Gutter Cleaning in Greta: Sludge and a Blocked Downpipe Outlet on a Single-Storey Home ($330)

Trace's home in Greta is a single-storey house with a concrete tile roof. The gutters weren't overflowing with leaves, but they were holding wet, dark sludge along their length, and one downpipe outlet was blocked with leaves, dirt and a woody stem. Sludge is easy to miss from the yard, but it holds water in the gutter and feeds straight into the downpipes.

The job at a glance

• Customer: Trace

• Location: Greta (Hunter Valley)

• Property: Single-storey home

• Roof type: Concrete tile, with a corrugated metal section

• Problem: Sludge and leaves along the gutters, a downpipe outlet blocked with debris

• Service: Gutter vacuum cleaning, including the downpipe outlets

• Price: $330

• Result: Gutters emptied and outlets open

The problem

Where the tile roof runs alongside a cream metal wall, a strip of dark sludge and leaves had settled into the bottom of the gutter.

Before: sludge and leaves beside the metal wall

Leaves had gathered around the downpipe outlets, which is exactly where they do the most harm.

Before: leaves collecting at a downpipe outlet

Under the corrugated metal roof, the sludge had built up into a continuous ridge along the gutter.

Before: sludge along the gutter under the metal roof

The worst spot was this outlet. It was packed with leaves and dirt, with a woody stem sticking out of it. Water going into that downpipe had nowhere to go.

Before: downpipe outlet blocked with debris and a stem

Before: dry gum leaves lodged in the gutter

What Turbovac did

Mark vacuumed out the gutters around the house, cleared the sludge and pulled the debris out of the downpipe outlets so they could drain again. Turbovac works from the ground wherever possible, with ladders and harness where access needs it.

The result

After: the gutter beside the metal wall cleared

After: downpipe outlet open

After: leaves gone from the tile roof gutter

After: gutter run cleared

What it cost

This job was $330, quoted up front. Standard homes start from $250; the price depends on the size of the home and what needs clearing.

Is sludge sitting in your gutters?

If you can't remember the last time your gutters were cleaned, there's a good chance they're holding sludge you can't see from the ground. Call Mark on 0431 103 323 or visit turbovac.com.au for a fixed-price quote.

Related: see our Cessnock gutter cleaning page for more Hunter Valley jobs.