Monthly Archives: August 2015

Last Chance To Add Gutter Guards Before Fall


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Last Chance To Add Gutter Guards Before Fall Add Gutter Guards Before Fall comes. This is important to do because once the trees start shedding their leaves, it’s a lot tougher to get a completely clean gutter, also it’s twice as much work! If you unsure if gutter guards are what you need take a few things into consideration such as: Amount of Trees Around Your Home If you have trees surrounding your home, it’s highly likely that you have to clean your gutters out more than twice a year. Adding a gutter guard system can cut back on the amount you will have to clean out your gutters down to twice a year ( the recommended amount) and depending on your gutter guard it should be a quicker clean as well. Most gutter guards will keep the larger debris out of your gutters and prevent clogging from occurring ( there are instances where larger debris can find it’s way in). Some gutter guards, such as MasterShield are designed to keep smaller debris out, by smaller debris we mean as small as “…constructed with a non-stick, 316 surgical grade stainless steel microfilter that will not allow the tips of pesky pine needles or other debris in. In fact, nothing but water can get through a MasterShield protected gutter!” (source). Other gutter guards such as Leafproof offers “…the flow (of water) will reverse direction as a result of surface tension, and the water will drain into the gutter. Most debris will not follow this reversal or is blown off the roof by the wind when dry.” (source)  So no matter is you’re looking for a screen mesh or a solid gutter guard, we have you covered. Type Of Tree Depending on the type of trees that surround your home can effect the type of gutter guard you should think about installing on your home. It should never be about pricing until you have a couple of similar gutter guards to choose from. For trees such as pine trees and other small debris shedding types, a screen mesh will do the job. Our highly suggested gutter guards is our screen mesh. It’s very similar to Mastershield but it’s pricing is less. This is not because the product is less, it’s due to the warranty. So depending on the warranty you want this will help you decision. Where as our drop in gutter guard is good if you have trees with larger leaves. Ask your estimator his opinion when getting your FREE estimate! How Often You Find Yourself Cleaning Your Gutters If you find yourself clean debris from your gutters more than twice a year, a gutter guard system would be a huge help. It’s a lot of work to clean your gutters. From positioning the ladder to removing all the debris. It’s a very important job to make gets done in the spring and in the fall to ensure a proper working gutter system. We do offer a gutter maintenance program where we will come out to your home (once/twice/three times a year, your choice) and clean your gutters while also maintaining them (small things such as tightening, making sure downspouts are clear, etc). We will also let you know when it’s time for a cleaning! Learn more today!  You Want To Harvest Rain Water Some people collect the rain water from the gutters to use for watering plants, etc. A way to filter rain water is by using a micro mesh gutter guard, such as matershield or screen mesh.   If you are interested in getting a FREE quote for installing gutter guards on your home, please give us a call and we’ll be happy to come out and take a look. If you want to see the samples, we have some in our showroom for your viewing. Let your gutter cleaning worries be behind you! 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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Gutter Maintenance Tip #28 – Check Fascia Board For Rot


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Check Fascia Board For Rot During your bi-annual gutter cleaning, it’s best to Check Fascia Board For Rot or other issues. A few signs that let you know that it could be time to replace your fascia include: Peeling/Flaking paint: Notice that the paint is coming off of your wooden fascia board. Sand and repaint. Leaking gutters: If you don’t clean your gutters regularly they can often develop leaks, affecting your fascias and soffits. This is not good for your fascia boards, because all that water that is leaking out of your gutters can do some damage to your fascia boards. Rot and Damp: Water is also responsible for causing sections of damp and rot along your roofline including your fascia. Infestations: By infestations we mean pests such as mice, squirrels and bees. If there are damages ( holes,etc.) They will almost certainly try to build their homes there. Short term solutions such as bait and poison will help but it’s not a long term solution. Bird’s nests: Like pest infestation, birds can also set up shop in rafters and disused chimneybreasts and breed. Some bird species protected so it always pays to seek advice before interfering with a nest. A secured Roofline will keep birds from your property. Do NOT call a roofing professional to remove the birds, call animal control first. Let your gutter cleaning worries be behind you! 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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Underground Downspout Clogged


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Underground Downspout Clogged Sometimes when gutter clogs are bad, they’re hard to fix. If you get an underground downspout clogged, it can mean a lot of work is ahead of you. Unclogging an underground downspout is not easy, the biggest reason is because it’s underground and unlike a normal downspout, you cannot just remove it and find the clog. Many things can cause your underground downspout to clog such dirt and leaves, tree roots, or from being crushed by concrete trucks driving on the lawn, a common occurrence during remodels. If you remove the connector that directs water into your underground downspout and you see dirt and leaves poking out. Remove this debris to see if it goes further. Make sure that you have a good pair of gloves on!  You can use a hand-held snake ( do not use a power snake. These are too powerful for your corrugated plastic pipes. If it seems like nothing is happening, you may need to call in a professional to have them take a look and it might lead to a complete replacement. Whatever the issue, do not let it happen for too long. This can cause major foundation damages and end up costing you a lot more. Let your gutter cleaning worries be behind you! 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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5 Projects To Finish Before Labor Day


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5 Projects To Finish Before Labor Day Labor day is coming close and it marks the end of summer. Start of autumn-like things such as school, fall, and end of the outdoor season. We have 5 Projects To Finish Before Labor Day. Before weather dips too cold and prevents you from wanting to spend a large amount of time outside.  Installing Gutter Guards Investing in new gutter guards for your home can be a real investment to protect your gutters from bad clogs in fall and winter as well as providing your with clean rain water if you use it to water plants and etc. We offer several different types of gutter guards, ranging from our higher end line, Mastershield, to our drop in and leafproof gutter guards. So depending on what type of debris you are looking to keep out we have you covered. Curb Appeal Projects Any type of curb appeal project that you may have in mind, this is the time to get it down. Replacing your roof, replacing windows, adding a deck to your home, no matter what it may be the time is now. The weather is nice and the rain is less often, so call a schedule with a professional today! Caulk & Seal Windows Proper window maintenance can make the difference on the lifetime of your windows. If you do a annual checkup around this time of the year you can do all the repairs, caulking and replacements that may be needed. Scrub & Seal Your Deck If you already have a deck, a good cleaning and a new coat of sealant can help it keep its glossy sheen and protect your decking from the harsh winter weather. Organize/Prepare Garage/Shed For Storage Preparing for winter can also mean properly storing items such as lawn equipment, patio furniture, etc. This may mean that you need to clean your garage or storage shed to make room to store items. Or maybe you know it needs to be reorganized. Set a day aside and make it happen. The only thing holding you back is time. Let your gutter cleaning worries be behind you! 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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Gutter Maintenance Tip #27 – Caulk Seams In Gutters


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Caulk Seams In Gutters Inspect seams of gutters during a routine gutter cleaning.  Re-caulk seams in gutters as needed. You can purchase waterproof caulking from someone such as, Gutters & Guards, and it should last. Caulking protects your gutter seams from forming leaks and rust. If you are unsure of how to do this, it may be best to hire a professional. They should have the tools and supplies in stock and will be able to do it in a timely manner. 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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Gutter Maintenance Tips #26 – Unclogging Downspouts


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Unclogging Downspouts A clogged downspout can be difficult to fix yourself. If your find yourself with a clogged downspout, we have some tips on how to remove to unclogging downspouts and prevent it from occurring again. What causes a downspout clog? When gutters are not cleaned as often as they should be, it can allow the debris to gather in the downspouts when they are moved by rainwater. Especially when they become moist and more like debris than leaves. Larger debris such as sticks and birds-nests can stop up the downspout and create a clog as well. How to get rid of a clogged downspout? If you know that your downspouts are clogged chances are that you saw water running over them during a rain or you were cleaning your gutters and noticed that the water was draining slowly or not at all. The first step is to take down your downspouts. Once you find what section ( they typically come in 10′ sections) the clog is in and remove the debris. We suggest you wear gloves! You don’t know if a critter is hiding in the debris ( like a rat, bird, squirrel). After all the debris is removed and disposed of, reinstall the downspouts and use a hose (without the nozzle) to give your downspouts a good cleaning. If water is still not draining properly if could be the underground downspouts and that is a LOT more difficult to fix and should only be taken care of by a professional. How can I prevent this from happening again? A good way to prevent downspout clogs from happening is by installing gutter guards. Gutter guards do NOT mean that you never have to clean your gutter again but it does mean you will have to do it less. Our MasterShield products offers a No Clog Guarantee. To learn more about our gutter guard products, please visit our gutter leaf guard page. 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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Summer Gutter Care


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Summer Gutter Care Summer is well over halfway over and as the temperatures keep rising and cool with the night thunderstorms, we have to ensure that our gutters are still in proper working order.  We have a few suggestions on summer gutter care to keep your gutter system in perfect working order and prepared for an easier fall gutter cleaning. Deep Clean Gutters This isn’t just a routine gutter cleaning. We suggest you break out the gutter cleaning and really clean your gutters, inside and out. You can use a easy cleaner and an old rag to remove all dirt and grime from your gutters. For tougher stains you may need to use a actual gutter cleaner or call a professional, such as Gutters & Guards, Inc., who can get your gutters looking like new. By doing this, it should be a lot quicker to clean your gutters in the late fall and they’ll be looking good at year long! Look For Damages While cleaning your gutters, it’s always best to look for damages, rust spots, holes, etc. This will allow you to get those problem areas fixed  quickly as possible to prevent larger problem areas or issues. Repair Leaks If you see a leak, best fix it when it’s warmer and not causing too much of an issue. Gutter leaks in the winter can lead to slick-spots for you or your family to slip on. Check Your Roof Inspect your roof for any problem areas that may be causing damage to your roof decking or other issues that can leak to costly repairs. Also pay attention to the amount of shingle granules in your gutters, if it seems like a hefty amount ( view image below) then you may need a roof replacement. Install New Equipment By new equipment, we mean gutter guards. Installing a new gutter guard system this time of year makes it a lot easier than waiting until after fall or next year. Prevent gutter clogs, and minimize gutter cleaning to ensure a quicker cleaning time and ease of mind when it comes to gutter leaks. Let your gutter cleaning worries be behind you! 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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Gutter Elbow Issues


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Gutter Elbow Issues Proper gutter drainage is key to keeping your home in check. Downspouts are the hardest working part on your home. They work to move all that rain water from your gutters (which are just there to catch it) out and away from your home. If the downspouts become clogged, damaged or or just not large enough it can really mess up the guttering system. The elbow that connects your gutter to your downspout is a very sensitive spot on your gutter system. If it becomes clogged, it makes a mess. If the water is too much for it to handle it can overflow. Downspouts are most sensitive because your gutters are tilted slightly to allow the debris and water to gravitate towards the downspouts. Clogs are a normal occurrence in your gutter elbows mostly because of the given space to all draining. It doesn’t take a lot of debris either. If you want to prevent clogs from occurring, think about installing a gutter guard system. This will allow for less of a change for a gutter clog. It’s not completely maintenance free or completely void of getting a clog, gutter guards will narrow down your chances.  It will give your gutter elbows a lot more room to breathe and worry about doing their job. Keep rainwater at least 6 feet away from foundation.  Prevent expensive and hard-to-fix foundation damages from occurring.   Let your gutter cleaning worries be behind you! 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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Gutter Maintenance Tip #25 – Clean House From Top To Bottom


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Clean House From Top To Bottom When cleaning out your gutters, clean house from top to bottom. By this we mean, start with removing leaves and debris on your roof, then clean your gutters, and finish with raking the leaves on the ground. If you cannot reach debris on your roof from a ladder. DO NOT attempt to climb on your roof. It’s far too dangerous and a professional should be called. There are roof rakes that you can use to get debris from your roof. If you are wondering why it’s important to remove debris from your roof, it’s because leaving debris on your roof for too long can cause leaks and other moisture damages. 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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