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Have You Thought About A Rain Barrel?

There are many uses for rainwater captured and stored in a rain barrels. Most commonly it is used for watering landscapes and gardens, but there are other uses as well for inside the house, but it must be filtered if used for drinking. No filtration is required for watering plants, gardens, etc. One of the most obvious advantages to using rainwater is that it saves money. Using this free source of water will certainly reduce your water bill. Using rainwater from rain barrels for watering your landscaping will help to improve the health of your gardens, lawns, and trees since rain is a naturally soft water and contains no minerals, chlorine, fluoride, and other chemicals. For this reason, plants respond very well to rainwater. With the rising price of municipal water and drought restrictions during the summer months, more homeowners in are turning to rainwater to save money and conserve this precious natural resource.

If you have an asphalt shingle roof and are concerned about using water collected from it, you need not be. Before you had a rain barrel, rain water from a downspout was pouring out onto your lawn, and vegetables were fine. You’re going to take the water and pour it in the dirt, which will serve as a filter, and then the vegetables will certainly be rinsed once in the kitchen before cooking or eating. So there should be no concern in that regard.

Rain barrels pay for themselves over time. Look at the water flowing out of your downspouts the next time it’s raining and consider that it could be a free resource for you, and reduce your water bill considerably. Just having a 50 gallon rain barrel or a linked series of rain barrels can allow you to leave that hose on the reel for a while. Even if you have a well, the use of the soft water from the barrel is a better source for the hydration of your plants, and reduces the chance of the well running dry during drought conditions.
Visit us at www.everythinggutter.com for more information. Professional installation is also available.
Posted on

Have You Thought About A Rain Barrel?

There are many uses for rainwater captured and stored in a rain barrels. Most commonly it is used for watering landscapes and gardens, but there are other uses as well for inside the house, but it must be filtered if used for drinking. No filtration is required for watering plants, gardens, etc. One of the most obvious advantages to using rainwater is that it saves money. Using this free source of water will certainly reduce your water bill. Using rainwater from rain barrels for watering your landscaping will help to improve the health of your gardens, lawns, and trees since rain is a naturally soft water and contains no minerals, chlorine, fluoride, and other chemicals. For this reason, plants respond very well to rainwater. With the rising price of municipal water and drought restrictions during the summer months, more homeowners in are turning to rainwater to save money and conserve this precious natural resource.

If you have an asphalt shingle roof and are concerned about using water collected from it, you need not be. Before you had a rain barrel, rain water from a downspout was pouring out onto your lawn, and vegetables were fine. You’re going to take the water and pour it in the dirt, which will serve as a filter, and then the vegetables will certainly be rinsed once in the kitchen before cooking or eating. So there should be no concern in that regard.

Rain barrels pay for themselves over time. Look at the water flowing out of your downspouts the next time it’s raining and consider that it could be a free resource for you, and reduce your water bill considerably. Just having a 50 gallon rain barrel or a linked series of rain barrels can allow you to leave that hose on the reel for a while. Even if you have a well, the use of the soft water from the barrel is a better source for the hydration of your plants, and reduces the chance of the well running dry during drought conditions.
Visit us at www.everythinggutter.com for more information. Professional installation is also available.
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Best Gutter Cleaning Products

       When it comes time to clean your gutters, aside from ladders, pressure washers, and a variety of buckets, there aren’t a lot of advertised products designed to reduce your overall time on the ladder. From robots to pressure washer attachments, scoops to gutter tongs, these products are designed to save you time and money, so maintaining vital efficiency of your gutters will be a much smoother and safer task.

Without a doubt, using a pressure washer is the best method for cleaning gutters. Debris and sediment won’t stand a chance against the force of the water, and the grime and film that couldn’t typically be removed using a pair of gloves is effortlessly blasted away. However, using a pressure washer on a ladder has some obvious safety concerns, and there have been many serious injuries resulting from homeowners falling from ladders while trying to negotiate cleaning, balancing, and using a pressure washer. But with a wand and a gutter cleaning attachment – such as the Apache Gutter Cleaner Spray Tip – cleaning gutters is a breeze, and as safe as it gets. The attachment is designed to fit virtually every type of power washer extension wand, rendering the use of a ladder unnecessary.

Not looking to own a pressure washer in the near future? Gutter tongs are another option for those that wish to clean safely from the ground. Gutter tongs, like the Ultimate Rain Gutter Cleaning Tool, can be attached to standard extension poles and are light enough to easily reach gutters on two-story homes. The jaws are opened, clamped around debris, and easily lifted to remove the sediment and foliage found in your gutters. The tongs can also clamp onto your garden hose nozzle, allowing you to operate the spigot to flush out smaller debris that might have been missed without having to repeatedly scale the ladder or recruit a friend.

Gutter scoops are another alternative to pressure washer cleaning, but unlike the washer extension or the gutter tongs, the scoop requires the use of a ladder. Gutter scoops are cheap and available at nearly every hardware store, so getting your hands on one shouldn’t be a problem. It works well for debris that’s a little tougher to grab by hand, like seeds, pine needles, and muddy sediment, but when you’re already up on the ladder, trying to juggle a bucket and your balance, adding another gutter cleaning tool into the mix seems a bit risky. Most homeowners would say that just using gloves is sufficient but if you have a lot of sludge in your gutter channel, finding a safe way to use a bucket and a scoop on a ladder should be on your to-do list.

If you’re completely opposed to manually cleaning your gutters, hiring a professional service will be your best choice.

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What are people saying about us

“I was very reluctant to deal with an “unknown” contractor. They were so knowledgeable on the phone, personable, and helpful that they relieved my anxiety. Then they accommodated my time table, performed miracles on my problem, having it diagnosed and repaired within days of my call. And was even very patient and caring with my 86 year old Mother. You know what? It just does not get any better than this. Thank you SO much. I’ll recommend Alexandra to all my friends and be sure to keep their phone number for our future needs.”
Springfield, PA

“Same day service. He did a great job reinforcing existing gutters and installing leaf guards. Jim was knowledgeable and very customer focused.”

Hockessin , DE

“I thought he did a nice job. The timeliness was extremely good and he was an extremely personable and trustworthy young man.”

West Chester , PA

“Work was performed as scheduled. I felt the price was fair. I was very impressed with the over phone pricing and How quickly my inquiry was responded to, It was next DAY! Very Happy with the new look of my home! I will use them again in the future!”

Newark , DE

“Very professional, good price and completed work on time.”

Wilmington , DE

“Jim & the guy working with him were very nice & the gutters look great! We appreciate you very much! “

Oxford , PA

“Problem areas were repaired on same visit as estimate. Everything looks great.”

Newark , DE

“I was impressed with their service and will hire them again.”

Wayne , PA

“Had Alexandra do both the Gutters and repaint the entire house. They did a fabulous job on what was definitely a hard job.”

Drexel Hill , PA

“Very nice guys. Worked with my time. Referred them to other projects in the neighborhood, which they completed that day. Very Well Recommended.”

Brookhaven , PA

“Very happy with Alexandra Gutter.”

Wilmington , DE

” Best Handyman I have had the chance to hire. Courteous, very professional and someone you could call a friend. Offered me great advice which I will cherish for the rest of my life.”

Newark , DE

If you choose to hire us, we invite you to tell others what you 
Think about the services we provided. Your opinion matters

And helps others make the smart choice when choosing a pro. Just click the link below & leave your review today.

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Ladder Safety for Gutter Maintenance

      When using a ladder to service your gutters or, honestly, for any reason at all, safety should always be your number one concern. Annually, there are approximately 222,000 people taken to the emergency room for ladder-related injuries. What’s more, many of these accidents occur because of improper ladder use, and could have been prevented simply by taking a few precautions before hopping on the ladder. Follow these guidelines for safe ladder usage and to prevent a trip to the hospital.

First and foremost, avoid using a ladder alone. Having a friend help while you’re working can make your job infinitely safer, and can give you an extra set of hands on the ground. Give the whole ladder a thorough inspection to ensure the ladder is solid and completely free of rust or visible damage. Make sure the ground you’ll be setting the ladder on is a firm, even surface, free of ice, water, and loose debris. Also, remember to look up and spot the power lines before carrying or using your ladder, and always avoid using metal ladders around electrical hazards.

The proper angle for setting up an extension ladder is based on how tall the ladder is; the base of the ladder from the side of your house should always be a quarter of the total height of the ladder. For instance, if your extension ladder is 12 ft. high, the base of the ladder should be 3 ft. away from the side of the house. When positioning your ladder, don’t lean the ladder against your gutters – not only do you risk crushing or damaging them, but the coating on your gutters is slick and offers very little resistance against your ladder, thus greatly reducing the stability of the ladder in general.

When you’re ready to make the climb, have your friend hold the base of the ladder while you scale it, always maintaining the three points of contact (2 feet/1 hand or 2 hands/1 foot). Never extend your arms over your head to reach your gutters, because you’ll swing your center of gravity too high and end up in the ER. The same principle applies to extending your reach too far laterally, as well- if you remember to keep your body centered and between the stringers of your ladder to maintain stability, you shouldn’t have any problems. Granted, you’ll have to climb up and down the ladder several times to reposition it as you work along the gutter run, but your patience will be rewarded with good health and unbroken bones.

Lastly, as always, make sure to thank your friend for their time and patience, and be sure to return the favor as soon as you can.

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How About Those Downspouts?


Picture if you will, brand new shiny seamless gutters on your house. Picture them clean and free of any leaves, pine cones, pine needles, those annoying little helicopter things, and just general debris. Nice huh? Well, not so fast there. All that runoff from the roof will flow very nicely into the gutter and toward the downspout. But what if the downspout itself is clogged up with debris? Where will all that water go? Nowhere, it will just fill up the gutter and overflow both the front and back, which will cause extensive and expensive problems. Erosion of the soil underneath the gutters, and possible damage to the fascia board behind the gutters is sure to happen. Not to mention foundation, interior walls, window, and basement problems. So let’s not forget to keep an eye on the downspout and make sure that water is flowing freely out of them and away from the foundation. It is not well known but true that leaves will turn into dirt like compost, and if they get stuck in the downspout it is obvious that water will not flow freely and eventually back up into and over those nice shiny, clean gutters. So the message here is to be aware of the downspouts. If you are having a gutter guard installed, make sure that the downspouts are cleaned along with the gutters before installing the guards. Once those things are completed you should have a lifetime of worry-free performance with your gutters and downspouts. A trained gutter professional can easily assess the condition of all gutter components, and often times a simple gutter tune up will leave your gutters functionally like new.
Everything Gutter can provide the experienced professional and certified installers to evaluate your gutter system. There are many homeowner issues with which to contend, but your gutters need not be one of them. “Everything Gutter” guarantees all its work for life, so you’ll never have to worry about gutters again. See us on line at http://everythinggutter.com.

Posted on

How About Those Downspouts?


Picture if you will, brand new shiny seamless gutters on your house. Picture them clean and free of any leaves, pine cones, pine needles, those annoying little helicopter things, and just general debris. Nice huh? Well, not so fast there. All that runoff from the roof will flow very nicely into the gutter and toward the downspout. But what if the downspout itself is clogged up with debris? Where will all that water go? Nowhere, it will just fill up the gutter and overflow both the front and back, which will cause extensive and expensive problems. Erosion of the soil underneath the gutters, and possible damage to the fascia board behind the gutters is sure to happen. Not to mention foundation, interior walls, window, and basement problems. So let’s not forget to keep an eye on the downspout and make sure that water is flowing freely out of them and away from the foundation. It is not well known but true that leaves will turn into dirt like compost, and if they get stuck in the downspout it is obvious that water will not flow freely and eventually back up into and over those nice shiny, clean gutters. So the message here is to be aware of the downspouts. If you are having a gutter guard installed, make sure that the downspouts are cleaned along with the gutters before installing the guards. Once those things are completed you should have a lifetime of worry-free performance with your gutters and downspouts. A trained gutter professional can easily assess the condition of all gutter components, and often times a simple gutter tune up will leave your gutters functionally like new.
Everything Gutter can provide the experienced professional and certified installers to evaluate your gutter system. There are many homeowner issues with which to contend, but your gutters need not be one of them. “Everything Gutter” guarantees all its work for life, so you’ll never have to worry about gutters again. See us on line at http://everythinggutter.com.

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How Important are Gutters

Seamless gutters serve an important part in protecting your home. Although many people do not see them as a protection device, that is precisely what they are. Gutters protect your home from water damage and wood rot by diverting rain water into troughs and downspouts which carry the water away from your house.

Without gutters, heavy rain can run off of roofs and seep into the foundation and cause erosion and permanent damage to the structure of your home. Gutters prevent this from happening.

There are many types of gutter systems today. Most come in a variety of styles and colors so that homeowners can choose what works best and looks best for their home. Today gutters are made of several different types of material. The three most common are aluminum, PVC, and copper. PVC is by far the most inexpensive and come in variety of colors. These are also the easiest to work with because they can easily fit on any home. Aluminum is perhaps the most common. They cost more, but they last longer and they can also be painted. That means if you ever wanted to change the color of your home, you can paint your gutters to match. Copper gutters conduct heat well which helps with ice build up in very winter months. These gutters are very impressive, but have an impressive price tag to go along with them.

No matter what type of gutters one may choose, their purpose is the same. But, as with every other features of your home, gutters have to be maintained. In order for a gutter system to function properly, they must be kept free of build up of dirt and debris. Over time, gutters can become blocked by leaves, pine straw, and other debris which over time can compromise their ability to divert damaging water form your home.

However, there are also different types of gutter systems that keep maintenance at a minimum. Gutter Guards keep leaves, and other debris form entering the gutter. When it rains, the rain is filtered threw the gutter guard then down into the gutter and is carried away from your home. With this type gutter system, you do not have to worry about build up and blockage.

Gutters are important. They serve a vital purpose in the protection of your home. If you are looking to replace or install recommended seamless gutters on your home, find a reputable company that will help you decide what type and style will work best for you.

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Do you Need Gutters

Seamless gutters serve an important part in protecting your home. Although many people do not see them as a protection device, that is precisely what they are. Gutters protect your home from water damage and wood rot by diverting rain water into troughs and downspouts which carry the water away from your house.

Without gutters, heavy rain can run off of roofs and seep into the foundation and cause erosion and permanent damage to the structure of your home. Gutters prevent this from happening.

There are many types of gutter systems today. Most come in a variety of styles and colors so that homeowners can choose what works best and looks best for their home. Today gutters are made of several different types of material. The three most common are aluminum, PVC, and copper. PVC is by far the most inexpensive and come in variety of colors. These are also the easiest to work with because they can easily fit on any home. Aluminum is perhaps the most common. They cost more, but they last longer and they can also be painted. That means if you ever wanted to change the color of your home, you can paint your gutters to match. Copper gutters conduct heat well which helps with ice build up in very winter months. These gutters are very impressive, but have an impressive price tag to go along with them.

No matter what type of gutters one may choose, their purpose is the same. But, as with every other features of your home, gutters have to be maintained. In order for a gutter system to function properly, they must be kept free of build up of dirt and debris. Over time, gutters can become blocked by leaves, pine straw, and other debris which over time can compromise their ability to divert damaging water form your home.

However, there are also different types of gutter systems that keep maintenance at a minimum. Gutter Guards keep leaves, and other debris form entering the gutter. When it rains, the rain is filtered threw the gutter guard then down into the gutter and is carried away from your home. With this type gutter system, you do not have to worry about build up and blockage.

Gutters are important. They serve a vital purpose in the protection of your home. If you are looking to replace or install recommended seamless gutters on your home, find a reputable company that will help you decide what type and style will work best for you.

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How to Fix a Loose or Sagging Gutter

How to Fix a Loose or Sagging Gutter

If a gutter sags too much, it looks unsightly, and if the sag is in the wrong direction, water collects, giving mosquitoes a breeding ground and creating leaks. It’s standard to pitch gutters 1/16 inch per foot (2 mm per 30 cm) toward the nearest downspout, but even a level gutter will drain. Assuming that the spikes, brackets or hangers are installed correctly, most commonly a gutter sags due to ice and snow damage or because a ladder has bent or dislodged its supports.

Instructions

If the gutter is supported by spikes (see A)

1. Straighten a bent spike by pushing up on the gutter at that location with a pry bar (you’ll likely need a ladder to reach it); or remove a nailed gutter spike for replacement by locking the head of the spike firmly in a pair of locking pliers, then tapping the side of the jaws with a hammer to pull the spike out.

2. Replace a spike that has fallen out or been removed with a threaded gutter spike. For a tighter fit, press a few wood slivers coated with exterior adhesive or epoxy into the nail hole first, this is for the do it your self. Although It is highly recommended that gutter with these types of hanging systems be rehung with reinforced inside hidden hangers with screw.

If the gutter is supported by hangers or brackets

1. Remove the gutter by unclipping the brackets and disconnecting it from the downspout(s). This is definitely a job for two or more people.

2. Replace the damaged bracket. Fill the old screw holes with caulk or exterior putty and let dry. Install the new bracket at approximately the same height and position as the old one. Repeat as needed for other brackets and tighten any loose screws before reinstalling the gutter.

If the gutter is supported by hangers or straps (see C)

1. If the strap is bent down, press down on it about 1 inch (2.5 cm) up the roof from the edge of the shingle it lies under, or from the surface to which it’s nailed. Then pull up just below the point of the bend.

2. If the bracket has pulled out of the roof or needs replacing, and the roofing is asphalt shingles, disconnect the bracket from the gutter and carefully pry up the shingle to remove the nails (or screws), or drive new fasteners through the strap into the roof recommend screws.

If the gutter is supported by concealed brackets

1. Remove the mounting screw to replace a damaged bracket.