Cleaning Rain Gutters

debodun

debodun

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Location
way upstate in New York, USA
That dreaded chore is upon me again. Since I am not good on ladders, I've been doing for years by climbing out a window onto the roof and reaching over the eaves and scraping them out by hand. Every year it gets more difficult for me because I literally have to do push ups all around since I lay flat on the roof to avoid falling off (see crude drawing).

gutters.jpg

There are probably 150 feet of gutters in front and back of the house. I've been trying to think of an easy, inexpensive way to do it. I look for other suggestions and they either involve a garden hose with outdoor faucet, a shop vac or a leaf blower, none of which I have. Hiring a handyman is expensive (when I priced last year, the least expensive was $100). To hire a kid is not an option since they probably aren't insured and if they fall off a roof or ladder, I will be the liable party.

Any suggestions?
 

debodun said:
That dreaded chore is upon me again. Since I am not good on ladders, I've been doing for years by climbing out a window onto the roof and reaching over the eaves and scraping them out by hand. Every year it gets more difficult for me because I literally have to do push ups all around since I lay flat on the roof to avoid falling off. Any suggestions?
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Sorry, no suggestions. Just wanted to say you got guts, deb! :)
 
We have a ranch home but it still meant getting on a ladder. My hubby could no longer do it so we removed them all. We put rock in the beds around the house instead of mulch so it doesn't splash or cause a washout. So far so good. No water in the basement either.
 

debodun said:
I was actually thinking of having that done. Do you really need them? Mine don't move the rain very far from the house anyway.
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It worked for us, but you have to make sure the water will still run away from the house and it will pour off the roof in all directions. At first it seemed strange to see the water flowing in front of our living room picture window during a down pour but we had no problems. The rock in the beds was a great help in keeping the house clean. Also helped keep the beds a bit more weed free in the summer. Later we replaced some of the trim because there were holes in the old trim that held the gutters on. I think it is a better option than falling off the roof.
 
Ruth n Jersey said:
We have a ranch home but it still meant getting on a ladder. My hubby could no longer do it so we removed them all. We put rock in the beds around the house instead of mulch so it doesn't splash or cause a washout. So far so good. No water in the basement either.
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I have a ranch also and need my gutters cleaned. I didn't know you could remove them...thanks for the idea. :)
 
We have a ranch house and have a big ladder that opens the regular way to climb up and clear the gutters. We're very careful now that we're older, but it's not that high. If someday we feel it's not safe anymore, we'll hire a handyman to come and do it.

Deb, that's not a very safe thing to do, especially for a senior. Cleaning the gutters is not worth risking serious injury. I recommend you hire a local handyman and have them come and do it for you.
 
Screens that fit on top of the gutters. Forget about cleaning inside the gutters. I don't know why gutters don't come with screens. Think of it. They are open pipes just waiting to be filled with junk. Ther are also extension poles so you can attach a hose and work from the ground. Prepare to get soaked while doing it.
 
A heavy duty shop vac costs less than $100. You can add extra pipes and get a curved attachment to reach over into the gutters, or you can buy the whole gutter cleaning assembly. I vacuum mine. Blowing might work better if you're willing to get covered in debris. It wouldn't work if you have gutters on a second floor roof.
 
I bit the bullet and went out on the roof today because it is fairly mild (I've done it in years where the leaves are a frozen mass and difficult to pry out of the gutters). Actually it wasn't too bad. Large sections had no leaves and most debris was in the corners. I attribute that to a few wind storms we've had here in the last few weeks. Actually the gutters are not on the main part of the house - just on the front and back porches.
 

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