[Cookie]

I'm building my round & am getting quite a few requests for soffit & external gutter cleans (via wfp). I did one of these cleans last Friday and had a shock when the downpipe offset bend,  popped off of the gutter.  Although this was in an awkward position, (on the house corner above a conservatory), luckily I was able to get the ladders out to fix this myself. To be honest I think the gutter was faulty since gentle scrubbing with the WFP brush should not cause this to happen - but of course this is not the way the customer sees it!

I'm going to have a re-think about how I quote for these cleans since I don't want to end up having to pay a roofer or someone else to repair faulty guttering, (that I can't repair myself). I've come up with three options:

1. Simply refuse to do soffit & external gutter cleans
2. Explain to the customer that if the gutter or downpipe comes away whilst WFPing this is most likely due to faulty/old guttering that needs replacement anyway and the customer will need to pay to fix it themselves
3.  Add a 50% contingency to the quote to allow for the occasional problem

Part of the problem here is that you may not be able to see that the guttering is faulty from ground level .... yet the brackets may have become brittle with age or plastic may have shrunk over time causing it to be a poor fit etc... etc...

What do you guys tend to do? Also how much do you charge for soffit/external gutter cleaning by the metre?

Thanks,
James

[TomCrowther]

Charge a premium rate, it can be hard work.
Treat with ubik or similar first.
Brush toward the run, not away to the end of a run.

[Smudger]

Sounds like your pushing to hard if your breaking the clips, occasionally you find the swan necks are fitted badly and drop out, they can either be pushed back in, or pop it in via the ladder.

Gutter problems of this nature are very rare, I don't factor this in during a clean or clear unless it's virtually hanging off the house already

Darran

[Cookie]

Tom - Thanks for that - good point re: brushing towards run (I would never have considered that!). How do you use the ubik - do you dilute it first &  spray it onto the brush? What ratio do you use? Would virosol do the same job?

Smudger - thanks for confirming these gutter problems are rare. This did knock my confidence a bit when it occurred.

[duncan h]

was thinking just the same the other day. What I thought was a 2 hour job ended up 4 in bad rain. Could have earned 4x doing windows and less pain. Once snapped a bracket. Had to travel 20 miles to get same make then fit it. Not doing any gutter work for less than 100 bucks from now on...other than my custy who is bucked in for £30 FFS . He did say "what ever" lol

[TomCrowther]

Virosol just as good. Either have some diluted in a bucket, drop brush in then up to the gutter or use a sprayer.

[capn sparkle]

^^^ I'm with Tom on this..... Viro-sol ...Pump up sprayer if you have a lance or I mix it 50/50 with pure and spray it straight onto brush.

[Tadgh O Shea]

^^^ I'm with Tom on this..... Viro-sol ...Pump up sprayer if you have a lance or I mix it 50/50 with pure and spray it straight onto brush.

Your a brave man using it at 50/50  thats a dilution ratio of 1-1 make sure your skin is well protected  and maybe read the manufacturers sds.