Verandah covering roof gutters. How do I clean?

[BA-XT]

Hello,

Question for the handymen - women and tradies out there, but I've ran into a snag. Bought our first house and have noticed roof is leaking in multiple areas. There's no holes from rust , just some splits that can be filled up with sealant.

My problem is that the veranda roofing ends directly over the gutters of the house and I don't have enough access to get my hand in to clear the roof clutter.

So the house gutters in about 40% of the house are concealed by the veranda plastic roofing. Is there any way around this? Or do tradies use a special tool to flush the leaves and gunk out?

Adding to my frustration is there are leaks from the veranda roof leaking into the deck. I should have taken pics today when it was raining.

Theres no rot in the wood at all thankfully. But every time it rains I end up with a wet deck! Might have to get it fixed down the track.

I can post pics tomorrow if it helps, but any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

[Citroënbender]

Firstly, congratulations on the purchase. I hope it’s the start of a good run with asset gains.

With the roof, you say it has “splits”. Is it a tin roof?

The verandah roof, is that polycarbonate?

[BA-XT]

Hello. Thankyou :-)

In the gutters I think it has splits that will need to be sealed up after cleaning. Or it might be overflowing so will need to check. Going to rain again here so might be able to check tomorrow.

Yes that's the one! It's like plastic in the shape of corrugations. It's screwed onto the veranda with bolts. I can put pcs up tomorrow but have no ladder yet to jump on roof.

[Giant Cranium]

bbq tongs should squeeze in the gap, i always have a set in the ute for that, especially because i never trust what is in gutters

[Citroënbender]

OK, I think we're looking at a high front gutter with overflow slots (the "splits").

It's well possible your downpipes are blocked or just inadequate for the roof area draining into each pipe.

If it's a single storey place, the $120 four-folding ladders from Bunnies are perfectly good.

GC has a good point about unknowns; it's usually just black house spiders. I wear rubber gloves, just the heavy duty kitchen type, and use a 10 litre bucket (eg, old paint bucket) for the handfuls of junk.

[BA-XT]

Originally Posted by Citroënbender

OK, I think we're looking at a high front gutter with overflow slots (the "splits").

It's well possible your downpipes are blocked or just inadequate for the roof area draining into each pipe.

If it's a single storey place, the $120 four-folding ladders from Bunnies are perfectly good.

GC has a good point about unknowns; it's usually just black house spiders. I wear rubber gloves, just the heavy duty kitchen type, and use a 10 litre bucket (eg, old paint bucket) for the handfuls of junk.

That's the ones!

Unfortunately the amount of the gutters I cannot reach is like 2 sides of the house. The polycarbonate covers one side and on the other side is wood above the carport. I think I'm going to have to get a specialist in unfortunately. My partner has the property report with pics on her work PC so might throw them up in the morning

[aussiblue]

If you can access one end of the gutter and have a Karcher pressure washer the drain cleaner works well on gutters ( I found the actual gutter cleaner attachment was too wide so I just use the brass ball shaped drain/pipe cleaner). Like this:





I have sharp hands and risk cutting Fielders Watergate Leaf Guard on all my gutters and I find this a quick and easy annual gutter cleaning solution.The water jets blow back towards the hose so the self propel it down the gutter and push the debris out when you retrieve it. Bunnings also sometimes sell a similar garden hose attachment but with less pressure it's not as effective. A bit like this one:

[BA-XT]

Yes.... I think this what is needed actually!

I'm.assuming they'd be bigger versions of this tool?

Here's the pic of the wood over the gutter.
Screenshot_20200520-211253

I'll have to wait rill it rains again to see where it leaks... One part is anout 3 metres forward of the pic on thw right. But having clean gutters is a good start :-)

[Citroënbender]

Long term, that abutment of awning and roof proper, needs re-working. It’s potentially a good DIY project.

[Giant Cranium]

Originally Posted by BA-XT

Yes.... I think this what is needed actually!

I'm.assuming they'd be bigger versions of this tool?

Here's the pic of the wood over the gutter.
imageScreenshot_20200520-211253

I'll have to wait rill it rains again to see where it leaks... One part is anout 3 metres forward of the pic on thw right. But having clean gutters is a good start :-)

I’d get up on the tiled section and push the muck to the exposed part of the gutter. Keep going till it’s done. Then hose it out.

[davenl5l]

House gutter is designed for the house only that veranda should have it's own gutter i would not be happy with the property inspector if he did not point out this faullt

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by davenl5l

House gutter is designed for the house only that veranda should have it's own gutter

Yes, or normally a much larger box gutter otherwise.

edit.... And are those awning sheets slopping towards the house ?

[BA-XT]

Originally Posted by davenl5l

House gutter is designed for the house only that veranda should have it's own gutter i would not be happy with the property inspector if he did not point out this faullt

Yes. I think that section of the gutter is dying to cope with not only the house water but the carport runoff as well.

I took some pictures as its raining here. The patio is wet because rain is getting behind the polycarbonet and dropping down.

20200521_092751 by

And now my deck looks.like this

20200521_092807 by

The polycarbonet stuff is easy to move out if the way. Its also leaking in a few spots as well

20200521_092715 by

Down the track I'm going to have to get some structural repairs done.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by BA-XT

Yes. I think that section of the gutter is dying to cope with not only the house water but the carport runoff as well.

I took some pictures as its raining here. The patio is wet because rain is getting behind the polycarbonet and dropping down.

image20200521_092751 by

And now my deck looks.like this

image20200521_092807 by

The polycarbonet stuff is easy to move out if the way. Its also leaking in a few spots as well

image20200521_092715 by

Down the track I'm going to have to get some structural repairs done.

Far out, questionable job whoever put that up.
If it we're mine i'd be pulling the whole lot down and lowering the roof height so the sheeting comes under the gutter, it can then be sealed at that end to prevent water getting in.
Looks like they've sacrificed quality for an extra foot of roof height.

[BA-XT]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

Far out, questionable job whoever put that up.
If it we're mine i'd be pulling the whole lot down and lowering the roof height so the sheeting comes under the gutter, it can then be sealed at that end to prevent water getting in.
Looks like they've sacrificed quality for an extra foot of roof height.

What sort of prices are we talking? It's quite a large area. There is the patio area but also the side area where my car is. I can take some pics

[Citroënbender]

I’d normally go up, not down. If you sheet back towards the tiles about 450 above them, and leave an 80mm gap, it will purge trapped heat in summer and the overlap protects in all but the worst weather.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by BA-XT

What sort of prices are we talking? It's quite a large area. There is the patio area but also the side area where my car is. I can take some pics

Couldnt tell you unfortunately, im not a builder, just offering an opinion.
On my old place the verandah timbers came off the wall, tight up under the eaves using the same brackets you have there, then they had galv 'c' channel on the facia board under the box gutter with black foam strip to butt the polycarbonate sheets in to, any overflow from the gutters went straight on to the plastic and it left the gutters unobstructed to clean, just had to get up on the house roof to acess them.
The advantage i had was height as the fall of the land was towards the rear of the yard so the back wall of the house was quite high so having it done like this still gave plenty of height.
To do the same youd lose a bit of height on the existing setup, it would also require new timbers extended to the house wall and youd have issues over the windows where there is no brickwork to attach to.
Again, im not a builder so im not pretending to know if this is your best option or even an option at all.

[aussiblue]

Yes.... I think this what is needed actually!

I'm.assuming they'd be bigger versions of this tool?

Here's the pic of the wood over the gutter.

For the Karcher drain cleaner smaller but with higher water pressure is better; larger and it will get on the gutter hangers etc.

[whitelion65]

Great work on the purchase BA.
I think any number of tools will do the job. Not a fan of just blasting the gutters out, though.
Had a young bloke do the gutters on my last place......sh!t was everywhere!
Most importantly, be careful with ladder and roof work. Make sure the ladder is stable, on a non-slip surface, and nooone is underneath, where falling tiles, tools etc could harm them.


A leaking gutter is nothing compared to an injury.
Good luck with it all.

[FTE217]

By the last pic showing the overlap of the poly product and colourbond I'm guessing, the fall left to right by the look of it (Suntuff is one brand name of the poly one), the poly is overlapping the colourbond by how much ? needs to be a good couple of feet.

Looks like the gutter growing weeds is full of crap, as mentioned gloves, good idea trying to get alot out. Another good one I find only when dried, the mighty blower helps clearing hard to get spots around my gutters but you need to clear up the sludge etc that has collected over time being previous owner has not kept up with maintenance.

[BA-XT]

This looking back from the roller door

20200521_134915 by

From the back of my car looking forward

20200521_134959 by

The patio area. Everything is connected

20200521_135020

Couple more from the kitchen window
20200521_141426

20200521_141433



I'm.sort of guessing fixing everything is going to be upwards of $10k. The good thing is the wood isn't rotting and the moss blasts off with a power washer.

Unfortunately I've never been taught how to do wood working or any maintenance really.. my dad died just before I came along. It's not a sob story - I hate them - but just the way my life went.

There's minimum rot so if its safe for 5-6 years we can fix it up. I'm sort of thinking $10k upwards unfortunately. So I'm appreciating people talk f their time out to help me with this :-)

[aussiblue]

Meantime just buy this kit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9SKxxzgyQk and https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Karcher-...cAAOSwH-9Zl0wv

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by aussiblue

Meantime just buy this kit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9SKxxzgyQk and https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Karcher-...cAAOSwH-9Zl0wv

Pics look Ok to me as is, just clean the gutters, maybe replace the box gutter with a wider one (HARDER) or add a bit more overhang to the sheet overlap at the high side using something like a modified ridge cap. (EASY) as long as it is sloping away from said gutter.

[aussiblue]

Or even one of the cheap clone versions e.g. https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/5800PSI-...dKc9O_D9MmVGYA

[BA-XT]

Originally Posted by aussiblue

Or even one of the cheap clone versions e.g. https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/5800PSI-...dKc9O_D9MmVGYA

That's actually looks really good! Sent initial email to roof cleaning company, then answered a few questions but they haven't go at back to me yet at all. I saw the $120 ladder at Bunnings.... father in law has offered his so just have to borrow trailer and pick time up. I can clean out 60% of the gutters. Have a waterfall happening at the front.

There maybe enough space to get roof cleaning tool down in there... will have to wait. I did notice that some of the wood that makes up the veranda is bowing slightly as well. I don't mind investing $10k back into the house in 5 years time :-)

[whitelion65]

I’m with Rockwiz on this. Nothing here is a disaster, and nothing needs to be done immediately, bar preventative maintenance and cleaning.
Take your time, learn some skills, and enjoy.

[danzvtil]

My mums place has a gutter like this, when she had the pergola installed by a professional I told her to specify a box gutter, but she forgot to mention it. Now every winter for 10 years, the water pours in even in a moderate shower. I wouldn’t pressure gun it, all the water and crap will get forced under the tile flutes into the eaves potentially causing damage. What I do is slide the tiles up and back to get access into the gutter by hand and with a gutter scraper.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Be careful with cleaning the gutters. There was an older design that had the back edge (the one that attaches to the eve) about 3/4-1" lower than the front - roughly the same height as the front weep holes you see.

Depending on the volume of water and the angle of the guttering and if the weep holes were blocked up water used to flood over the back pof them and into the eves etc.

Have a look before you start blasting away with pressure - you may be forcing water into places it shouldn't go.

That bit of raw pine in the gutter is a joke - it seems to be a recent afterthought as it isn't painted and in quite good (weathered) condition.

Wondering what it was added for? Stop rain blowing in?

It looks like you have some open holes in the top sections of the corrugations - you can block these up with some clear tape as a means to reduce leaks.

Next time it rains, watch the transition of the deck going from dry to wet and try and pin point the problem.

It seems a lot of time and effort has gone into the structure - shame a little more thought didn't go into it.

[BA-XT]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

Be careful with cleaning the gutters. There was an older design that had the back edge (the one that attaches to the eve) about 3/4-1" lower than the front - roughly the same height as the front weep holes you see.

Depending on the volume of water and the angle of the guttering and if the weep holes were blocked up water used to flood over the back pof them and into the eves etc.

Have a look before you start blasting away with pressure - you may be forcing water into places it shouldn't go.

That bit of raw pine in the gutter is a joke - it seems to be a recent afterthought as it isn't painted and in quite good (weathered) condition.

Wondering what it was added for? Stop rain blowing in?

It looks like you have some open holes in the top sections of the corrugations - you can block these up with some clear tape as a means to reduce leaks.

Next time it rains, watch the transition of the deck going from dry to wet and try and pin point the problem.

It seems a lot of time and effort has gone into the structure - shame a little more thought didn't go into it.

Yes was thinking same today. If I pressure washed it would water get behind the eaves?

The roofing has had the small holes silicones up, but the danm rain gets behind the polycarbonate roofing and comes into the patio.... should have been build below the gutters.

[Citroënbender]

It's going to be a curly one to ever get perfect. A few points to consider.

Every bit of junk you clear out helps, it's not worth getting sucked into a vortex seeking a perfect result.

Make sure the downpipes are flowing freely all the way to the street or pit. Familiarise yourself with where they all come out.

If they are blocked this is called a "stormwater choke" and usually simple to clear by a plumber with water jetter. Sometimes if it's just a bit of leafy buildup you can flush it with a garden hose poked into the top of the downpipe.