I saw a banner ad on here today for Gutter Zap that said all you need to get started was a pole and a brush.
What type of brush do you use to apply Gutter Zap?
Also, I’m marketing myself this year as a green company. Is Gutter Zap biodegradable and non toxic?
Hey John! Great to see you over here!
I use a truck brush attached to my extension pole. You can usually find a nice assortment of them at your local RV Center. Try to find one that looks like it will hold fluid without dripping too much.
PM me and I’ll give you a tip or two about Gutter Whitening that I’ve learned here and from other forums.
I use a spray bottle (on my belt in a bottle holster) to apply my properly mixed chemical of choice directly onto the brush itself instead of using a bucket. With the bucket your chemical gets dirty and diluted really quickly. You need your chemical to keep it’s intended strength throughout the duration of cleaning your gig. The spraying of new chemical onto the brush insures that.
Hey John!
I started last year with Gutter Zap and did surprisingly well as some neighborhood associations in my area have convenants that require them to keep their gutters exterior looking clean or else they are fined.
It is easy to catch onto and not much for equipment to accomplish the mission. I use a pump sprayer and carry it up the ladder with an altered back pack harness. I wet down the gutter and the area below. Zap can harm some surfaces so read the instructions. After wetting everything down I apply the Zap and let it dwell while I scrub it with my truck wash brush attached to one of my extension poles. Then just rinse with the garden hose and it is done. About a buck a linear foot is a good pricing my way.
I always try that road on every house we clean windows on that has dirty white gutters.
John, I forgot to mention that I use a 24’ pole so I can brush the gutters clean from the ground. Very seldom do I have to climb up a ladder to clean gutters. But there a some situations where it is required.
I believe the #1 rookie mistake is to allow the chemical to dry on the gutters. You need to keep the gutter wet after applying the chemical until the gutter is completely clean and rinsed. It doesn’t hurt to rinse a 2nd or 3rd time either, as small dirty drops will form along the edge of the gutter if you don’t rinse very well.
When starting out, don’t rush yourself and try to clean one side at a time. Work in 10 foot sections at a time until your comfortable with it.
Also Alex will tell you that you need to wet the gutter first then apply the Gutter Zap and brush then rinse. Reapply the GZ if needed.
Correct!
We have done really well with gutter Zap. However, we do not brush it on. Our guys wipe it on with a rag and then wipe it off. It allows them more control so there are no drips which can harm plants and stain surfaces below.
It takes a little bit longer this way but we charge a little more. Just make sure you follow the directions for mixing the gutter Zap.
Are you saying you brush Gutter Zap from the ground? Or are you saying you clean out the leaves, dirt, etc. inside the gutters from the ground?
John, I don’t use Gutter Zap. I’m talking about brushing F-13 with a truck brush attached to a 24’ pole to whiten the outside of the gutters while standing on the ground.
But to clear up any confusion, I do have to ladder up to remove debris from the inside of gutters.
I’ve always used gutter zap. Have any of you used both F-13 and Gutter Zap? Which works better?
They both work well. The difference is that Gutter Zap is a butyl based cleaner and F-13 is not butyl based.
Gutter Zap will attack the paint itself but F-13 only attacks the oxidation of paint on the gutter.
F-13 is more concentrate (has to de diluted) so it’s cheaper to ship. A gallon of F-13 will last longer than a gallon of Gutter Zap.
Gutter zap is also a concentrate and needs to be diluted. Where do get f-13 and what else have you used it for?
You can get F-13 from Pressure Tek www.pressuretek.com
I use it for gutter whitening usually starting out with a weaker ratio of 8:1 water and F-13. If the gutters are more stubborn I’ll bump up the mix a little bit.
I also use it in my custom housewash (power washing) mix which is called “Cherry Bomb”. Cherry bomb is a housewash mix consisting of bleach, 4 oz. of F-13, 10 oz. of Simple Cherry house wash, and a shot of Dawn mixed with water in a 5 gallon container.
The F-13 gives the housewash mix a little more kick or cleaning power.
From what I understand, F-13 is more concentrate than Gutter Zap so one gallon of F-13 goes farther or lasts longer. Therefore the shipping cost of F-13 is more cost effective.
Thats awesome. The “Cherry Bomb”. May just have to give it a try this year, thanks for sharing!
Although the “Cherry Bomb” housewash mix is a custom mix, I did not make it up. I found out about it on one of the powerwashing forums. I can say that it’s an awesome mix for power washing houses.
Hello,
I`ve been doing research and came across your recipe for “Cherry Bomb” and am wondering how much bleach do you use?
Thank you in advance.
Hi Dennis,
I haven’ used Simple Cherry house wash soap for the past few years. I used Fresh Wash for a couple of years then switched to Elemonator when Bob at Presure Tek came out with it last year. With Elemonator I use two gallons of 12.5% bleach to 3 gallons of water and 5 oz of Elemonator. I use a 35 gallon chemical tank so for every 2 gallons of bleach I mix in 3 gallons of water and 5 oz of Elemonator.
No need for the F-13 in a house wash mix.
But back when I used Simple Cherry I typically used 2.5 to 3 gallons of bleach per 5 gallon bucket of house wash mix.
I downstream.
Looking for gutter face washing brush its the green one in this video Gutter restoration & brightening service - YouTube the brush is 1:20 into the video. I like this brush because of its size n shape and can work well at many angles . how carries this ?
