Brick Quality Gutters provides gutter cleaning in Brick, NJ, serving surrounding cities including Point Pleasant, Leisure Village East, Brielle, Point Pleasant Beach and Leisure Village. For 20+ years we have cleared needles, leaves, roof grit and storm sand from gutters on ranches, raised shore houses, condo buildings and churches, and we finish every visit with downspouts that drain and a yard with nothing left behind.
A gutter cleaning is only useful if the water can leave the house afterward. Scooping the trough while leaving a packed elbow halfway down the downspout means the gutter fills again in the next storm, so our crews treat the gutter, the outlets, the downspouts and the discharge point as one job. If something along the way is broken, loose or leaking, we note it and photograph it rather than ignoring it.
Every cleaning comes with before-and-after photos, which owners of rental houses and second homes rely on when they cannot be there in person. The photos also give owners a record of the gutters’ condition from one season to the next.
Residential Gutter Cleaning
What Every Cleaning Visit Includes
Each visit starts with a look at the roof edge and the trees above it. We hand-clear every gutter run, scrape out the packed sludge at the bottom of the trough, and pull seedlings, moss and nesting material. Debris goes into bags and leaves with us, so it is not dumped on the lawn, blown into flower beds or left in the street where it ends up in the storm drain.
After the troughs are clear, we flush each downspout from the top with water and watch it run out the bottom. When an elbow is packed solid, we take it apart and clear it by hand rather than forcing a hose through and splitting the seam. A final rinse along each run shows whether the gutter still holds water anywhere, which would point to a pitch problem.
Spring and Fall Cleaning Schedules
Most houses in the area need a cleaning at least twice a year. Late spring clears the oak tassels, maple seeds, pine pollen and needles that drop as trees leaf out, and late fall clears the main leaf drop. Brick Township’s leaf collection runs from September 1 through December 31, and many owners book their fall cleaning near the end of that window once the last leaves are down.
Lots with tall pines over the roof often need a third visit, since needles fall all year. In Toms River and other towns near the Pinelands, a spring cleaning also clears dry needles from the roof edge before the state’s peak wildfire season in mid-March to mid-May.
Two-Story Homes, Raised Houses and Steep Roofs
A two-story colonial or a shore house raised after Hurricane Sandy puts the gutters well above the reach of a household ladder. Our crews use ladders and standoffs sized for that height, so the ladder does not rest on the gutter and bend it. Steep or slippery roofs are worked from the ladder rather than walked, which protects both the crew and the shingles.
Height is also why many older owners hand gutter cleaning off. In communities with a large share of retired homeowners, a fall from a ladder is a real risk, and a scheduled cleaning twice a year removes the need to climb at all.
Sand, Grit and Storm Debris Near the Shore
After a nor’easter or a coastal storm, gutters near the ocean and bay can collect wind-blown sand along with the usual leaves. Older asphalt roofs also shed granules that settle at the bottom of the gutter as a heavy gray grit. We scoop and rinse that material out, because it weighs down the gutter, wears the finish and packs into downspout elbows.
Houses on the barrier island and along the bay also take more salt spray, which leaves a film on the gutters and the fascia. When we see that film building up or the first signs of corrosion at the hangers, we tell the owner, since a freshwater rinse now costs far less than replacing fasteners later.
Commercial and Association Gutter Cleaning
Condo Buildings, Co-ops and Adult Communities
Condo associations, co-ops and adult communities often need gutters cleaned on dozens of buildings at once. We schedule the work building by building, keep a log of what was cleaned and when, and provide photos the board or property manager can keep on file. That documentation helps a board show it has maintained the exteriors it is responsible for.
In some communities the owner handles their own gutters, and in others the association does. We check the master deed or the management office before booking, so an owner is not billed for a cleaning the association already includes in its fees.
Where exterior changes need committee approval, we stick to cleaning and simple maintenance unless the board has signed off on more. Any repair we find is documented and passed to the manager rather than carried out without permission.
Rental Turnovers and Second Homes
Shore rentals turn over quickly in summer, and many second homes sit empty for weeks at a time. Clogged gutters on an empty house can overflow for months before anyone notices the stained siding or the wet basement. We schedule cleanings around rental calendars and the owner’s own visits, and we send photos and notes the same day.
For landlords with several properties, we can group the houses into one visit and send a single report. That record is also useful when a town’s property maintenance code calls for gutters and leaders to be kept in good repair on rental housing.
Retail Strips, Offices and Churches
Commercial buildings and churches often have long gutter runs, tall walls and large downspouts that empty onto walkways or into storm lines. We clean those systems around business hours or service times and flag any downspout that drains across a sidewalk where water could freeze. Long runs on these buildings collect a surprising amount of debris from nearby trees and from roof equipment, so the downspouts are flushed and checked at the bottom as well as the top. Box gutters and wide commercial troughs get the same hand clearing and flushing as a house, scaled to the size of the roof.
Underground Lines, Downspouts and Problems We Find
Flushing Underground Downspout Lines
Many downspouts in the area run into buried pipes that carry water to the yard, the curb or a pop-up drainage emitter. Leaves and silt that escape the gutter settle in those lines and slowly choke them. We flush the line from the downspout and watch for water at the outlet, and when it does not appear we snake or jet the line to find the blockage.
When roots or crushed pipe are the problem, we tell the owner where the damage is and price a repair rather than leaving a line that backs up at the next rain.
Some owners also find that a downspout tied into the street or a storm pipe is no longer allowed. Brick Township’s Chapter 396 governs illicit connections to the storm sewer, and we point out tie-ins that may need a look so the owner can check with the township.
Repairs Spotted During a Cleaning
A cleaning puts us within arm’s reach of every hanger, seam and outlet on the house. We note loose hangers, leaking corners, sagging runs, rotted fascia and downspouts that dump against the foundation, and we photograph each one. Small fixes such as resealing a leaking end cap can often be handled on the same visit, and larger repairs are priced separately so the owner can decide.
Nests, Plants and Standing Water
Gutters that stay wet grow weeds and seedlings, attract nesting birds and hold standing water where mosquitoes breed in summer. We clear plants and roots, remove nests outside of the nesting season, and point out where the gutter is holding water. Correcting the pitch at those low spots is what stops the problem from coming back after the cleaning.
When a lot keeps refilling the gutters faster than twice-a-year cleanings can keep up, we talk about gutter guards matched to the trees overhead. On many pine lots a fine mesh sharply cuts the number of cleanings, though it does not eliminate them.
- 20+ Years Experience
- Free Written Estimates
- Before-and-After Photos