Gutter cleaning summary from 6/14/25
Performed: 6/14, and a few hours on 6/15
Preparation: scheduled several months in advance with all of maintenance, discussed twice at ACM, with sign up sheet, email reminders.
Tools:
-We now are the proud owner of three total ego cordless electric leaf blowers. Had two corded leaf blowers that performed sub optimally.
-Ladders. At least two a-frame for lower levels, and two taller ladders for second stories
-Buckets
Encourage people to bring:
-gloves
-Sunscreen/other sun protection
-Eye protection from leaf blowers
-IF GOING ON ROOFS OR SECOND STORY: long pants, gloves, and a hat. Roofs get very hot!!
Volunteers:
Saturday: 8 people, 3 of which willing to get on 2nd story
Sunday: 7 people, 2 of which willing to get on 2nd story roofs
Time frame: 8 hours Saturday, 5 hours Sunday
Things we did right this time:
-Sprayed for wasps a few days before.
-Had extra wasp spray for wasp nests we missed (like the ones we found inside the ch gutters…)
-Clipboards keeping track of gutters, splitting into upper and lower and front back. Assigned these clipboards to two people to update, helped us have an idea of what needed to be done
-Used hoses on downspouts, which ensured they were working properly and dislodged clogs
-Cheryl’s extra long red hose
-Lots of leaf blowers and ladders limited delays!
-Lots of advertising
-Encouraged people to bring treats. Seltzers and protein bars were a hit!
-Pizza after the work party!
Next time:
-Get a narrow hose attachment that provides high pressure while allowing the hose to fit down a downspout for stubborn clogs
-Emphasize to home owners we will need to use their hoses
-Emphasize to community we will try our best to be respectful, but debris will be spread by leaf blowers and we may damage plantings when setting up ladders. If this is intolerable, consider doing gutters yourself or hiring them out. However, due to the importance of this task as a part of preventative maintenance , please have it done before the gutter cleaning party so we can mark it up and don’t have to follow up and make sure it’s done.
-Encourage community members under elm trees to evaluate their gutters more than twice a year
--is the community ok with us charging the pizza to our budget?
Seasonal considerations:
-It was quite hot, consider starting earlier in the day (8 instead of 10)
-Spring: pros: cooler. Cons: weather more fickle, we have had issues where the debris is frozen solid. May not have hoses to test down spout
-Fall: better, so long as we don’t have freak storms
Preparation: scheduled several months in advance with all of maintenance, discussed twice at ACM, with sign up sheet, email reminders.
Tools:
-We now are the proud owner of three total ego cordless electric leaf blowers. Had two corded leaf blowers that performed sub optimally.
-Ladders. At least two a-frame for lower levels, and two taller ladders for second stories
-Buckets
Encourage people to bring:
-gloves
-Sunscreen/other sun protection
-Eye protection from leaf blowers
-IF GOING ON ROOFS OR SECOND STORY: long pants, gloves, and a hat. Roofs get very hot!!
Volunteers:
Saturday: 8 people, 3 of which willing to get on 2nd story
Sunday: 7 people, 2 of which willing to get on 2nd story roofs
Time frame: 8 hours Saturday, 5 hours Sunday
Things we did right this time:
-Sprayed for wasps a few days before.
-Had extra wasp spray for wasp nests we missed (like the ones we found inside the ch gutters…)
-Clipboards keeping track of gutters, splitting into upper and lower and front back. Assigned these clipboards to two people to update, helped us have an idea of what needed to be done
-Used hoses on downspouts, which ensured they were working properly and dislodged clogs
-Cheryl’s extra long red hose
-Lots of leaf blowers and ladders limited delays!
-Lots of advertising
-Encouraged people to bring treats. Seltzers and protein bars were a hit!
-Pizza after the work party!
Next time:
-Get a narrow hose attachment that provides high pressure while allowing the hose to fit down a downspout for stubborn clogs
-Emphasize to home owners we will need to use their hoses
-Emphasize to community we will try our best to be respectful, but debris will be spread by leaf blowers and we may damage plantings when setting up ladders. If this is intolerable, consider doing gutters yourself or hiring them out. However, due to the importance of this task as a part of preventative maintenance , please have it done before the gutter cleaning party so we can mark it up and don’t have to follow up and make sure it’s done.
-Encourage community members under elm trees to evaluate their gutters more than twice a year
--is the community ok with us charging the pizza to our budget?
Seasonal considerations:
-It was quite hot, consider starting earlier in the day (8 instead of 10)
-Spring: pros: cooler. Cons: weather more fickle, we have had issues where the debris is frozen solid. May not have hoses to test down spout
-Fall: better, so long as we don’t have freak storms
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