As rain arrives, work overflows for gutter cleaner

By Melanie Wingo, KATU News Published: Oct 15, 2012 at 2:22 PM PDT Last Updated: Oct 15, 2012 at 4:48 PM PDT
As rain arrives, work overflows for gutter cleaner »Play Video
Ryan Lund heads up a ladder to clean the moss off the roof and gutters of a home. KATU image.

For Ryan Lund, it's raining work. Literally.

Lund works for AA Window & Gutter and after months of dry weather, the influx of rain has his phone ringing as gutters everywhere clog up and overflow. "We'll be crazy busy through until it snows, pretty much," Lund said.

Lund was hard at work Monday, cleaning gutters and getting them ready for the fall and winter storms ahead. And he does more than just scrape the gunk out of gutters.

There's also moss removal, which Lund accomplishes with a wire brush. He then applies a chemical to keep it from coming back for about a year. "The moss kind of grows from the roof, eventually it'll start getting rooted in the shingles and what not," Lund said.

Lund said if you don't get the moss cleaned off, it retains moisture and keeps your roof from ever fully drying out, which can lead to other problems.

Lund also said it's important to keep the water flowing through the gutters and into the downspouts, especially for older homes.

The water will "wash down and just keep pelting the house so you can wear out window sills and facia boards," he said.

The moss rolls down into the gutters, which is the next step in the cleaning process for Lund. Not cleaning out what clogs your gutters might cause problems for things like your home's landscaping, your roof and the home itself.

And if you have gutter covers, it doesn't mean they won't collect junk. Water just starts tracking over it, making a mess below. Gutter covers also don't keep everything out. Pine needles and gunk can still build up.

Lund recommends hiring a professional not only so the job gets done right, but also for the safety aspect of the task.

Walking around on steeply pitched roofs while wearing boots and tangling with tree limbs and slick surfaces isn't for everyone. That's when it's time to call Lund. He uses a safety harness and special gear to get the job done safely.

"I've been doing this for about 10 years, I've done probably 6,000 jobs or so," he said.