How's this for clean gutters?

[Mike Hughes 18]

One of the most solid extension wands out there is the Extend-A-Wand.............simply based on design. A lot of poles flex too much, which makes them hard to control when fully extended.

The Extend-a-Wand, when fully extended, flexes at least half as much as some wands I've used in the past.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Tony...

The database shuffled the photos. Can you repost your pic? Thanks a million!

Beth

p.s. Project Earth, I got your email and will fix your user name. :)

If you are interested in Extend-A-Wand, give us a call. We can help you.

[Guest rfitz]

Mike,

Ever try the Coress wand, ? made from aircraft aluminum..? Has quite a set of nice attachments, not to mention you can hold it with 1 hand..?

Im sure both Extend a wand and coress is comparable... I have heard only good things about both

[ProjectEarth 14]

What about brushes?? soft, hard bristles? Where do you folks buy your brushes?

[bellwayne 14]

Generally soft bristles, but I carry a stiff deck brush on the trailer as well. Best soft brush has been an RV washing brush, telescopic handle made of aluminum, retro fitted with QD connector to provide water flow when needed. All brushes from Home Depot and less than $20 each.

Would like to hear other's ideas as well.

Wayne

[Paul B. 523]

A soft nylon bristled brush works well, such as the (used) Quickie shown in the attached photo. They are car / truck brushes and can be purchased in several different stores including Home Depot and Lowes for under $10.

A couple of extension poles come in handy, a shorter one for ranch style homes and a longer 16ft plus for 2 story gutters.

I prefer the blue aluminum poles that twist lock (they can also be purchased at Home Depot / Lowes).

We also have fiberglass poles in case we have to work close to electrical lines. Take extreme care working around electric lines coming into homes - it only takes one mistake - Zaaap!

"Safety First and Make IT Last!"

[ProjectEarth 14]

Ok..I know I'm the new guy here, but I can't bite my tongue on this one:

Paul--the picture you have for your posts. Was that taken after you accidentally hit a power-line with your aluminum pole?

Couldn't resist! Trust me, you have my respect!

-JC

[Paul B. 523]

The pole was burried with the employee. However, a 10 ft section IS sticking out of the ground. We did manage to salvage the brush - hoping to get at least another year (or employee) out of it!

[ProjectEarth 14]

"Don't discount the effectivness of greased lightening,at full strength it is awesome on gutters,diluted down it makes a good house wash,rim/tire cleaner,degreaser.....you name it it willmore than likely clean it.Remember it will kill plants and gras,so rinse,rinse,rinse and rinse again."

I saw a gallon of this stuff in Home Depot today for like $7.. It lists its uses as a great house wash for vinyl and aluminum..

I flip to the back of the label and it CLEARLY says: DO NOT USE ON ALUMINUM! WILL DAMAGE!

Now i might be dumb, but im not that dumb (am i?)

-JC

[Aplus 525]

Here's the pix that were missing.....

[James 624]

I'm not sure that is A+ quality . More like B+......LOL

[CompletelyClean 14]

Has anyone tried Xterior's "Housewash"? I just bought a gallon to try and I'm on my way out the door to wash a house with it for the first time. I'll let you know how it works out for me and if anyone else has had some experience with it, please provide some feedback, as well. Thanks.

[CompletelyClean 14]

Well, I washed the house today but I didn't use the Housewash from Xterior. The house wasn't even that dirty (you gotta LOVE those customers!). I did use the Gutter Zap for th very first time today and let me just say....pphhbbbbttt!!!!

Spray on, rinse off...my A$$! These gutters were NOT even that dirty. Last Nov 25th (5 months ago), I had installed the solid vinyl gutter guards with the drip edge that hangs over the gutter, minimizing the black streaks on this house. Consequently, the streaking was minimal, yet I sprayed on, let dwell for a couple of minutes, rinsed off ad saw a VERY SLIGHT difference. I mixed the GZ per the mfg. suggestions of 2 parts water to 1 part chemical. I was going to try Tony's suggestion of adding a little Sod. Hyd. and I didn't feel like mixing any more chems once I started the job, so I just grabbed the old brush and went at it. I was glad this is a 1 story ranch where the gutters are only about 12' high.

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times...I do NOT believe there is a sray on, rinse off chem for white gutters with black streaks that TRULY clean the gutters. At least not in this part of the world.

[Aplus 525]

Bryan,

I know this is not what you want to hear, but this is the truth. There is no attempted cover up here.

After nine years in this business, I've realized there is no one cure for all that ails.

I've washed a LOT of houses, and tried MANY different chems, searching for the holy grail of gutter cleaners.

Every gutter streak is different. Old gutters that have had streaks for a long time can be very stubborn to clean. I think that the stain permiates right into the paint on the gutters. Or maybe the paint oxidizes to the point that the staining gets locked in. I'm not sure exactly what the reason is that some gutters are so troubling.

I've had some that I could not get clean. I felt like using anything stronger was going to damage the finish.

Maybe 1/4 of the time, gutter zap is truly touchless. Most require a little agitation with a brush. I've got a 20' extension pole that reaches to most all 2nd story gutters. Single story homes are a cinch to brush, so I figure to brush all gutters anyway, and if I luck out and get one that cleans touchless, then that's great.

Be careful of what chems you use to clean gutters. What goes up, must come down. Some of the ingrediants can be carcinogenic. I would always recommend checking out the MSDS to be sure you understand what you are using, and how to protect yourself.

For myself, I prefer to brush a little rather than use more toxic, potentially carcinogenic chemicals. But that's just me.

Other opinions will vary.

[Paul B. 523]

I found that if you can foam it on, the chemical holds better and cleans better with a spray on application. Make sure you don't pre-wet the gutters.

Along with differences in adhesion strength of dirt, don't forget that air, surface temperatures and water hardness play a large role in cleaning effectiveness.

[Mike 64]

Tony, it looks like the photos have disappeared. Would you have any more? I would like to see gutter zap in action. Thanks!