Best Gutter Cleaner is it Gutter Zap?

Although it doesn't seem to make sense,..I've concluded that gutter cleaning must have a regional factor? I say this because I've always heard about F-13 being what many consider the best gutter cleaner,..but it didn't work as well as I'd like,..especially at the dilution rates some mention. I think we used it 1:1 and it did ok,.but wasn't marvelous. Now,..I'm not knocking the product,..as many testimonials over the years have solidified it's place as a quality gutter cleaner,..just didn't work for me as well or was near as cost effective as Purple Power. And I've seen others say the same thing about Purple Power,..it doesn't work for some.

Jeff

Jeff, must be our PA dirt because my results with it are the same as yours. At 10-1 its like using water. At 1:1 some gutters still need heavy scrubbing. Do you dilute the PP?
 
Hey Ken,..hanks for posting,.that reassures my experiences with F-13.

In the warmer temps (75 and Sunny) the PP can be cut in half, on typical gutter streaks,..and is actually the better choice,..especially on gutters where the paint is failing. If it is really warm like 85+ it can be cut into thirds. With that said,..we try and get our house washing done in the morning hours before the heat sets in on the hot Summer days.

*Gutter streaks vary greatly in degree of "toughness",..after almost 20 years I can look at them and tell if they're gonna be a B***h or not. I don't know if inferior products are more prone to the bad ones or not, but I hate seeing the ones that are gonna be tough,..You have to arrange your schedule around them in accordance with the weather. Last year we did a few that I told the customer,.."We'll be here when the temps start getting into the 90's, Ha,Ha,..

*It was very cool yesterday, and the job we were on was one with bad gutter streaks,..I actually forgot about them because I forgot to note it when I looked at the work about 3 weeks ago,...PP wouldn't touch them ,.even when scrubbed with Magic Eraser,..which will in many times make them doable,..and I HATE telling a customer we couldn't get the gutters clean,.. especially considering if I chose a better day they would have,..so I was contemplating finishing the house wash and coming back to do the gutters,..PITA,...

So we used an unconventional cleaner and added it to the Magic Eraser,..and the very tough gutter streaks wiped right off and didn't damage the paint at all,..we kind of laughed at how well it worked,..and left the customer with bright white gutters. And is definitely a new "tool" in the gutter cleaning kit,..especially in the cool periods. It could have been sprayed but we chose not to in this test case,Ha,Ha,..

*Although the results were professional the product was not,..it didn't hurt anything, (Probably less damaging than the PP),... and we will be doing it again if the need arises. It is a two step process.

**I am not gonna disclose this to the general forum, because too many un-professionals read here,..in reality I think if you use your imagination you will figure it out,Ha,Ha,..

***I will tell anyone who wants to know through PM,..and if I'm familiar with you.

Jeff
 
Hey Ken,..hanks for posting,.that reassures my experiences with F-13.

In the warmer temps (75 and Sunny) the PP can be cut in half, on typical gutter streaks,..and is actually the better choice,..especially on gutters where the paint is failing. If it is really warm like 85+ it can be cut into thirds. With that said,..we try and get our house washing done in the morning hours before the heat sets in on the hot Summer days.

*Gutter streaks vary greatly in degree of "toughness",..after almost 20 years I can look at them and tell if they're gonna be a B***h or not. I don't know if inferior products are more prone to the bad ones or not, but I hate seeing the ones that are gonna be tough,..You have to arrange your schedule around them in accordance with the weather. Last year we did a few that I told the customer,.."We'll be here when the temps start getting into the 90's, Ha,Ha,..

*It was very cool yesterday, and the job we were on was one with bad gutter streaks,..I actually forgot about them because I forgot to note it when I looked at the work about 3 weeks ago,...PP wouldn't touch them ,.even when scrubbed with Magic Eraser,..which will in many times make them doable,..and I HATE telling a customer we couldn't get the gutters clean,.. especially considering if I chose a better day they would have,..so I was contemplating finishing the house wash and coming back to do the gutters,..PITA,...

So we used an unconventional cleaner and added it to the Magic Eraser,..and the very tough gutter streaks wiped right off and didn't damage the paint at all,..we kind of laughed at how well it worked,..and left the customer with bright white gutters. And is definitely a new "tool" in the gutter cleaning kit,..especially in the cool periods. It could have been sprayed but we chose not to in this test case,Ha,Ha,..

*Although the results were professional the product was not,..it didn't hurt anything, (Probably less damaging than the PP),... and we will be doing it again if the need arises. It is a two step process.

**I am not gonna disclose this to the general forum, because too many un-professionals read here,..in reality I think if you use your imagination you will figure it out,Ha,Ha,..

***I will tell anyone who wants to know through PM,..and if I'm familiar with you.

Jeff

Thanks, Jeff. My experience mirrors yours with temps. What works in 75 degrees can strip paint off to metal in 90 degrees. Guys have been complaining that they have been having a hard time with gutters but I am always reluctant to tell them to ramp up the mix for fear that next house has a more sensitive coating. I actually found this thread looking up gutter cleaning chems on Google. I usually only frequent PT State.
 
F-13 for me.I wanted Purple Power to work after reading this post. I bought 1 gallon. It worked ok for sure but I did a unscientific side by side because I was in a hurry and wanted done.I had used PP all around the house and it was ok. I still had some gutters that were not coming out very well so I used the F-13, they came out better. It wasn't amazingly better but I thought the F-13 was better and will continue to use it.Have not tried Gutter Zap. Just my 2 cents.
 
F-13 for me.I wanted Purple Power to work after reading this post. I bought 1 gallon. It worked ok for sure but I did a unscientific side by side because I was in a hurry and wanted done.I had used PP all around the house and it was ok. I still had some gutters that were not coming out very well so I used the F-13, they came out better. It wasn't amazingly better but I thought the F-13 was better and will continue to use it.Have not tried Gutter Zap. Just my 2 cents.

Something that gets lost in the fray of cleaners is application method,...In my experience(s) with ANY cleaner,..spraying seems to make them work ALOT better,..not sure why,...if it's the bubbles created making it cling better,..or if the agitation created by the air bubbles makes the cleaning "agents" come to life?

But,..either way,..don't judge any cleaner until it's sprayed onto the surface.

*Suggested dilution rates are also a serious flaw with many cleaners,.I'm sure they are exaggerated so much to make it seem like such a bargain,..and to also get the manufacturer away from liability issues. Nothing wrong with starting out weak,..but in most cases it's needed way stronger for practical use.

Jeff
 
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