Q – 4 years ago I had the best gutter covers installed on my gutters to keep the gunk out. Now my gutters are over-flowing.
Do I need new gutters?
Mary Ellen – Decatur
A – I can’t speak to whether you do or don’t need new gutters without first seeing your current gutters, but I can tell you this:
Gutters, even those with gutter covers, still need to be cleaned.
Whoops – watch your language there... I am sorry but it is true.
Over time (could be 5-6 months, could be a couple of years) gutters will accumulate gunk, shingle debris, dust and dirt that blow around, the odd leaf and pine needle, animal nests - they will all find their way into your gutters where they will decay and create a layer of grossness which will eventually block your gutter from doing its job correctly.
Can’t help it that is the way it works. I just spent a morning cleaning out a part of one of my gutters and it was disgusting.
Now here is the hard part – who do you get to do the work.
Well – you can do it if you don’t mind going up and down a ladder about 50 times, trying to manipulate your gutter covers so you can reach into the gutter and scrape yuck out with your free hand.
If you have more than a one story house this is probably not your best solution but I will tell you this – it is difficult to find a good gutter cleaner. Seriously.
You need to find a legitimate guy (or company) that has up to date insurance and workman’s comp. He should be able to provide you with a current copy of his insurance policy and you should take the 5 minutes to call said insurance company and make sure that policy is in effect.
Sometimes you can find a roofer to do this, but that is more of a long shot than a sure shot.
Beware hiring the guys who advertise on a 7x11 cardboard cut-out nailed to a telephone pole (see previous paragraph about insurance).
I would start with a real handyman company or a good roofer and see if they do that work or can give you a referral.