Generally, if you have gutter mesh installed, we will need to attend the property and have a close look at the situation to determine the most cost effective gutter maintenance solution for you.
Usually the DIY varieties of mesh can be removed quickly and easily and it won’t cost much more than a standard gutter clean to do so. With few exceptions, these cheap mesh products are regarded as ‘single use’ throwaways, as once they’ve been installed for a year or two, they become more of a blockage in your system than anything else, and when removed for cleaning they are generally warped, misshapen, and break apart to become rubbish.
However if your mesh has been screwed down to your roof, we will need to come and inspect closely, taking photos through the mesh in various places to determine what level of cleaning is required.
Gutter Mesh Maintenance - Level 1
If there’s only small amounts of moss, soil and light debris built up below the mesh, your gutters can be pressure cleaned through the mesh, washing the muck below down your downpipes without causing any blockages down the line. This process can get messy as the high pressure water required to flush your gutters through the mesh causes the mud to spill out over the sides of the gutters, leaving splatters of muck on your house exterior and surrounds which then needs to be rinsed off after the gutters are clean and flowing. Look on the bright side though, you basically get a house wash included with your gutter clean and the whole place will look shiny and new once the job is done.
The cost of cleaning mesh at Level 1 is comparible, or up to 1.5 times the cost of cleaning normal open gutters, and is recommended to be done every 1 or 2 years, to avoid reaching Level 2. See our ‘Rates’ page for estimates.
Gutter Mesh Maintenance - Level 2
If your gutters have grass clumps and weeds growing below the mesh, causing blockages, the mesh will need to be unscrewed and lifted in sections to allow removal of the heavy debris so as to avoid blocking up your underground drainage system when the gutters are pressure washed. The mesh can usually then be refitted and continue to provide a level of ongoing gutter protection.
Once again, pressure cleaning dirty gutters creates some mess, which as part of the service will be thoroughly cleaned up before we leave your job.
The cost of cleaning mesh at Level 2 is usually around 2, to 2.5 times the cost of cleaning normal, open gutters, and is recommended to be done as soon as possible to avoid reaching Level 3. See our ‘Rates’ page for estimates.
Gutter Mesh Maintenance - Level 3 - Removal
Oftentimes, we come across gutter guard that has been left unattended for too long, and has become blocked up to a point where it is beyond saving, where there is vegetation growing through the mesh everywhere, and/or significant moss growth around the saddles that clamp the mesh to the roof at the upper edge, causing soil immersion of the roofing iron. This is not a good situation for your roof and gutters to be in, as if left uncleaned, this level of mess will cause paint damage, and premature rusting of not only your guttering, but your roofing iron as well, leading to very costly repairs or even whole roof replacement
In this case, the mesh has reached the end of its useful life. It needs to be completely removed and scrapped, the roof below cleaned, and the holes left in your roof filled with new roofing screws with rubber washers to make it water tight again. Once the mesh has been completely removed like this, it cannot be effectively re-installed as it will be warped, broken and filthy. Time to go back to regular gutter cleaning.
The cost of professional mesh removal is usually around 3, to 4 times the cost of cleaning normal, open gutters. See our ‘Rates’ page for estimates.