Hey guys, you are all awesome. I have a question about gutter zap. Is it safe to use it on “colored” gutters other than white (beige and dark brown is common), and also on plastic gutters?
Thanks for your help guys!
P.S. when does your guys residential work typically start ramping up heavy? Mine is usually not until late april.
Does electrostatic bonding affect plastic?
Good question, I like to know the answer to that as well as I hope to add gutter cleaning to my business soon.
Im sure it can’t electrostatically bond, but I just want to make sure it wont damage or hurt plastic gutters.
I think it could potentially damage plastic. I would test in a very small area to be sure.
I think that gutter zap can be used on plastic. I know it can be used on vinyl and the Ration is 10 parts water to 1 part Zap. However you can probably do little research about Alkaline Detergent (gutter Zap) to find out more.
If anyone need the Gutter Zap ratios I have the list of how to mix it for different uses.
Why not use a product intended for that surface?
Gutter Zap cleans streaks due to the bond. If no bond is present on plastic, why not use a product specific to the dirt/debris/issue?
GUTTER ZAP USAGES:
AIR CONDITIONING DUCTS & AIR FILTERS:
Dilute 1 Part Product to 10 Parts Water.
ALUMINUM OR VINYL SIDING:
Dilute 1 part Product to 10 Parts Water.
AUTO/TRUCKS:
Dilute 1 Part Product to 30 Parts Water to remove grease, diesel fuel, soot, tar, and road film.
BATHTUB CLEANING:
Mix 1 Part Product to 4 Parts Water to remove scum and mineral deposit.
BRAKE PARTS:
Dilute 1 Part Product to 2 Parts Water to remove brake fluid, oil and grease.
CARPETS:
Dilute 1 Part Product to 64 parts Water for wet foam or steam cleaning.
CONCRETE:
Dilute 1 Part Product to 2 Parts Water for Heavily Contaminated Concrete Floors to remove Oil & Grease. May Dilute up to 25 Parts Water depending on floor condition.
ENGINE DEGREASING:
Use Full Strength to effectively emulsify engine oil, dirt & grease.
FLOORS:
Dilute 1 Part Product to 5 Parts Water for effective removal of grease, dirt, and scuff marks from vinyl and wood. May dilute up to 1 oz per gallon for maintenance.
GUTTERS:
Dilute 1 Part Product to 2 Parts Water up to 1 Part Product to 1 Part Water. (Do not use at full strength for this application).
KITCHEN/ GENERAL PURPOSE:
Use 1 Ounce Product per 1/2 gallon Water.
PAINTED & ENAMEL SURFACES:
Dilute 1 Part Product to 10-30 Parts Water depending on soiled condition. (Do not allow product to dry on painted surfaces).
PATIO FURNITURE:
1 Part Product to 10 Parts Water.
RECREATION VEHICLES:
Dilute 1 Part Product to 10 Parts Water to remove black streaks.
SOAP SCUM:
Dilute 1 Part Product to 1 Part Water. On fiberglass, spray on , let stand for 1 minute and wipe off with a cloth or sponge. On porcelain, spray on and rinse off.
SPOT CLEANING:
Dilute 1 Part Product to 10 Parts Water to remove dirt, grease, crayon, etc.
STAINLESS STEEL/ FORMICA & WOOD COUNTERTOPS:
Dilute 1 Part Product to 10-25 Parts water depending on condition.
WHITE WALL TIRES:
Use Full Strength to remove road film, tar, and dirt. Also can be used to remove brake dust from the rim of the tires.
Thanks Dwight.
Notice the video at the bottom of the page you got this from on the manufacturers web site? 
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How much gutter zap do you go through on an average house?
I see the dilution ratios but how many gallons are needed to clean say… 100ft of gutter?
Very little if you dip the brush in the zap and apply it to the gutters. Probably about 1/4 of a gallon at the most for 100ft. If you spray it on there, you’ll use a lot more.
Don 't spray directly onto the gutter and don’t dip out of a bucket.
Just spray your solution directly onto the truck brush then apply to the gutter with the brush on a pole while standing on the ground.
If you mix your gutter cleaner in a 32 oz. spray bottle the solution won’t get so dirty like it would if you dip the brush into a big bucket. Also, you can keep the left-over mixed chemical for the next gutter cleaning since it’s still clean. (at least F-13 still works after being mixed and stored, not sure about Gutter Zap)
I keep the spray bottle in a bottle holster on a belt. So easy and convenient. Spraying the cleaner onto the brush is less likely to drip excess chemical all over the place.
If you dip your brush in a big bucket your solution gets dirty the second time you dip it and even dirtier each dip after that. The solution actually weakens as it gets dirty.
By spraying fresh chemical mix directly onto your brush you are constantly using full strength of yor chem mix. You can rinse the brush periodically since you have the garden hose right there with you.
This is the system I use and I find that it doesn’t waste the gutter cleaning chemical.
I usually can do 2 very large homes sometimes 3 with one 32 oz. bottle of 4.5 ounces of F-13 mixed with water. This method is so efficient.
Don’t forget to flush the spray pump mechanism on the bottle with water after each gutter cleaning.
2 of my guy’s did 200ft of Gutters the other day with a 32 ounce spray Bottle. Spray directly on the brush, brush Gutter, rinse with hose.
1/2 of the bottle was left afterward.
windowman
Thanks, Richard!
You’re welcome Larry. I can’t take the credit for this method though. I learned it from a power washing forum.
He is right not to use a bucket for that’ll get the stuff everywhere and it’ll dirty the solution weakining it.
I wanted to set some expectations if you are going to use this a lot.
There are several factors through experience that determines how much zap you may use. If you aren’t careful, you can end up using a lot…even with spraying the brush with a 32oz bottle.
If the temperature is below 55 degrees the chemical solution in f-13 and gutter zap doesn’t react as well with the tar and stain, therefore you may have to use much more solution and do much more scrubbing.
The length of time the stain/tar has been on the gutters. One out of 30 homes we’ll experience extreme difficulty in getting the stain off. Sometimes it won’t even work. Usually the stains been on there for appx 15 years. Its good to ask the customers how long the stain has been on there and tell them there is a chance it won’t come off. Believe me, if you do enough homes with gutter zap you’ll run across one. Using a concentrate chemical of what zap and f-13 uses can potentially damage the baked paint on the gutter if you aren’t familiar with the chemical properties.
If the gutters were painted over by painters…forget it. Its quite tough to get off and the stripes will come back fast. The zap/f-13 works best on the original gutter installed color.
Hope this helps.
