Stop the Mosquitoes, Have Your Gutters Cleaned Today

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Stop the Mosquitoes, Have Your Gutters Cleaned Today

The wet, humid weather over the last few months has caused the mosquitoes to come out in force. Mosquitoes aren’t just an annoying pest, they can also carry diseases. There have now been a couple of confirmed cases of dengue fever in Townsville.

Any water sitting around your home is a potential breeding ground for mosquitoes. So reduce the annoyance and your risk of catching a mosquito borne disease by removing any water sitting around your house. For example, old tyres, kids’ toys, buckets and pot plants are a few places where water can sit unnoticed and become a breeding ground for these blood sucking pests.

Water and leaf litter sitting in gutter.
Water and leaf litter sitting in gutter.

Another place that mosquitoes love, and a lot of people forget about, is the guttering on your roof. If your gutters are blocked with debris and have water and sludge sitting in them, then there’s a good chance you’re going to have a mosquito problem. So give Gutter-Vac a call today and one of our helpful technicians will clean your gutters for you… and Stop the Mosquitoes!

Soft Washing in Townsville

Today there is a wide range of building materials, textures and finishes available to choose from and many of these require a more delicate approach when it comes to cleaning. A popular cleaning method when it comes to the removal of mould, dirt and grime from exterior surfaces, such as roofs, walls, fences, paths and driveways, is pressure washing. Pressure washing can be an effective method in many situations, however, it can cause serious damage to certain materials and surfaces. For example, it can remove paint and chip tiles. This is where soft washing comes in.

Soft washing is a ‘low pressure,’ alternative cleaning method that involves the application of a specially formulated cleaning solution which is later washed off with a regular hose after having time to activate and effectively attack the grime and mould on your outdoor surfaces. Our soft wash solution is also effective in the removal of algae, droppings, tannins, dirt and lichen.

We recommend soft washing for the following areas:

  • Metal, tile and terracotta roof systems,
  • Canvas awnings and shade sails,
  • Timber weatherboard, siding and older fragile paint systems,
  • Modern architectural moulding and facades, and
  • Areas affected by mould and algae.

Our technicians are trained and experienced in soft washing and make sure to consider things like foliage protection, pets, water containment and run-off.

Training on The Gold Coast for Soft Washing Service Stations

Llew is now home and back to work after a full-on weekend on the Gold Coast where he undertook training for soft washing service stations. He pulled an all-nighter Thursday night while the team performed a full building wash on a service station for the practical side of the training course. He’s looking forward to implementing what he’s learned back home in Townsville and Far North Queensland.

Gutter Guard isn’t always The Answer

Lately we’ve been getting a lot of requests for gutter guard installation. Gutter guard can be a great solution for keeping debris out of your gutters, in certain situations. However, there are a few things you need to consider before committing to the costly installation of gutter guard.

What type of debris is collecting in your gutters and on your roof?

If the debris collecting in your gutters and on your roof consists of large leaves and sticks then gutter guard may be the answer. However, for fine debris such as small leaves, pine needles and seeds, gutter guard won’t be very effective as these things will still get through.

How much debris is collecting in your gutters and how often do they require cleaning?

If you find that your gutters do not fill with debris and only require cleaning every one or two years then it probably isn’t worth having gutter guard installed. A general maintenance check and clean every year or so will suffice. However, if your gutters require cleaning every 3 or 4 months then gutter guard may help reduce the number of cleans required per year.

Dust and grime will still build up in your gutters!

Something a lot of people don’t realise is, even if the gutter guard is stopping a lot of the bulk debris from getting in the gutters, dirt and grime will still collect in them. This means that the gutters will still need to be cleaned every so often. If left for too long your gutters can become the perfect breeding ground for vermin and a great place for plants, grass and moss to grow. Cleaning gutters once gutter guard is fitted can be a difficult and time-consuming process as the gutter guard needs to either be removed completely or one edge needs to be unscrewed and lifted to gain access to the gutters. It then needs to be refitted once the clean is finished.

Debris will still build up on your roof and on top of the gutter guard.

Larger debris will still collect on your roof and on top of the gutter guard which will still need to be cleaned off regularly. If this debris is not cleaned off regularly then it may result in your roof becoming discoloured or rusted.

How does the cost of regular cleaning and gutter guard installation compare?

You also need to consider how the cost of installing gutter guard compares to the cost of having your gutters cleaned regularly, and how often you will need to have your gutters and roof cleaned after gutter guard is installed.

If you’d like any more information on the pros and cons of gutter guard and what to consider before having it installed feel free to contact us. We are happy to answer any questions you may have and can provide you with a free quote. You can contact us on 0412 309 379 or email us at townsville@guttervac.com.au.

Don’t Wait Until the Pigeons Move in, Have Your Solar Panels Birdproofed When They’re Installed

Pigeons are a huge problem in Townsville as they have a habit of nesting under people’s solar panels, making a mess of their roof, filling their gutters with droppings and debris, and limiting the efficiency of the panels. Once the pigeons have moved in, rectifying the issue can be a mammoth task. This is why we recommend having solar skirts installed when you first have your panels installed.

The Solar Skirt system that Gutter-Vac uses requires no gluing or screwing to attach the skirting to your panels. This means the panels will not be damaged in any way and there is no risk of voiding the warranty.

If you’ve recently had solar panels installed and know that there is a high number of pigeons in your area then feel free to give Gutter-Vac a call. We’ll be happy to provide you with a free quote and answer any questions you may have. You can contact us on 0412 309 379 or email us at townsville@guttervac.com.au.

Preparing Your Home for Bushfire Season in Townsville

It’s been another bad week for bushfires in Townsville. The hot and windy weather, along with the very low humidy is creating the perfect environment for fires to break out. This week a couple of these out-of-control fires have come quite close to people’s homes and so we cannot stress enough the importance of preparing your home for bushfire season.

Often, people don’t realise that the majority of homes lost during a bushfire are lost to ember attack. This means that even if the fire is not directly near your home, you are still at risk. Embers can travel several kilometres on the wind and catch alight on any flammable material they land on. Therefore, it is important that your gutters and roof are kept clean of any leaf litter and debris. Any debris in your gutters can easily catch fire which can quickly spread into your ceiling cavity and have devastating effects.

If you require assistance preparing your home for bushfire season feel free to call us for a free quote. Gutter-Vac Townsville can remove any debris from your gutters, downpipes and roof, disposing of the mess for you. We can also prune any over-hanging plants that may be putting your home at further risk.

Gutter-Vac had a Great Weekend at The Townsville Expo

Gutter-Vac Townsville had a wonderful weekend at the Townsville Expo. It was great to meet so many lovely people and catch up with some of our regular customers. We recieved a lot of quote requests over the weekend so if you’re waiting for us to get back to you, bare with us. We’re working through them and will have those quotes to you within the next couple of days.

Now onto the fun stuff. We had a huge number of entrants into our raffle but unfortuntely there can only be one winner. So, without further ado, the winner of the Free Gutter Clean is… Kath from Cranbrook! Congratulations Kath, we’ll be in touch shortly to organise a time to get your gutters cleaned.

Thanks again everyone for a great weekend!

If you missed us at the Townsville Expo and you’d like to get in touch, you can give us a call on 0412 309 379 or email us at townsville@guttervac.com.au.

Gutter-Vac Cleaning Ceiling Cavities in Townsville

In the North Queensland climate, it’s important that your home is well insulated. As we come into the warmer months, ensuring that your home is properly insulated and kept at an optimal temperature can drastically affect the efficiency and running costs of your cooling systems. If it’s time to replace your old insulation or you’re in the process of renovating, then give Gutter-Vac Townsville a call. We can do the dirty work for you, removing any insulation, dirt and dust from your ceiling cavity using our high-powered vacuum machine. This is a lot less time consuming and messy than doing the job by hand. We’ll also dispose of all the mess for you, leaving you with a nice, clean space, ready for renovation or for your new insulation to be installed.

We’ll be at the Townsville Expo this weekend to answer any questions you may have. Come say hi and enter the draw to win a free gutter clean!

You can also contact us on 0412 309 379 or email us at townsville@guttervac.com.au.