Our Services & Products

1. Hassle-free gutter maintenance program

In an effort to make routine gutter cleaning service more convenient for you, Best Gutter Cleaning has designed the very popular Ongoing Gutter Maintenance Programs customized to every home owner's needs.
After your initial gutter cleaning and evaluation is performed at your property, we will send you a simple proposal suggesting how often your gutters need to be cleaned, depending on the condition of your gutters and conditions around your house.
On the proposal, you will simply consider our suggestion and initial next to the service level that you choose, sign and mail it back, while keeping a copy for your records.
Once you have an established program, we will simply contact you a few days prior to scheduled service to confirm the gutter cleaning; however, no one needs to be present for the work to be done. The gutter cleaning will be done as scheduled and any other prearranged gutter matters that need attention will be taken care of. We will then leave a tag on your door to let you know that the work was done and mail you an invoice.

2. Gutter cleaning and free evaluation

Gutter cleaning is one of the most important home-maintenance services needed at least twice a year. It is often overlooked until gutters actually overflow and cause substantial damage. Preventive maintenance is the most efficient way to prolong the life of your gutters, roof, windows and siding.

Gutter cleaning consists of cleaning out leaves and debris from gutters and downspouts and cleaning off all accessible roof areas. It also includes cleaning up gutter cleaning related debris off the ground after the gutters are cleaned. In addition, the gutter cleaning technician will make notes and record the condition of your gutters at no extra charge. Should your gutters need special attention we will let you know if you are at home, otherwise we will call you or will list any suggested additional work on the invoice.

3. Gutter strainer installations

Gutters often do not have any strainers installed on top of the downspouts, and if they do, often those strainers are inadequate to do the job of keeping the debris out the downspouts and letting water through. Our gutter strainers are made from heavy gage mig-welded steel wire, which makes them strong and heavy so they stay in place. They are also galvanized to protect them against the elements. These strainers last at least six or seven years, making them more economical than cheaper aluminum or plastic versions that commonly need to be replaced every year. The wind often blows lesser quality strainers out of place and they can just lay next to the downspout opening rather than sitting in it. Further, aluminum strainers are flimsy and often bent out of shape. The UV rays usually break down the plastic strainers and within a couple of years these strainers just crumble falling inside the downspouts they were intended to protect. We encourage you to have us install our gutter strainers to reduce future downspout clogging in between cleanings.
Please note: For copper gutters use only copper strainers. Copper reacts chemically (through a process known as electrolysis) with aluminum, resulting in holes in the gutter. For that same reason don't use copper strainers in aluminum gutters.

4. Gutter screens or covers

Gutter screens are very profitable. For that reason every hardware store or even home improvement catalogue carries some sort of contraption, cheep or expensive, with a promise that you won't have to clean your gutters ever again. The fact is that every year we remove screens out of gutters on hundreds of homes. Simply, because there is no screen, or helmet, or mesh that will keep EVERYTHING out of your gutters. Screened gutters also have to be cleaned on a regular basis and the cost is often much higher because of the extra labor involved. On the other hand, we will be happy to install screens for you if you desire, but we do not recommend them nor guarantee their durability or effectiveness.

5. Gutter repairs

Our technicians are trained to spot problem areas with your gutter system that can easily be overlooked by any homeowner. The evaluation of your gutters is best done when the gutters are being cleaned. This way we see what's in the gutter, how it is attached to the fascia board and what is the condition of the edge of roof. Below are some common repairs:

• Normal wear and tear after about 20-30 years aluminum and copper gutters begin to have pinholes. When it rains it appears that water drips from gutters that are seemingly in good condition. In fact both copper and aluminum oxidize and as a result tiny pinholes form resulting in dripping. Gutter replacement is the only solution.



• Sagging gutters: Older gutters often sag because years ago contractors used big spike nails to nail the gutter through the front and back of the gutter and into the facial board. Because the metal constantly expands and contracts, over time the gutters literally pull the spikes out weakening the whole gutter system (sadly some contractors still use those spikes as opposed to inside hidden gutter hangers which should be screwed into the facial board instead of nailed). Gutter replacement is necessary in most cases. On newer sagging gutters it is sometimes possible to install inside hidden hangers to reinforce and re-pitch them.
  
  
• Storm damage occurs when gutters get crushed by falling objects; such as branches. This is easily spotted and usually only the one damaged gutter has to be replaced.



• Ice dam damage occurs when thick snow melts from the bottom because the roof is warmer than the air temperature. The water then freezes in the gutter and on top of the overhang where this ice actually builds up, sometimes to a thickness as much as a foot or more. Behind this ice dam forms a puddle of water, sometimes several inches deep and it often leaks inside through spaces between shingles. The remedy is to properly insulate the attic, and also to install ice watch on the horizontal first three feet of the roof under the shingles. Unfortunately, this is a roofing and insulation problem.



• Dented downspouts: Downspouts serve an important function of draining water collected by gutters away from the foundation and should be repaired in a timely manner. Usually just the dented or crushed section of downspout has to be replaced and is relatively inexpensive.



• Standing water in gutters can be the result of improperly installed gutters that don't pitch enough so that the water flows towards the downspout. It can also be the result of sagging gutters, which were nailed to the fascia board with gutter spikes, or hidden hangers were used but they were nailed in rather than screwed in. This can be fixed by re-pitching the gutters properly and reinforcing them with inside hidden hangers and screws.