Gutter Cleaning in South London

What Affects the Cost?

• •Property height and how many storeys the gutters run at
• •Access, whether a pole reaches or it needs a tower or a scaffold
• •How blocked the run is, light leaf litter through to packed moss and silt
• •Whether downpipes are blocked and need rodding from below
• •Number of separate runs, valleys and hopper heads on the roof
• •A one-off clear set against a recurring schedule for a landlord or block

Areas We Cover

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a gutter clean actually involve?

We clear every run of leaves, moss and silt back to bare gutter, then deal with the downpipes, which are where most real blockages sit. Light debris comes out by hand into a bag so it does not wash down and block the pipe. Packed moss and wet silt come out with a gutter-vac, which reaches high runs from the ground and pulls the compacted material that a ladder cannot. Once the gutter is clear we run water through it to check it falls to the outlet rather than ponding, and we rod or flush any downpipe that is slow. While we are up there we look at the brackets, the joints and the line of the gutter, because a clean is the moment to spot a sagging run or a dripping union before it does damage. You get photos of the cleared runs before we leave.

Why do blocked gutters cause damp and rot inside the house?

A blocked gutter has nowhere to send the water, so in heavy rain it overflows the front edge and runs straight down the wall. That constant wetting soaks the brickwork, and over a winter it shows up inside as damp patches behind the wall, blown plaster, and a musty smell in the corner of a bedroom or at the top of a stairwell. Where the overflow runs near timber, it rots the fascias, the soffits and the wall plate. Moss and silt also hold water against the back of the gutter and the fascia, which is how you get the soft, crumbling timber that needs replacing. Most of the damp we are called to look at on upper walls traces back to a gutter that has not run properly for a season or two. Clearing it early costs far less than the plaster and timber repairs that follow if it is left.

When does a gutter need replacing rather than just clearing?

Clearing fixes a blockage. It does not fix a gutter that has failed. If the run sags between brackets and ponds water even when clear, the brackets or the fall have gone and it needs refixing or rehanging. Old cast-iron gutters that are rusting through, or plastic that has gone brittle and cracked along the top edge and at the joints, will keep dripping however often you clean them, because the leak is in the gutter itself. Joints that have dropped and pulled apart, and outlets that have split, are past sealing. We will tell you honestly which it is. A lot of runs only need realigning, a few new brackets and a joint reseal, which we do on the same visit. Where a run is genuinely past it, the same firm can replace that section or the full guttering rather than send you looking for someone else.

Why work off a tower or a pole instead of a ladder against the gutter?

A ladder leant against the gutter is how gutters get bent and how people fall. The gutter is not made to take a ladder's weight, so the run distorts and the joints open, and you have made the problem worse. On a low single storey we work off a stable platform or a pole-fed vacuum from the ground. On a two-storey wall, a valley, or a run over a conservatory or an extension roof, we use a scaffold tower or a telescopic vac pole so nobody is balanced on a wall and no weight goes onto the gutter. It is slower to set up and it is the right way to do it. It also means we can take our time checking the brackets and the joints properly rather than rushing because the ladder is uncomfortable.

How often should gutters be cleared, and can you do it on a schedule?

Most houses want a clear once a year, after the leaves come down in late autumn so the run goes into winter empty. A property with trees close by, with conservatory or extension valleys, or with a lot of nearby planes and limes, often needs it twice a year, because those runs fill fast. For landlords, agents and managed blocks we set up a recurring schedule, usually annual or twice yearly, so the gutters are dealt with before a tenant reports a leak rather than after the ceiling has stained. A regular clear is also the cheapest insurance against the damp and the timber repairs that a single missed winter can cause. Tell us the property and the trees around it and we will say how often it realistically needs doing.

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