleaning Your Gutters Ladder Safety. One of the biggest at home injuries include falls from ladders.  Make sure to have a gutter cleaning partner that can hold the ladder and also hand you tools if needed. Remove large debris first then use water hose to wash other debris out of your gutters. (Using a pressure washer is a bigger risk because it can rip your gutters from your home if hit at the right angle.) Never put yourself in an uncomfortable situation.  If you do not feel comfortable on a ladder, please call a professional. Another thing to think about is investing in a gutter guard for your gutters.  It not only helps preventing clogs in your gutters. It could help for all the rain that will come in April and May. There are quite a few different options to choose from when looking at gutter guards. You can see a comparison of the different types of gutter guards on another blog post that we did a few months back. For a free estimate on gutter cleaning, repairs or adding gutter guards, call us today! Our experienced team will take the guess-work out of the process, and ensure that your home is protected. Connect with us for daily inspiration, updates and information: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

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Problems With Gutter Guards – Most Common Complaints About Gutter Guards


Problems with gutter guards is something that as a consumer you might not want to hear. Gutters guards are something that some people might be skeptical about, since they are made for avoiding clogs in gutters. Installed Incorrectly. You get what you pay for most of the time.  If the system, is really cheap then it might not last as long or even do an effective job.  We’re not saying go buy the most expensive gutter guard on the market.  That would end up being a waste of money as well.  Do research on the types of gutter guards and see what would fit your home the best.  Also if you live in a place where they amount of leaves and debris going into your gutters is minimal then you might not need to bother with them at all.  If you chose not to deal with them then make sure that you are getting your gutters cleaned at least twice a year. We Still Have To Clean Them. One of the biggest misconceptions about gutter guards is that it means that you never have to clean them.  It’s unfortunately untrue with any of the current gutter guards out on the market today (no matter what they say).  They can prevent clogs from happening, which is the biggest problems with gutters, but you do have to maintain them to keep them working correctly. It helps in you live in a place where a lot of trees are getting leaves into your gutters which causes you to clean them out more frequently.  With gutters guards it’s something that can be cut down to the recommended two or even once a year. They Don’t Work. Gutter guards are (like we’ve stated before) meant to keep you from constantly having to clean your gutters.  It is possibly that during a heavy downpour it could cause water to run over gutters. This can happen with gutters without guards as well.  If they are running over your gutters in a light to medium rain, something is wrong. Whether it’s the pitch or they were just installed improperly is where to look.  Call in a professional before you start taking off the gutter guards or trying to mess with your gutters because it can void your warranty. Bees And Pests Are Still Building Nests. It can be quite annoying when a bee or bird builds a nest in your gutters.  Bees are more likely to build nests in curved gutter guards than mesh.  So it’s good to be aware of that possibility, and might be more beneficial to invest in a mesh gutter guard instead. So when deciding if a gutter guards is right for you take all options into consideration. For a free estimate on gutter cleaning, repairs or adding gutter guards, call us today! Our experienced team will take the guess-work out of the process, and ensure that your home is protected. Connect with us for daily inspiration, updates and information: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

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Fast Fact #13 – Fall Safety


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Fall safety & Gutter Cleaning. Fall safety is very important when cleaning your gutters. Do not go up on the roof unless the weather forecast is good and dry. Early morning dew and weather weather can be hazardous and cause you to slip. In an rainfall never climb a ladder because the rungs can be very slippery and you can fall easily. For a free estimate on gutter cleaning, repairs or adding gutter guards, call us today! Our experienced team will take the guess-work out of the process, and ensure that your home is protected. Connect with us for daily inspiration, updates and information: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

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