The Safer Way to keep your Gutters Clean
Make Using Ladders a thing of the past
According to UK government statistics, someone in Britain is likely to die this week by falling off a ladder.
Whether in the workplace or at home, fifty or more avoidable deaths occur each and every year and it is estimated that 6000 people*
require emergency treatment after falling off their ladder in the garden.
Figures don’t exist for injuries that don't
require hospital treatment, but we can assume that they will be substantial.
In response to the increase of accidents involving ladders, the Health and Safety Executive issued new regulations in 2006,
titled ‘Working at Heights Regulations 2005’. The essence of these regulations is that if there is an alternative to using a
ladder, it should be used.
Gutter Cleaning
How can we prevent gutter blockage? The traditional – and ineffective – fix is to fit a bell or balloon-type strainer in the top
of the downpipe to prevent some of the leaves and moss from going down the downpipe.
What actually happens is the strainer clogs up and the leaves and moss are trapped in the guttering, preventing the rainwater from
draining down the downpipe. In extreme situations, the guttering can fill with water and the weight causes the guttering to be ripped
off the house, resulting in excessive cost, flooding and danger.
To try to combat this, most people will have to climb a ladder to clear the strainer before it becomes blocked.
However, with land in short supply, an increasing number of houses are being built with two upper floors. Very few people
would risk climbing a ladder to clean the gutters; the only other option would be to use a scaffold or hydraulic lift, which
cost hundreds of pounds per day to hire.
Gutter Mate - Keeping your Feet on the Ground
Using the Gutter Mate Filter means you keep your feet on the ground. The filter is normally fitted into the downpipe
just three to four feet above ground level, allowing you to simply look in the filter without having to take it apart to
see if there are leaves or moss in the filter basket. If there is debris in the filter basket, it will take no more than
thirty seconds to remove, clean and re-fit the basket back into the filter.
*Hansard, Feb 2005