Have you ever wondered what gets your gutters blocked all the time? The answer is fallen leaves, moss, and branches.
Anytime there’s a water drainage problem, these organic materials are often found to be behind the damage. Leaves and twigs look so harmless. How are they able to wreak such serious havoc?
Well, a single leaf will not clog your gutter right away. However, when plenty of leaves, twigs, and other debris rot and accumulate, they’ll eventually obstruct the gutter system and limit water flow.
The spillover effect of this is that water begins to overflow the gutter and damage your building. The way to stop this from happening is to get your gutters cleaned up at least a couple of times in one year.
Price Of Professional Gutter Cleaning In the UK
Gutter cleaning is not an easy task, so some people prefer to just hire professionals to come to do it for them. Of course, this service comes with a price.
So, what do you think? How much does gutter cleaning cost in the UK?
It depends on the cleaning agency. However, they most often set their prices between £23 and £111.
The specific price will be decided after many factors have been taken into consideration. We will be discussing these factors in this post as well as explaining the benefits of allowing experts clean your gutters.
Factors Affecting Professional Gutter Cleaning prices
The Property Type: There are different kinds of property. Naturally, the prices of cleaning the gutter of these various property types cannot be the same. For example, the price of a terraced home cannot be the same as that of detached or semi-detached home.
Height of Property: The higher the property, the higher the drainage system, right? reaching higher takes more effort and risk. This is why second floor gutter cleaning may be more expensive than first floor or ground floor cleaning.
Special Requests: You can just get your gutter cleaned or ask the workers to clean the system downpipes as well. If you request for this extra service when you book, the price you’ll pay will likely be higher than the cost of simply cleaning the gutters alone. So, if you request additional services, you’ll need to pay more.
Price List of Professional Gutter Cleaning Cost
- Cleaning a terraced building ground floor costs around £39, the first-floor costs £59 and the second-floor costs £81
- An end-of terraced property main floor is £49, the first floor is £69 while the second floor is £91
- Semi-detached house main floor gutters cost £59 to clean, first floor is £79 while the second floor is £111
- A detached home starts from £79 for the main floors, £89 for the first and around £94 for the second floor.
- Main floor Downpipe cleaning costs around £14, the first floor is £17, and the second floor is £19
- Conservatory cost £23 for the main floor, first floor, and second floor.
What to Expect from Professional Gutter Cleaning Service?
- The cleaning agency should examine the problem areas thoroughly and take pictures of what the gutters look like before cleaning
- The entire debris should be gone by the time they’re finished with the cleaning
- Remove all the debris blown from the gutter that fall around your house.
- Collect and dispose of collected debris
- Take after-photos to prove the difference between the old and newly cleaned gutter.
Things to Do Before the Workers Arrive for Cleaning
- Provide an easily accessible source of electricity so that the workers can easily power their gutter cleaner machine.
- The workers are probably coming with a lot of equipment, so make sure to get a suitable parking space ready for them. Of course, the parking space should be as close to your house as possible so they can easily transport the equipment from the parking area to the house.
- Provide a way of accessing both the back entrance and front entrance of your building. This way, they can clean all the gutters around your home properly.
- Make sure to remove all gutter guards before the technicians arrive, especially if they’re using a gutter cleaning vacuum that has a telescopic pole.
How Risky Can Abandoning your Gutters Be?
Here are the things that can happen when you neglect your gutters:
- A collection and buildup of leaves, bird guano, twigs, and seeds will cause your gutters and downspout walls to get blocked. At times, the seeds can even germinate and begin to grow. This can cause your gutters to damage.
- Water overflows the gutters, leak into your building, and causes water damage. Everything from your basement, foundation, crawlspace, and roof will be susceptible to leaks.
- Overflowing water from clogged gutters located over windows can stain the windows beneath.
- A dirty, blocked gutter makes a great home for bugs and other insects, frogs, mold, fungi, bacteria, and tiny lizards
How Long Will It Take to Get Gutters Cleaned?
Again, different properties have different gutter cleaning duration. Some gutters are tougher to clean than others. However, here’s a breakdown of the estimated amount of time it will take to clean the gutters of some kinds of property
- A terraced building can take up to 1 hour
- An end-of terraced house is around 1 hour and 30 minutes
- A Semi-detached home is about 2 hours
- A Detached house still varies according to size but they’re often between 1 to 4 hours.
How Risky is Cleaning Your Gutter Yourself?
You Risk Falling: Cleaning gutters would have been easier if there isn’t a need to climb ladders. But since there often is, it would be dangerous to simply climb a ladder and do the cleaning yourself. You could lose balance and fall.
You May Damage Your Building: Sometimes, people rent professional cleaning machines without knowing how to use them. At the end of the day, they wind up breaking a window, damaging the gutter, or even ruining the equipment.
You May Electrocute Yourself: More often than not, you’ll find wires around gutters on the roof. Trying to clean your gutters without proper knowledge of how to work around these wires can land you in a hospital.
- Examine your gutters frequently and remove debris with your hands if you can
- Repair your gutters if they’re loose. Change the spikes using gutter screws and a cordless drill. These screws give more stability and support than just normal spikes.
- Block all holes in your gutters using silicone caulk.
- Clean out your downspouts and ensure that all the joints fit properly together. You can direct the water exiting your downspout by using downspout extension, splash blocks, or irrigation pipe.
Seeking Professional Help: Knowing how stressful and dangerous it can be to clean your gutters yourself, we recommend that you hire professionals to do the cleaning for you. There are gutter cleaning agencies who can handle the task for you at an affordable price. Reach out to them rather than endangering yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Many Times Do Gutters Need to be Cleaned?
A minimum of two times a year.
How Can I Tell That My Gutter Needs Cleaning
Oftentimes, water will overflow the gutters and leak into basements. If you notice your gutter sagging or leaking, then there’s a big chance it is clogged and needs cleaning. If not taken care of, the issue may become worse and start causing infestation, and foundation damage.
How Can I Avoid Cleaning My Gutter Altogether?
A leaf filter can minimize the amount of debris that get to your gutter and clog it. However, they merely reduce dirt, not completely stop them from gaining access to your gutter. You will eventually still need to get the gutters cleaned.
