Pine trees are wonderous giants. They smell fresh and provide bountiful shade. Their pine cones are delightful and fun to use in art and craft projects with the kids at Christmas time.
BUT…
The debris and litter produced can be work for the home owner to keep under control. Pine needles mat the ground, roof and gutters. Regular gutter cleaning is a must when a pine is close to the house.
This property collects copious amounts of debris and they have solar panels which collects the needles under them, resulting in a fire hazard.
Installing gutter guard is going to be expensive to install. Depending on the style of guard you choose will determine the cost of each future gutter clean. The needles will get caught in whatever type of guard you install and then matting begins. The matting is thick and with heavy rains may not allow the water through to the guttering, resulting in overflow issues. There fore at the very least you are going to require cleaning the top of the gutter guard once or twice a year.
If you still have to clean the top of the guard why not save your installation money and clean the gutters two to three times a year with out guard. You will prolong the life of your guttering as the corrosive mater will not build up. Imagine how heavy the debris gets. Build-up in your gutter puts unnecessary strain on the guttering and could change the hang, there by not allowing the water to flow to the down pipe or push the gutter away from the house, causing it to fall off.
When debris is left to sit in the gutter rust occurs. If left it can cause holes.
The following photos show the amount of debris in the gutters with a four month interval. They have decided to not install gutter guard and follow a four monthly gutter cleaning schedule.
Gutter -Vac Tasmania has a maintenance program that sends a reminder to the client every four months to get the go ahead to complete this scheduled clean. We do not complete a clean unless we have had confirmation from the client to do so.
So if you have these long living trees growing near you and you would like a quote or some advice on what plan of action you should take, please feel free to call on 1300 654 253 or send us an email at tasmania@guttervac.com.au.