The gutter season

Daniel Wahlen balances on a ladder, admiring his work from behind shiny aviator sunglasses. He used to get nervous when people would stop and watch him, but now, as he works on a house on Mills Avenue, he is confident and used to an audience.

Wahlen installs seamless rain gutters for Advance Builders and Roofers, Inc., and the people watching him are usually other Lodians who stop and ask him to clean or replace their gutters.

But like many gutter businesses, Advance Builders only installs new gutters, after the originals have been eaten away by years of sun-baked dirt and rust.

"You can only patch and plug gutters so many times," Wahlen said.

With the rain and wind season fast approaching, many homeowners are in search of a solution to their gutter problems or at least must face the unpleasant task of cleaning their gutters.

Finding someone to clean out the leaves and grime is almost as difficult as doing it on their own. Most gutter companies don't clean the gutters, they only replace the old gutters.

Mike Whiteside, president of Advance Builders, compares steel gutters used in most homes to cancer.

"Once it goes bad, you just can't fix it," he said.

Whiteside, who is up on the trends of the gutter industry, says aluminum is the solution. His staff tows a machine to each job site, where 15-inch wide coil of painted aluminum is unrolled and bent to create seamless gutters with leaf guards. Advance Builders offers this service for $5-$10 a foot, which runs about $1,500 for a normal job. Lowe's Home Improvement store also sells a screen covering for $1.73 for 3-feet.

Lowe's Building Material Team Leader Jason Senger says replacing gutters isn't always necessary.

"If your gutters are good and aren't leaking, there's no reason to rip them out," Senger said.

It is when the downspouts get clogged with leaves and debris that a muddy mess runs over onto patios and landscaping, often damaging walls and roofs. He agrees, though, a netting or covering is the best way to keep problems minimal.

Gutters fill with leaves this time of year. Some homeowners opt to make gutter cleaning a do-it-yourself project. (Jennifer M. Howell/News-Sentinel)

Some homeowners opt to make gutter cleaning and do-it-yourself project, but unless you are young and experienced, it's probably not the best option. Whiteside, as well as Senger, said older people get hurt most often in their venture to clear the gutters.

But when gutter installation companies are more prevalent than gutter-cleaning services, many homeowners have no choice but to do it themselves.

Jerico Chandler Seamless Rain Gutter Installations doesn't clean gutters, but Crystal Rieger who works at Jerico says she receives many calls from Lodi residents in search of someone willing to do the dirty work. Rieger called Stockton-area businesses who advertised gutter cleaning, but not a single phone call was returned.

So last year, Rieger took matters into her own hands. She and her boyfriend, who is known for doing odd-jobs, took on the task of cleaning the gutters of one caller after Rieger realized doing the job might be a good way to get outside and make a little pocket change.

With a sturdy ladder, a water hose with a strong nozzle to blow away grime and trash bags for the smudge, she spent about four hours on the rooftop of an apartment complex clearing leaves, garbage, spider webs and dirt.

"The grossest part was picking up the stuff you threw out of the gutter," she said.

Overall, she says it was fun, "But I like that kind of stuff."

Get to know your gutters

Maintaining clean gutters can prevent major damage to your roof and walls.
Step 1: Gain access to the roof with a ladder. Don't lean the ladder against a downspout or gutter, which can easily bend or break.
Step 2: Remove leaves and twigs from gutters by hand or with a large spoon, a gutter scoop or a small garden trowel.
Step 3: Wet down caked-on dirt, which can be difficult to remove without damaging the gutter itself.
Step 4: Put debris in a bucket or plastic trash bag placed on the roof or ladder. If you use a bag, you can just drop it when it's full.
Step 5: Check that the downspouts aren't clogged. Use water to unclog your downspouts by placing a garden hose in the opening. Be gentle at first; downspouts aren't designed to withstand the same pressure as a house drain. If a plugged downspout can't be cleared with a hose, use a small plumber's snake or an unbent clothes hanger. Again, be gentle, gutters are not as strong as house pipes.
Step 6: Alternatively, use a leaf blower to clean the gutters; however, this can be dangerous.
Step 7: Use the hose to flush the gutters with water after cleaning. (This is also the best time to find out if there are any leaks in the system.)
Source: http://www.ehow.com.

First published: Thursday, October 26, 2006

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