Gutter cleaning · Lacey, WA
Gutter Cleaning in Lacey
Fir needles and roof grit. We clear them out and flush the downspouts. While we're up there, we look for trouble.
5.0 · 85 Google reviews$1
per foot, about
For general maintenance cleaning. The average home has about 140 feet of gutter.
Four signs your gutters are full
- Water pours over the edge when it rains
- You can see debris or plants from the ground
- A gutter sags or pulls away from the house
- A downspout has stopped flowing
Any one of them is enough. Overflowing water pools at the foundation, and that's where the expensive problems start.
Spring
Douglas firs shed needles and cones all winter, and the wind finishes the job. By April a gutter under a fir in Lacey is holding a season of it, plus the grit that washes off the shingles. Clear it before the spring rain.
Fall
Bigleaf maples drop leaves the size of dinner plates. One of those can plug a downspout by itself. Clean after the leaves are down and before the heavy rain sets in.
Twice a year is the right number for most Lacey homes. If there's a tree over the roof, don't stretch it.
What each sign is telling you
- Water going over the front
- The channel or the downspout is blocked, so the gutter fills like a bathtub and spills.
- Streaks on the board behind the gutter
- This one matters more than it looks. Water is going over the back edge and running down the fascia, the board the gutter hangs on. Wood that stays wet rots.
- Plants
- Seeds need soil. If something is growing up there, enough needles have broken down to make some. Those gutters haven't been cleaned in a long time.
- Sagging
- Wet debris is heavy. The hangers are made to carry moving water, and a trough full of soaked needles pulls them loose. Then water runs behind the gutter.
Don't forget the downspouts
A gutter can look fine from the ground and still be plugged where it meets the downspout. During a steady rain, look at the bottom of each one. A trickle while it's pouring means a clog, usually at the top elbow.
Then look at the ground. Washed-out mulch or a puddle against the house means roof water is landing in the wrong spot.
Firs don't take a season off
Lacey's newest park, Greg Cuoio Park, is 139 acres and most of it is forest. That tells you what this city is built in. The trees are the best thing about living here, and every one of them sheds.
Maples drop their leaves once, in fall. Firs drop needles all year. If your Lacey house sits under evergreens, one check in November won't cover you. Look again in spring.
What a clog costs
Water that can't get down the downspout goes over the edge and pools at the foundation. Or it goes over the back and soaks the fascia until it rots. Full gutters also make a good home for pests. A cleaning is a short visit and it's cheaper than any of those repairs.
What a visit covers
We remove the debris, flush every downspout and look over the gutters for problems while we're up there. You stay on the ground. We'll take care of the ladder.
Full, then running
Leaves and standing water on the left. The same gutter flushed clear on the right. Drag the handle.
We also do roof cleaning, house washing, driveways and patios, windows and decks and fences.
Gutter cleaning in Lacey: questions
General maintenance cleaning is about $1 per foot. The average home has about 140 feet of gutter, so about $140. Size and condition change the number, and the quote is free.
Anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours. It depends on the size of the house and how packed the gutters are.
You can. You'll need a sturdy ladder, gloves, a scoop, a bucket and a hose. It's the ladder that worries us. If you aren't comfortable up there, call.
No. Guards keep a lot of debris out and cut down on clogs. They still need checking.
At least twice a year, in spring and in fall. If the house sits under trees, more often.
Walk the house once during a steady rain. Water spilling over the edge, dark streaks under the gutter and a downspout that only trickles all mean a clog.
Sometimes. Soft washing is mostly for roofs and siding, and it helps when a gutter has algae or mildew on it. We'll tell you which method yours needs.