“Can I use a pressure washer to clean my gutters?”

It’s a common question that homeowners often have when it comes to keeping their gutters clean. 

Cleaning your gutters is important to ensure that no debris is left behind which can quickly and easily pile up. And when that happens, your gutters won’t be able to do the job they were meant to: collect rainwater and other precipitation and direct it away from your home. 

Cleaning Your Eavestroughs is Important

Your eavestroughs help to keep your roof, foundation, and entire home safe. And if they’re full of debris, they won’t be able to keep your home safe from the damage that water can do. 

For this reason, homeowners should make sure that they maintain their eavestroughs on a regular schedule. Every few months or so, the eavestroughs should be cleaned out. 

Of course, gutter cleaning can be even more frequent depending on the situation. For example, if you have lots of large trees that hang over your home or have recently experienced a storm, you might need to clean your gutters more often.

Using a Pressure Washer Safely

But gutter cleaning is no easy feat. In fact, it can be dangerous if the necessary precautions aren’t taken. For example, climbing a ladder is typically required in order to reach the gutters to clean them out effectively. 

However, there are some ways for homeowners to be able to clean their gutters without having to climb up a ladder and do the job from the ground below. To do so, a telescoping wand can be used. This tool can be installed to your pressure washer and can reach pretty high up, as much as 18 feet or more. 

To make the process even more effective, attaching a gutter cleaning wand to the telescoping wand can help. The shape of this tool will let you get access to your eavestroughs without the need to maneuver yourself uncomfortably. 

Having said that, it’s important to adjust the pressure so that you minimize the risk of any damage to your gutters. Ideally, your pressure washer will have a pressure regulator on it that allows you to increase or decrease the amount of water pressure. You can also change the nozzle tip to modify the pressure when spraying.

What About Power Washers?

“Is it safe to power wash gutters?”

This is another common question among homeowners when it comes to cleaning their gutters. While pressure washing might be fine as long as low pressure is used, power washing is a bad idea. 

You might wonder why pressure washing might be OK but power washing isn’t. After all, aren’t they the same thing?

No, they’re not. Pressure washing and power washing differ somewhat. More specifically, the biggest difference between the two is the heat level involved. 

Power washers use heated water in the jet wash, while pressure washers do not use heat. Further, power washers tend to be too powerful, which can ruin the seals of the eavestroughs. Additionally, the intense pressure from the power washer will also make a huge mess. 

So, what’s a homeowner to do?

Call in the Professionals in Gutter Cleaning

Your best bet when it comes to cleaning your eavestroughs is to call the professionals. They’ll have the experience, skillset, and equipment needed to ensure the job is done quickly, safely, and effectively. Not only will this save you time and effort, but it will help you avoid any potential hazards involved in this job.

If your home needs its gutters cleaned, be sure to get in touch with Tip Top Trough today!