We use a SkyVac Industrial gutter vacuum, which in purpose is very similar to a household hoover. The main differences are that this machine has a massive 78 liter capacity, powered by triple motors that produce 3300 watts and that it is also made specifically to clear guttering.  There is a video of it here in action https://www.spinaclean.com/skyvac-industrial-85-wet-dry and as you can see, it is the powerful suction that removes debris from the gutter lines.

Assisting with this machine is an inspection camera with a recordable function; this allows us to carry out high level gutter cleaning in Fife and visibly see from the ground what is happening up high. The monitor attaches to the first gutter vac pole and from here we can see all that is going on, as you can imagine this is very supportive for the likes of roofline surveys, gutter surveys and also peace of mind for the customer.  We can record, and send this footage to you via email attachment.

The way that the gutter vacuum is connected to reach the gutters is by the skyvac elite carbon fiber poles, these are a set of hollow poles that when placed together allows us to clean gutters up to 45 foot high. The waste inside the gutters is essentially sucked down through the poles and into the machine, where a tip and tilt function allows us to quickly empty the remains into bins or heavy duty bags.

WHY WOULD YOU CLEAN GUTTERS WITH A GUTTER VAC?

Health and safety is becoming very strict and rightly so, the working at height regulations and also the health and safety at work act place great onus on us; the employers, to minimize risk to all who carry out work for us. Due to this, ladder work is avoided where possible and especially so at greater heights.

This gutter system allows us to do the same job as by ladder, but from the safety of the ground. Some gutters are also full of water or slurry, and trying to clear that by hand (by way of ladder) is not always easy. The gutter vac machine will simply hoover it all up though.

The largest advantage and clearly the main reason for us to use this system is the reach advantage. When you see ladders on van roofs, they will usually be around 20 foot high when extended and perhaps 30 foot if they are a large set. But, this system allows us to clean another 15 foot higher.  As you can see by some of the case studies on this page https://www.spinaclean.com/about/case-studies many of the larger companies such as Mitie also now use this exact machine to carry out their contractual works.  More local companies use these machines as well; gutter cleaners in Andover https://saxonwindowcleaners.co.uk/ and many, many more localized small companies also use this to great effect.

DO YOU ALSO OFFER GUTTER REPAIRS?

Yes we do, this gutter vacuum is by no means the only method we use to clean gutters. While we use it for a lot of gutter jobs we understand the need to be up close to the gutter lines for many reasons such as blockages and leaks.  We can flush blocked down pipes in Fife with a pressure washer and repair leaks and joining brackets.

WHAT IF I WANT THE EXTERIORS OF THE GUTTERS CLEANED ALSO?

We have the equipment to manage this as well; we have a hot water system built into the van that allows us to clean dirt off exterior Upvc/plastic type surfaces with ease.  We would then use reach and wash/telescopic poles to clean all your exterior gutter lines and again we can do this up to a great height from the safety of the ground.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GUTTER CLEANING AND CLEARING?

Due to the terminology used by the vast amount of customers, gutter cleaning is often used to describe the emptying of the gutters. Gutter cleaning is in fact the exterior cleaning of the gutter lines/soffits, but we always check what exact service it is you want before we book you in. Gutter clearing is what we term to be the emptying of the gutters.  If you wish to look at our list of services please visit the home page, https://fifewindowcleaningservices.co.uk/ or visit our blog section below that details our exterior gutter cleaning services in Fife https://fifewindowcleaningservices.co.uk/blog/

Blog written by Chris Fotheringham

The post HIGH LEVEL GUTTER CLEANING IN FIFE – FIFE COMMERCIAL GUTTER CLEANING appeared first on Fife Window Cleaning Services.

All blocked gutters start at the top, the issue may not always presently be at the top of the down pipe but the blockage certainly came from here initially; So we always check this area first. We check this by going up the ladder and inspecting the gutter line condition; are there defects in the gutter line such as a build-up of debris at the gutter union joins for example. We look at the down pipe clearance and the roof condition also. It is not uncommon for a broken tile to cause blockages, while a roof with excess moss growing on it can also subsequently block the guttering. If you see our first photo here, hopefully the moss on the roof indicates why we had to clear this gutter line to start with.

Safety is important when cleaning gutters at height, and so Fife Window Cleaning Services always work in teams of two. We have equipment for domestic and residential gutter cleaning that makes the job safe, this includes a ladder matrix-a pad that the ladder feet sit on, which has thousands of metal spikes on the side that makes contact with the ground; A ladder stay, so that we have a few inches of clearance at the top of the gutter line, and we use telescopic tools to reach over hard to access gutter cleaning areas as well. See our photo showing some of the standard residential gutter cleaning equipment we use.  What are some of the common issues we may face while gutter cleaning in Fife?

A COMMON OLD GUTTER BLOCKAGE IN FIFE

At the top of many guttering systems, especially on older buildings we find a hopper head. This is a small holding tank that one or more down pipes pour into, and if this becomes blocked then you may often see the water pouring over the sides.  To treat a hopper head, we initially scoop out any leaves that often congregate in this wide open head, and that may have blocked the holding tank.  We connect a water supply to the top of this hopper head and flush the water through it at a fast flow, to dislodge any debris blocking part way down the pipe work too.  When clearing blockages from the top of these tanks, we are also able to remove the hopper tank and use drain rods to break up debris in the pipe work.

A COMMON OLD GUTTER REPAIR IN FIFE

Leaking gutter joints are especially common on old cast iron gutters, where the screw holes have become rusted over time.  Firstly we remove all gubbins (dirt, rust..) using a range of tools, such as wire brushes and scrapers. We then use a degreaser like visorol to clean the surrounding parts of the cast iron guttering, and once dry we look to apply a liquid resin to gutter leaks. We use repair care dry fix epoxy resin, and we mix this compound together to create a very strong bonding agent.  Once this is dry it is important to use a rust inhibiting primer, because let’s remember these gutters may have been up for hundreds of years and we want to preserve them as best we can. We finish off this repair with some hammerite paint over the exterior and interior surfaces.

A COMMON MODERN GUTTER BLOCKAGE

On most modern buildings the swan neck of the gutter is where blockages occur, the s shaped channel that joins the horizontal gutters to the downpipe is a place that can easily block up. We can unclip the outlet (swan neck) and usually remove all blockages that way, however we also have a pressure washer with a drain jet nozzle. This can be used to forcefully send pressurised water down the guttering; loosening the blockage until it disappears down the drain.  When using the pressure washer we would have a cloth inside the bottom of the guttering downpipe so that debris does not then block the drain. Once we have flushed the down pipe, we will remove the cloth and all debris from the bottom of this down pipe.

A COMMON MODERN GUTTER REPAIR

Too often we see gutters leaking at the outlet, where the gutters join onto the down pipe; in fact often these parts of the gutters become very loose and sometimes even fall off .This is due to a poor fitment between the gutters and down pipe; to combat this we have found that finding the suitably sized part of guttering is of primary importance and then refitting them together for a tighter fit. Subsequently, we seal the seam with a sealant as well to prevent any water run-off, over the join.

For a list of our services please see www.fifewindowcleaningservices.co.uk

The post HOW WE CARRY OUT GUTTER REPAIRS IN FIFE AND TREAT BLOCKED GUTTERS IN FIFE appeared first on Fife Window Cleaning Services.

1. Gutters should be seen as part of any properties routine maintenance, and there are a variety of reasons why. Probably one of the most important aspects of gutter cleaning in Fife  is that if they are poorly maintained this can be reflected in a home report and building survey.  The home report was introduced to Scotland in 2008 by the Scottish Government, with one of the three main aims being to ‘provide the buyer with a clearer picture of the buildings condition’.

A buyer can request a copy of the home report at any point, and the single survey part of the report is used as a ranking system to highlight areas of property maintenance, that may or may not need addressed. If any readers have ever seen the electronic home report, they will know how very specific these reposts can be. If gutter cleaning is neglected not only is this easily identified visually but may well lead to further inspection of the homes structure.

2. Gutters are thought of as exterior components of the home, but they connect all the exterior drainage to the drains of the home.  This doesn’t necessarily mean they are fully external, because especially on flat roofs we often find gutter down pipes that begin on the flat roof and go through the homes internal walls; before exiting through the exterior walls and down the side of the home.  If there is any damage to these gutters, then internal dampness is a real cause for concern. This can be seen most noticeably where there are large discoloured patches on the outside of the wall near the gutters or also on the inside of the home.

If gutter down pipes are blocked mid-section, this can be one sure way that leads to dampness; all the way up the gutter down pipe. Water will find the smallest of holes to escape from and unfortunately this may be through the interior walls of the home.

3 Gutters that are full of water or debris weigh a lot! A gallon of water weighs 8 pounds and so a five inch gutter can hold around 5 pounds of water per foot. If you have 25 foot of guttering with a 5 inch gutter, that’s an enormous 130 pounds of weight being held up. When we consider that gutters are often held in place by small plastic rivets spaced up to 4 metres apart, that is a lot of weight being held up by minimum support. Hiring a gutter cleaner in Fife eliminates the risk of collapsing gutters, and when you consider the cost of structural repairs to walls/gutters it is not a big expense to have gutters cleaned out once a year. Look at this image we have, from the ground you would not even see how full this gutter line is-but the weight will be substantial.

*If you note sagging gutters then this is often due to there being a rivet broken, or the gutters are at maximum capacity and absolutely full. Please call us for a quotation.

4 Gutter cleaning is an opportunity for inspection. It is almost impossible to see any structural defects from the ground; you may see the symptom in a leak, but what is causing it? Is it a broken gutter joint, is the water coming over the sides of a full gutter or have you actually got roof damage instead?  When gutter cleaning in Fife, we always carry out an assessment on the structural safety of the gutters themselves; which includes showing the home owners any visual damage.

5 Gutters are a natural habitat for not only bacteria but also the colonisation of insects and also the nesting of birds. While we are always mindful not to remove nesting animals, we can do so when the nest is empty. The risks of having such nests in your guttering is; blocked down pipes, a constant noise of birds chirping, excess mess on the ground nearby and also the chance that they will return year after year.

6 Gutters that have poor drainage can cause water to pool either on your driveway/patio or also under the ground. This can clearly discolour your exterior surfaces and can kill plant life nearby. A constant splash on the ground near exterior walls can also lead to structural damage, where small cracks and holes in the walls are exposed by the constant splash of water. Exterior walls are built to withstand water damage but when this is a constant and daily issue, apart from the walls discolouring-they will eventually be penetrated. This image shows the extent of water damage damaged gutters can cause, note the discolouration beginning at the top of the gutter. We actually soft washed this wall since then, but that was an added bill that didn’t need to be the case.

Often we see modern homes with plastic down pipes that run down the side of the house and stop where the drain is. These are poorly designed because all debris build up at the bottom of the down pipe and no water can then pass into the drain. We have cut a few inches off these down pipes before, and this enables water to flow freely and the home owner can sweep up any excess debris.

Please see our home page www.fifewindowcleaningservices.co.uk for a list of all services we offer

The post SIX REASONS TO USE A FIFE GUTTER CLEANING COMPANY appeared first on Fife Window Cleaning Services.