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I am about half-way (if that) through what has been and continues to be the single worst, messiest, exhausting, filthy, time-consuming project ever. I would say I have already spent about 3 hours a day for 10 days trying to scoop, dig, and rinse out thick, packed, heavy, awful, dense mud and literally decades of accumulated decaying leaves and earthworms, etc....from a gutter. I've hurt both arms, one shoulder, I am covered with cuts and scrapes and if I ever get done - I'd like to know if there is some sort of cheap, do-it-yourself, snap-on or similar guard that someone knows about for a stretch under a Spanish tile overhang that is about 40 feet long. There is the world's worst tree from a neighbor's property that overhangs it and for the entire spring, this tree sheds all sorts of awful things directly on to my roof and it gets packed in the gutter because I am always directly upwind of it.
Does anyone have experience with a situation like this? Is there something that doesn't cost a fortune that I can install myself under a Spanish tile roof over the gutter?
I'd first cut the tree back to the property line!!! And yes, you can legally do that!
Then I'd possibly look into some type of gutter cover- there are literally 100's of different types. Just find what works best for you and your wallet!
Yep, sounds like Arizona to me. Mesquite perhaps ? I've dealt with cleaning gutters clogged with tiny "leaves"....much like the bald cypress I have to deal with in my yard.
It gets better. While I was in the process of doing this - which leaves me covered with bleeding cuts from the sharp metal edges of the gutter (and there is barely room to squeeze a hand down in there), and absolutely filthy with thick black mud from my hands all down my upper half - I tried desperately to first remove the downspout from the drainage tube (one of those big black plastic pipes that attaches from the spout underground) but I could not get it off. So instead, every time I rinsed out a portion of the gutter, I stood above the opening to the downspout and tried to catch all the leaves and crap so it wouldn't clog the pipe. Well - that seemed to work until yesterday. Now there is apparently a total blockage somewhere in that drainage pipe underground because the water was gushing from where the pipe meets the downspout. I managed to get it off with great effort - but there is nothing within arm's reach.
Any suggestions? I don't have a snake or auger and my only guess would be to shove a hose as far into it as I can and turn it on full blast while slowly backing it out in the hopes that it blows the blockage free in the other direction.
The other? Knowing where the exit is… making sure it isn’t blocked.
As a side note- look closely at the exposed part of the pipe- is it solid or perforated? If it’s perforated it’s probably more work than it’s worth trying to unclog. You’re better off digging it up and replacing with solid pipe!
I am about half-way (if that) through what has been and continues to be the single worst, messiest, exhausting, filthy, time-consuming project ever. I would say I have already spent about 3 hours a day for 10 days trying to scoop, dig, and rinse out thick, packed, heavy, awful, dense mud and literally decades of accumulated decaying leaves and earthworms, etc....from a gutter. I've hurt both arms, one shoulder, I am covered with cuts and scrapes and if I ever get done - I'd like to know if there is some sort of cheap, do-it-yourself, snap-on or similar guard that someone knows about for a stretch under a Spanish tile overhang that is about 40 feet long. There is the world's worst tree from a neighbor's property that overhangs it and for the entire spring, this tree sheds all sorts of awful things directly on to my roof and it gets packed in the gutter because I am always directly upwind of it.
Does anyone have experience with a situation like this? Is there something that doesn't cost a fortune that I can install myself under a Spanish tile roof over the gutter?
Flexxpoint Gutter Guards is what I used. They're now called "Flexxpoint Pro", but it's the same thing.
I installed them myself a few years ago on all but one section of gutter on my house. I finished that section a few months ago. They work great. Install a 4-foot section at a time. Involves working from a ladder screwing screws through the gutter guards and into the gutter and fascia board. Shouldn't take long to do 40 linear feet. I had to do about 220 linear feet of gutter.
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