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What is a roof and gutter report?

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Author: Warren Ballantyne

What is a roof and gutter report?

Posted on by Warren Ballantyne

At Gutter-Vac, with every vacuum gutter clean, we do a roof and gutter report, but what is that you may ask and why would you need it?

Basically, we do a once over whilst on the roof of your property.  We know that you are not going to – and probably shouldn’t for safety reasons – climb up and walk all over your roof, but there are things that could be happening on your roof that need repair, but if you don’t know, then you won’t fix.

That’s where we come in.  We will go over your roof and your gutters and put together a short report to let you know the state of things up there.

It could be as simple as some cracked tiles or some rust spots on a tin roof through to a leaking air conditioner or holes or damage to your roof.

Our property managers in particular love this report because it gives them the information they need for the owners and it doesn’t cost them a cent…. We do it complimentary with every gutter clean.

Over the years, we have saved many a home owner from a near miss with a big issue that they didn’t even know what there.  We have had customers who have water damage in a corner of their property because a tile was not in place through to air conditioners that were leaking water and not working properly.

It is a little thing, but at the same time it is a big thing.  That’s what a roof and gutter report is and why we do it.

Winter Survival Tips

Posted on by Warren Ballantyne

Winter is here and that means the temperature is about to drop, especially in the southern states of Australia.  We thought it was timely to give you a few little winter tips for survival… not just for you, but also for your budget! 

  1. Eat well – it is time to increase the fruit and veggie intake and make sure you are eating well over the winter months.  It is so easy to ditch the healthy eating for all those yummy winter foods, but we all know that more fruit and vegetables will help our overall health and wellness, plus keep those colds at bay.  A great hint… add some garlic to your sauces as garlic is a traditional remedy and prevention for colds and flus.
  • Layer Up – we know the benefit of this at Gutter-Vac as we are working outdoors, on roofs, cleaning gutters so through winter layering up is a great way to not only keep warm, but as the day progresses, to be able to take some layers off.  This is a great tip for everyone, not just those of us that work outdoors because it is common in Australia to have a cold winter’s morning, but by the afternoon it can feel like a warm spring day.
  • Keep your energy bills lower – this tip combines a number of items that will all help keeping your energy bills lower or not needing to crank your heater up.  They are all simple things that make a difference. 
    • Shut curtains and blinds (particularly after the sun has gone down) as heat is quickly lost through glass windows. 
    • Close up any unused rooms so you are not trying to heat your whole house. 
    • Cover up draughts under doors with ‘draught snakes’ – did you know that 25% of heat loss in winter is caused by ‘air leakage’?
    • Cover bare floors with rugs
    • When sitting, watching TV, why not grab a rug rather than simply turning the heater up.  When sitting your body temperature will drop, so cover up.
  • Exercise – yes, we know the urge to hibernate is great, but exercise will not only keep you fit and healthy, it will also fight off those winter blues, so rug up and get out for a walk or a run.  Why not try hot yoga or grab a friend and exercise together.

Winter may not be your favourite season of the year, but if all else fails, why not embrace the winter months and organise a trip to the snow!  For some of you, a trip to the snow might be as simple as opening your back door and you will have a winter wonderland in your own backyard!

Keep warm and put on another layer…. We will be!

Increase the efficiency of your home with your insulation

Posted on by Warren Ballantyne

Coming into the winter month’s we are all thinking about how to keep our houses warm, but also keeping our energy bills down.  There is a hidden secret to this and that is your insulation.

Yes, by all means you should be checking all the seals on doors and windows, making sure your heaters are performing efficiently, close your blinds and warm only the parts of the house you need, but when did you last inspect your insulation?

Insulation plays such a bit part in keeping your house warm in the winter and cool in the summer, yet we often don’t think about it?

Insulation doesn’t last forever and especially if you have some little critters running around in your ceiling cavity, your insulation may have broken down and not performing at its peak.

At this time of year, we start to do a lot of what we call ceiling cavity cleans and a lot of these are not just for the dirt and dust build up in your ceiling cavity (which by the way, if you have asthma is a good thing to remove to help asthma attacks from fine dirt and dust particles dropping through the ceiling) but also to remove the old insulation. 

Insulation can be messy stuff and it is not easy or as simple to remove as people assume.  Plus once removed, you want to give the ceiling a good vacuum clean to remove all the dirt and dust before new insulation goes down.

Now working in a ceiling cavity, removing or installing insulation or even doing a simple dirt and dust vacuum should not be done by just anyone.  This can be a dangerous task and should be done by a professional.  When we are about to do a job such as this, we will walk you through what needs to happen – such as turning off power – and how we will go about the job on your property as no two properties are the same.  Always, always hire a professional who knows what they are doing.

So if you are wondering if your home is ready to keep all that warm energy inside and that cold winter weather outside, don’t forget to check your insulation as it could be the hidden secret to keeping your energy bills lower this winter.

Why we remind customers about their next gutter clean….

Posted on by Warren Ballantyne

How often do you stand around just thinking about your gutters?  Or more importantly, when they were last cleaned?

Not often, if ever right?

How fast does a year go?  Pretty fast right?  Remember what was happening this time last year?  The whole world was in a big shake up, but it seems like it was only last month doesn’t it?

This is why we remind customers when their next gutter cleaning service is due because they are not standing around thinking about their gutters or when they were last cleaned and secondly, they didn’t even realise it had been a year since they last had them cleaned!

We know and understand this so we make it our business to take care of your gutters and that includes reminding you when they are next due for a clean.

When it is time, we will send an email or a text a few weeks before hand.  All you need to do is reply and let us know if you are happy for us to come again – you don’t even have to be at home when we come!

We try and make it as simple as possible for you to have your gutters cleaned which is an essential home maintenance task, but stop thinking you need to remember when your gutter clean is due, let us remember for you.

Cleaning Gutters for Lifestyle Villages

Posted on by Warren Ballantyne

Have you noticed how many lifestyle villages are popping up all over Australia? 

These little communities are often for just the over 50’s who want to downsize and live in a smaller community (no matter how big the greater city is).  They don’t need care as in medical care, but they do realise they are getting older and want to live independently, but not without a community to keep an eye out for them.

Enter the lifestyle village.  Not a retirement home or an aged care facility.

All the residents own their own properties, but generally they are paying what would be considered a body corporate fee to the managers of the village to take care of all the external items of their home.  Mowing of lawns, fixing of outside gates, fences, solar panels and gutter cleaning!

The residence need not worry about getting their gutters cleaned on what is usually a small villa in the village.  The managers organise this and that’s where Gutter-Vac enters.

Because we can effectively and efficiently vacuum clean the gutters, we are fully safety trained and insured to work at heights, we are popular amongst lifestyle village managers.

They like that we can get the work done fast, but more importantly, they like that we are respectful to the residents and will stop and have a chat for a moment.  In fact, our biggest problem is that they continue to try and feed us and give us cups of tea all the way around.  Not that you see us complaining when handed a yummy scone with jam and cream or a freshly baked lamington!

But more importantly, we are able to get the gutters cleaned in a safe way so that the residents do not have to attempt to do this themselves and in fact, they don’t even have to organise it!

Something for Mum….

Posted on by Warren Ballantyne

Mother’s Day is just around the corner and if like us, you want to share the love and show your Mum how much you care.

We talk about this all the time at Gutter-Vac that sometimes the best gift is not one that is bought simply at a store, but one that comes with thought of the person you are buying it for.

Of course, we totally support local small businesses so we hope that you will too, but stop for a moment before buying Mum the same thing you buy her every year, why not think a little outside the box.

What does she love?  What are her hobbies?  What would SHE like?

Most Mum’s love a thoughtful gift that is accompanied with quality time or an act of service so how could you add a little extra wow to your gift for your Mum.

Here’s some suggestions to give you a helping hand this Mother’s day.

  • A book

May seem simple, but what if it is also given with the day off!  Mum can curl up and have cups of tea (or coffee) delivered to her all day.  She doesn’t have to leave her favourite reading spot and you deliver all food to her.  PLUS no one asks her a question all day!  A simple gift of a book could be her favourite gift all year…. One day of guilt free reading!

  • A photo album

Imagine finding all of your favourite photos that are of memories of good times with your Mum.  Place them all in an album – doesn’t have to be a particularly special album either – and then when you give it to her, you take the next hour or so to talk about every photo in the album and the whole family can share stories of that memory.  It could take you the whole afternoon to go through a simple photo album.

  • Flowers

Does your Mum love to garden?  Imagine giving your Mum a single flower but attached to its stem is a gift card to the local nursery.  Make a day of it.  Go and help her get all her plants then come home and help her plant them.  Imagine the chatting that would happen working in the garden with your Mum whilst you create a memory to hold onto forever.

  • Chocolate

An old favourite to give to your Mum on Mother’s day, but how could you make it a real wow?  Perhaps with each chocolate, there is a note to your Mum.  Maybe something you love about her or maybe a story to share.  Then she gets to play ‘lucky dip’ on each chocolate to find out the memory or story you want to share with her.

  • A rug & slippers

This one might seem a little bizarre but in May, it is starting to get cooler so a rug she can put over her knee and a pair of cosy slippers might be just the thing she needs especially if you pair it with some freshly cooked popcorn and a movie marathon.  Now with things like Netflix, we can dig out all of those favourites – old and new – and make Mum’s day.

Take the time to make this Mother’s Day one your Mum won’t forget because rather than just a standard gift, you put in a little thought and not only give a gift, but also create a memory she won’t forget.

Can you see through your windows?

Posted on by Warren Ballantyne

Windows are one of those things that sometimes you simply don’t notice that they have become dirty.  Ask anyone that wears glasses and they will tell you that they don’t even notice their glasses have finger prints all over them until they take them off to clean.

Our windows are now different.  They can have a slow build-up of dirt and grime on them over time as they are exposed to the elements. 

Many people believe that windows will be ‘washed clean’ by the rain, but this is the same as your windscreen on your car.  The rain gets the windscreen wet, but it is the wipers that clean the window.

Cleaning windows can be a pretty big – and boring – task if you take it on to clean your own windows and on some properties, windows can be out of reach or simply not safe to access via a ladder to clean.

That’s where we can help….

We know all the tricks to the trade to get a window clean – without leaving big streak marks – and you might just be surprised at how dirty your windows really were before we began.

At Gutter-Vac we are often asked by customers to clean hard to reach windows, especially whilst we are already on the roof so we can offer this service as well as cleaning all of those easier to reach windows for you. 

Why put it on your already never ending to do list when we can do it for you?

Why are your gutters rusting?

Posted on by Warren Ballantyne

Gutters are out in the elements and it is only natural that because they are made of metal and exposed to all the weather that over time they will begin to rust, but you can slow this process down with a regular gutter clean.

When leaves and dirt build up in your gutters, along with rain water, this debris breaks down into a nutrient rich mud type of sludge.  It is this sludge that can cause a problem for your gutters.

This sludge will sit on the bottom of your gutters and not wash away.  Over time this sludge along with other debris will build up causing blockages in your gutters which means water will simply sit or pool within your gutter.

All of these things will shorten the lifespan of your gutters and speed up the rusting process of your gutters.

Now, if you have your gutters cleaned regularly, with our wet/dry vacuum system we will be able to remove this debris, including the sludge.  This means water will not sit in your gutters, but simply run through the gutter system, down the downpipes and away from your property.

A simple gutter clean at least once a year could potentially add years of life to your gutters and slow the rusting process.  Replacing gutters can be an expensive exercise so the more years you can get out of them, the better and a yearly vacuum gutter clean would be a wise investment in the lifespan of your gutters.

Fully insured to work at heights

Posted on by Warren Ballantyne

When working at heights, not only should you be fully trained and have all the right safety equipment, you also need to be insured. 

In the event that something drastic or unexpected happened (which we would hope would be the slimmest of chances to happen) then having insurance is a must. 

Why?

It is kind of complicated, but to put it simply.  We are working on your property as a commercial contractor so therefore, if we have a fall, it is not covered by your insurances and if we did not have our own insurance, then you could be held liable for our fall (yes we know this sounds crazy) and payable for medical costs and damages or loss of income! 

That’s why we cover our own insurance.  That way, you have peace of mind that we are doing the right thing with the right safety equipment, but also that if something did happen, we are covered by our insurance, not you!

If you are having any trades or contractors come onto your commercial site or your residential home, make sure you check they are fully insured.  You will be good to go with Gutter-Vac, our franchisees are not able to work without up to day and current insurances.

Home Maintenance Tips for Autumn

Posted on by Warren Ballantyne

As the leaves begin to fall, then it is time to do a few things around your home to not only maintain your home in good condition, but in Autumn, a few of your maintenance items are also for your safety.  At Gutter-Vac we take safety seriously, so we hope you find this “checklist” helpful to keeping your home and family safe.

  • Smoke detectors – Autumn is a good reminder, especially at the end of daylight savings time, to give your smoke detectors a check to ensure in working order and to change the batteries.  Such a simple task that we often forget (where has the year gone!), but something that will keep your family safe in case of a fire.  If you have a fire extinguisher, now is a good time to get it checked to keep it in working order.
  • Trim Trees and Branches – Before the winter weather hits, Autumn is a good time to check any trees or branches that may be dead or dying and will fall off in a small storm.  Also look for branches that are close to your home that need some trimming.  Such a simple tip, but will also potentially save expensive damage during a storm.
  • Inspect walkways, stairs, railings, driveways, etc. – Before the winter rains come, do a thorough inspection for potential slip hazards.  Check there isn’t oil or mould on surfaces that if wet, would create slippery surfaces.  Remember to also check for loose railings and uneven surfaces that need to be repaired.
  • Seal gaps and draughts – Check seals on doors and windows for draughts because not only will they let in the cold air, they will also increase your energy bills over the colder months.  Make sure you also check for gaps where possible critters and pests could find a way in and set up camp for Autumn and Winter.  Getting an annual pest inspection would also be a good idea at this time.
  • Check Heating – No matter what sort of heating source you use, Autumn is the time to check it.  Get your chimney or flue cleaned (we can help you with that).  If you have an electric or gas heater, get it serviced and checked that it is in good working order.  This is not only for efficiency, but also your safety as many home fires begin from the heater.
  • Clean Gutters – well, we couldn’t have a list without this item on it, right?  Many people believe to wait until all the leaves have fallen to have gutters cleaned, but it is actually a good idea to clean at the start of Autumn so that you can clean out all the old leaves that have broken down into a mud like sludge in the bottom of your gutters which is what really causes the problems and blockages in your gutters, that with rain, can potentially cause water damage to your property.

So as the leaves change colours and begin to fall, Autumn is also the time to make a few inspections around your home and a few ‘to dos’ to ensure the maintenance and safety of your home. 

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