Gutter Cleaning Archives

3 Signs That It’s Time to Clean Your Dryer Vent

March 11, 2019November 19, 2023DebraLeave a Comment

Dirty dryer vents are gross. But, more importantly, they’re a serious fire hazard. Dryer vents should be inspected at least once yearly. Read on for information on how to recognize when it’s time to clean your dryer vent.

It's Time to Clean Your Dryer Vent — Clothes dryer vent tube

According to FEMA, 2,900 home clothes dryer fires are reported each year. And fires caused by clothes dryers cause an estimated five deaths, 100 injuries, and $35 million in property loss.

Signs that it’s time to clean your clothes dryer vent:

First, the Outside of your Dryer is Very Hot

This is a warning sign that the vent does not exhaust properly. In fact, if your dryer is hot to the touch, the system may be clogged and blocking airflow. This not only wastes energy, it causes premature wear on the heat element and blower.

Second, Drying Time Takes Longer than Usual

When a dryer vent is clogged, the drying cycle time doubles or triples. For that reason, clothes are not completely dry at the end of a regular cycle. A dryer is designed to push out hot, moist air. And if your dryer vent is blocked, the air stays in your dryer and keeps your clothes moist. Hence, when your dryer runs longer, you cut your machine’s useful life in half.

Third, You Notice a Burning Odor

When you run your dryer, you should not notice a burning odor. Accordingly, lint is flammable and if it gets too hot, it will catch on fire. The lint not only builds up in the exhaust tube, and lint trap, it can build up in the drum casing. If you smell this, stop using the dryer immediately and call for a service or inspection.

Clean Your Dryer Vent clothes dryer fire

In conclusion, clogged dryer vents are one of the top causes of dryer fires. And, although this is a much less dramatic concern, an inefficient dryer can also cost you both time and money, tacking on as much as $20 a month to your utility bill. Dryer vents should be inspected at least once yearly.

Benefits of a Clean Dryer Vent System

A clean dryer vent reduces your chances of a dryer fire
It lowers your power bill, because the cycles are much more efficient
It increases the lifespan of your dryer

Bob Vila has a great article on how to clean your dryer vents.

Contact Gutter King Wichita for local resources on dryer duct cleaning.

Home Maintenance Practices That Hurt More Than Help

March 8, 2019November 19, 2023DebraLeave a Comment

home maintenance gutter cleaning wichita

Home Maintenance is important; however, there are home maintenance practices that hurt more than help. Read on to discover more.

OVER-TIGHTENING YOUR HOME

Your house needs to breathe. When you caulk around window and door framing, you certainly protect your home from heat/cooling loss. However, there are important openings that you shouldn’t seal. For example, all factory-built storm windows have small weep holes in the lower part of the frame. These permit moisture to drain. Don’t seal these small weep holes or moisture can collect in the window. Check out Bob Vila’s article on storm window weep holes for more information.

Sealing every gap can decrease overall air quality

Sealing every gap can prevent critical ventilation, it can increase allergens, and it can decrease overall air quality. Home maintenance is important; however, it’s important to perform maintenance correctly.

TOO MUCH LANDSCAPING

Overgrown landscaping will cover windows and grow up into the eaves of the house

Trees and shrub plantings are great; however there are considerations to take when maintaining or planting. For example, overly dense plantings can create big issues. Trees should have their canopy maintained and kept at a height which permits airflow beneath. Also, dead branches can hinder the growth of healthy branches.

If your trees are planted so close together that light and airflow is blocked, health and cosmetic issues will be present. For example, decking, walkways, and outdoor carpeting will host microbial growth.

Trees, shrubs, and ground cover need constant care. Overgrown landscaping will cover windows and grow up into the eaves of the house. This overgrowth can cause extensive damage to your roof and more.

Here is a great article on landscaping from Farm Bureau Financial Services.

EXTENSIVE POWER WASHING

You like to clean. And you may even like to use a power washer to wash your house. You can wash all sorts of things with a power washer. For example, you can clean patio furniture, decking, house siding, fences, and the stone on your house. And it’s easy to rent a full-size power washer, or even buy a small one. A power washer will make stains and grime disappear like magic. But it’s important to perform this maintenance task correctly.

how to ruin a window screen power wash window screen gutter king wichita — You can see the swirl path of damage from the power washer

Window Damage

A powerful force of water can destroy the seals around your windows. When the seals leak, you open up the potential to microbial growth and wood rot. And the strong force of water can easily damage screens as you can see above.

Stone Damage

If you power wash too close to masonry, mineral deposits can seep from the stone. You will see streaks and stains later, which are nearly impossible to remove.

Deck Damage

If you use a power washer on your wood deck, you risk serious damage to the wood. Pressure washing is an effective way to remove old paint, stain, and microbial growth. However, if you or a contractor uses too much pressure, you can damage the soft wood that is between the darker bands of wood.

Hire a professional for safety and best results. Gutter King Wichita can help. We use a “soft wash” method, along with an eco-friendly cleaning solution. We safely remove dirt and stains. Our system eliminates microbial growth without damage to your deck surfaces.

power wash deck can destroy soft wood gutter king wichita soft wash deck cleaning Home Maintenance Practices That Hurt — An eroded deck surface on the left, which was cleaned with a power washer

Home Maintenance is important; however, there are home maintenance practices that can hurt more than help.

Gutter Overflow

March 7, 2019November 19, 2023DebraLeave a Comment

Gutter overflow can damage your home. When a gutter overflows, it’s bad. Gutters are designed to channel storm water runoff from your roof, into your downspouts. But when there is a problem, the water will spill over the sides of your gutters.

A few of the consequences to gutter overflow are:

a fall hazard
a cracked foundation
basement flooding
fascia board rot
stained or discolored siding
landscape erosion

Do these five things before gutter overflow damages your home:

1. Clean Out Your Gutters

gutter cleaning wichita Gutter Overflow Can Damage

At least twice each year, you need to climb up a ladder (or hire a professional) and remove the sludge, pine needles, twigs, and leaves. Then using a garden hose, run water through the gutters and downspouts. If there is a blockage, you may have to use a high pressure sprayer to break up.

2. Install Gutter Guards

gutter guards wichita Gutter Overflow Can Damage

It’s important to cover your gutters with a product designed to keep solids out of the gutters. They are made from a variety of materials and come in many different designs. While economical, many of the alternatives found at the big box stores become plugged with debris due to the larger openings. And unless they’re professionally installed gutter guards, they typically blow off the gutters during our Kansas high winds.

3. Check the Tilt and Pitch of Your Gutters

gutter king wichita check tilt and pitch of gutter

Check the slope of your gutters. If it’s flat, water will stand in the gutters and will not flow toward the downspouts. If the slope is too steep, the water will splash over at the ends during heavy rain. Also, check the pitch of your gutters by using a level to make sure they aren’t tilting backward or forward. Gutter King Wichita can help you with this. Give us a call.

4. Check Your Gutter Sizes

gutter king wichita large gutter downspout

In homes which have steep-pitched roofs, sometimes the existing gutters are just too small to handle the volume of runoff that flows from the roof. You may need to install larger gutters. Call us for a free inspection.

5. Install Gutter Shields

Runoff water in roof valleys is typically traveling too fast to drain into gutters and will splash over and onto the ground. Use gutter shields or gusher guards wherever you have a valley section of roof, to help prevent water from flowing over the lip of your gutter. A gutter shield is usually an L-shaped piece of aluminum attached at the corner of a gutter system, at the roof valley. This diverts water into the gutters. To install, drill holes into the splash guards and gutter, then install rivets inside the holes, to permanently fasten the splash guard to your gutters.

Call us at 316.680.6708 for a Free Inspection. If there is an issue, we can quickly provide you with a free, no obligation quote for cleaning or repair.

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Why Are My Gutters Dripping?

March 3, 2019November 19, 2023DebraLeave a Comment

“Why Are My Gutters Dripping?” is a question worth exploring. It is not uncommon for people to ignore leaking gutters. When you see a little water dripping from your gutter, it is important to understand what may be the cause. Below, we discuss five common causes of dripping gutters that we see frequently.

Discovering the Possible Reasons for Dripping Gutters

First, we recommend that you have a professional meet with you to inspect your gutter systems. Because of varying degrees of issues, it’s impossible to diagnose every cause in an article. But following are the most common reasons.

5 Common Reasons for Dripping Gutters

Begin with a walk around the exterior of your home. You don’t need to climb a ladder and risk a fall.

1. Loose Fasteners

Your rain gutters are attached to the fascia boards with a screw, nail, or hanger. These go straight through the side of the gutter and into the fascia board. When loose, they create small leaks around the hole of the fastener. When there is a hole, there is a dripping gutter. Loose fasteners also cause the next item, improper gutter slope.

2. Improper Gutter Slope

Over time, gutters will sag. One reason is because of loose fasteners. So that rain water drains towards the downspouts, your gutters should be installed with a slight downward slope. When fasteners are loose, rain water will weigh down the gutter and change the slope. And when this happens, you will have a dripping gutter.

When a gutter sags, often times, the best way to fix is to have the sagging sections re-hung.

3. Cracks or Holes

Small cracks and holes are repaired by sealing with a special waterproof gutter sealant. If not repaired, the smaller cracks and holes will enlarge over time and you’ll notice your gutters dripping.

If holes are large, the best way to resolve is to replace the entire section of gutter.

4. Clogged Gutters

clogged gutters gutter cleaning wichita gutter king wichita — Pine needles clog the rain gutter

Clogged gutters cause rain water to back-up and not flow through the downspout. When water backs up, it will pour over the sides and edges of the gutter.

It’s very important to keep your gutters and downspouts clean from leaves and debris. Worse things can happen with clogged gutters, than just water flowing over the sides and edges.

5. Separated Joints

The gutter section joints–especially in the corners or ends, eventually begin to separate over time. When we clean your gutters, we reseal and tighten your gutter systems.

Are Your Gutters Dripping?

There are several reasons why gutters leak. Stay safe and call us for a FREE INSPECTION. If we find an issue, we quickly provide you with a estimate for cleaning or needed repairs.

How will I know when my gutters need to be cleaned?

February 24, 2019November 19, 2023Debra1 Comment

We do get this question a lot: “How will I know when my gutters need to be cleaned?”

You probably would rather think about a zillion other things besides your gutters. We understand.

Well, lemme ask you a question and then I will tell you a short little story.

A Question

Have you ever walked into a room of your basement and suddenly heard “splat-squish-splat-squish” down at your feet? And not a crunchy sound, like broken bits of dog food on the garage floor that should have been swept up. But instead, a sloppy, wet, and squishy sound. Like something is very berry wrong. Well, once upon a time, a very long time ago, we did that! Yep.

how will I know when my gutters need to be cleaned gutter cleaning wichita

A Short Little Story

It went something like this:

“Hey, ummmm what is this?” she asked.

“What’s what?” he asked.

“The carpet! It’s wet,” she said.

“What… I say what in the name of Jesse James do you suppose that is?”
–Foghorn Leghorn

“Oh, that’s water coming in at the top!”

How will I know when my gutters need to be cleaned

[sigh] It was a disaster! A pain in the butt. It was not fun. And furthermore, the cost to repair it was everything in this universe BUT cheap!

Cleaning the gutters would certainly have cost less.

The End.

gutter cleaning wichita

how will I know when my gutters need to be cleaned

Proactive versus Reactive

The BEST way to tell if your gutters are working properly is by taking a walk around the outside of your house and performing your own inspection.

you should check the downspouts and seams for cracks or separations, and
check that water flows down to the downspouts and doesn’t leak at the elbows, and
look at the splash blocks to see if they are properly aligned under the downspouts, and
make sure the gutters are not bent, crushed or coming off of the house

If you see any of the following, please give us a call right away:

water dripping from the bottom of the gutters (when it is not raining)
rainwater pooling at the foundation
a water trough or impression on your turf or landscape, near the foundation, and parallel to the roof line

BUT… most importantly, please don’t get out your ladder (unless you work for us).

Don’t risk a fall. Because your wife, husband, mother, father, daughter, son and your dog will thank you.

Just give us a call. Within mere minutes, we’ll set you up for a F.R.E.E., no obligation inspection.

If we find an issue, we can give you an instant quote for repair, cleaning, or even replacement.

Gutter King Wichita – When It Pours, We Reign

walk around the outside of your house and performing your own inspection

SIZE REALLY DOES MATTER

February 17, 2019November 19, 2023Debra2 Comments

When it comes to gutters and downspouts, size really does matter. And a single inch may not seem like much. But between 5-inch and 6-inch gutters, size really does matter.

Size really does matter seamless guttering gutter king wichita

What Size Gutter Do I Need?

For standard residential homes, 5-inch gutters are usually fine.

Material costs for 6-inch seamless gutters are almost twice those for 5-inch gutters. Labor costs are a little higher as well. Yet, 6-inch gutters, compared to 5-inch gutters, can move roughly 40% more water. Therefore, homes with more steeply pitched roofs and increased surface areas could benefit from a larger gutter. The reason is that the 5-inch water trough may not be able to keep up and catch it all when there is increased velocity and volume of rainwater. Also, if a home has larger fascia board, the 6-inch gutter may look better than the 5-inch trough.

What Type of Rain Gutter Do I Need?

Size really does matter seamless guttering half round guttering gutter king wichita

Rain gutters come in several types, sizes, and shapes. We call these profiles. Profiles include U or half-round shapes, as well as K configurations. Specifically, the gutter front, when viewed from the side, looks like the letter K. These are made of either aluminum, galvanized steel, or copper in a standard “K” style.

What Size Downspout Do I Need?

While rain gutters collect the rain water from the roof area, your downspouts move this water away from the foundation.

As mentioned above, for standard residential homes, 5-inch gutters are usually fine. However, the size of the gutter is sometimes less important than the size of the downspouts. Also, whether the gutter trough is kept clean or has any protection or cover from leaves is a factor. Downspouts come in different sizes, such as 2×3 inches and 3×4 inches. Therefore, instead of installing a 2×3-inch downspout on a 5-inch trough, sometimes an oversized 3×4-inch downspout will benefit the homeowner.

Size Really Does Matter

Again, a single inch may not seem like much. But between 5-inch and 6-inch gutters, size really does matter. At Gutter King Wichita, we are dedicated to helping you find the right products for your home. From seamless guttering to gutter cleaning, to gutter guards, we have the products and services to protect your home. When you need expert guttering advice, turn to the professionals: schedule a free inspection today.

5 Tips to Prevent Winter Damage to Your Gutters

January 20, 2019November 19, 2023DebraLeave a Comment

prevent winter damage to your gutters ice dam

Winter gutter maintenance is necessary for safe and long-lasting roofs. For instance, you might think gutter care is less important in winter; however, gutters can be damaged winter cold. Below, we have tips to prevent winter damage to your gutters

Inspect

Regularly inspect your roof and gutters to make sure there aren’t blockages or breaks. Scoop out leaves and debris. Run water through your gutter and downspout. Unclog the spout if water doesn’t flow freely. Also, check for slow-moving water towards the downspout. This coudl be an indication of issues with pitch or slope.

prevent winter damage to your gutters

Insulation

Quality attic insulation and ventilation can prevent ice dams from forming. You should have a minimum of 12 inches of insulation in your attic. Typically, if you can see the ceiling joists, you need more insulation.

prevent winter damage to your gutters

Gaps

Attach seams and anchors firmly to the house. For example, there should be no gap between the fascia and gutter. If your gutters are not attached correctly to the sides of the house, this can create a gap. If ice and snow accumulate in this gap, gutters are easily damaged.

prevent winter damage to your gutters

Pitch

Pitch gutters properly to allow water to travel into the downspout. Gutters need to be pitched 1/2 inch per 10 linear feet, to lead water into your downspout.

prevent winter damage to your gutters

Above All, Hire a Professional–

Even with proper winter maintenance, there are still issues which can damage gutters. In the winter, backed up water can freeze and result in ice dams, which will damage the roof of your home! And the slower water drains from your gutters, the easier it is to freeze in cold weather.

Call us today for a free gutter inspection. If needed, we also provide a free estimate to clean and repair your gutters. You’ll see for yourself the reason why we continue to leave our customers extremely pleased.

Thinking of Selling Your Home?

December 9, 2018November 19, 2023DebraLeave a Comment

for sale sign Selling Your Home gutter king wichita cleaning

Gutter King Wichita knows that selling your home can be very stressful. You’ll begin showing and once there is a contract, the inspections will begin. Included in the general home inspection that your buyer will purchase, is an inspection of the gutter systems.

A pet peeve of many home inspectors is dirty gutters and/or damaged gutter guards. These maintenance issues are red flags and can influence his or her perspective on how well a home has been maintained.

selling your home

This is an easy one!

Remember those first impressions are everything! Before selling, clean out the debris from your gutters. Furthermore, make sure all of the downspouts are fastened to the exterior surface. Also, don’t forget about those splash blocks! This is especially important if you have a two-story home that overlooks gutters from the upper-level windows. Clean gutters send the message that the home is well-maintained! Also, this is an easy chore to knockout.

Gutter King Wichita

We can take the hassle out of preparing your home for the gutter systems inspection. Clean gutters and roof valleys will enhance the curb appeal of your home when selling your home. Our technicians will remove debris, clean gutters, and never leave behind a mess.

selling your home

The perfect time to call is now, even if your home isn’t yet listed. Your Realtor will probably ask you to take care of these “easy” maintenance items before showing your home. Call and let us help you knock this one out!

Next: 5 Ways to Prevent Rainwater Damage to Your Home