The GutterBrush Blog

Even though great strides have been made in achieving equality in both the workplace and household, women are usually still the ones who do the household chores and the home cleaning tasks. However, when it comes to cleaning clogged gutters, most women are not looking to engage in this task and often frown at the idea of getting their hands covered in the dark, smelly muck in the gutters. Even independent minded women who do not usually ask favors from men, wouldn’t have the interest of performing a cleaning task which may leave their hands smelling unpleasant for weeks. However, GutterBrush gutter guard has delighted many women since its introduction to the market seven years ago. Aside from being an effective gutter guard against leaves and falling debris that can cause clogs and water overflow in gutters, there are at least three reasons why this simple gutter protection system has attracted the interest and gained the favor of female customers.

First, it is the easy installment feature of GutterBrush that curries favor with the ladies. Many women are not very interested in technical features and thus, they tend to get easily bored with most talk about complex gutter protection systems that require professional installation or routine maintenance. GutterBrush harnesses  a simple design of repelling/blocking debris while allowing water to flow right on through. GutterBrush is so simple, there is not even a need for a sales representative to explain how the product works and how the product is installed. It can be done simply and easily.

The second reason is that GutterBrush greatly reduces any gutter maintenance needed to keep them working properly.  Any product that does not require daily or weekly cleaning is likely to be appealing to everyone. Thus, a gutter protection product such as GutterBrush that barely needs maintenance once or twice a year is certainly an irresistible product to the do it yourself homeowner and this obviously includes a large population of women who fit that bill.

The third reason this product is so very appealing is the price. Both men and women are probably very interested in economical products and services in these challenging times and Gutterbrush fits the bill on both counts. Other systems can cost thousands of dollars to purchase and then have installed where GutterBrush can be purchased and installed for only a few hundred dollars for the average sized home. The bottom line is that everyone can benefit from GutterBrush due to its being simple, affordable and effective.

As always, whenever you start a home improvement or maintenance project safety must always be in the forefront of your mind. that’s right, safety first. Always.

All of this rain gives you an opportunity to give your garden a nice hearty drink without chipping away at your efforts to conserve water and save money. Maybe it is time you consider a rain barrel and begin collecting the runoff from your gutters that would otherwise go to waste and even hurt your landscaping and cause leaking around foundations?

Although any old 55-gallon drum or keg will do, there’s no reason to litter your yard with these unsightly relics. Instead, give your local water department a call because many towns and municipalities now offer water barrels free of charge to local residents in an effort to increase sustainability and decrease public water supply usage. Those that don’t often hold workshops on other ways to conserve water, or offer incentives to citizens willing to secure barrels on their own.

If you are into DIY projects you can even make your own rain collection system  for very short money. Just be sure you correctly position them underneath your gutters’ downspouts to maximize the collection of runoff during the next rainfall. But remember, even if you filter it first, the water you collect is better suited for drenching thirsty garden than satisfying a thirsty throat.

If you’d rather just buy a rain barrel, there are some really neat ones available online at www.aquabarrel.com

Good luck!

Collecting water from the sky to be used on the ground.

We have seen a significant increase in finished basements being used as living rooms and bedrooms especially as families become more extended due in part to the current financial situation. Therefore, using this usually reserved storage space for living areas can result in problems that can be both annoying and uncomfortable humidity, but can also cause significant health problems for those who live and spend time in them. Mildew and mold can easily occur and flourish in damp areas as well as in carpets and upholstery. Completing a basement before taking the actual water issues, if any, present can easily lead to the creation of health problems and/or substantial damage to the building itself. Well then, where does the water come from?

If the area near the foundation is not level or slopes toward the house, it is most likely that the water will be directed towards the foundation and into the basement. Often the earthen floor next to the house’s foundation is filled without proper compaction and/or drainage plans. To correct this one needs to grade the earth around the house away from the foundation wall, not less than one inch per foot for at least six feet.

Gutters and downspouts are also very important to keeping water out of the basement living space. These systems keep the water from running down the side of the house and pooling around the foundation followed by seeping into the basement. It is important to keep the downspouts emptying far enough away from the home so that this water penetration is less likely to occur.  There are other components to keeping the basement dry but they fall outside of the scope of this author’s technical and practical skillset. However, you can find this information quite easily on the world wide web.  Stay dry this spring and keep your property protected as well!

Airport body scanning raises radiation exposure while using gutterbrush simple gutter guards does not. Because safety is always a priority in our pursuits and because we travel a bit we wanted to share the risks associated with airport body screening.

An inter-agency report (Inter-Agency Committee on Radiation Safety report, which is restricted to the agencies concerned and not meant for public circulation) stated that  governments must explain any decision to expose the public to higher levels of cancer-causing radiation while also suggesting that pregnant women and children should not be subject to scanning, even though the radiation dose from body scanners is “extremely small”. The group putting this report forward includes the European Commission, International Atomic Energy Agency, Nuclear Energy Agency and the World Health Organization.

Please keep in mind that an accurate assessment about the health risks of the screening won’t be possible until governments decide whether all passengers will be systematically scanned or randomly selected, the report said. Governments must justify the additional risk posed to passengers, and should consider “other techniques to achieve the same end without the use of ionizing radiation.” However, President Obama has suggested using upwards of $734 million to implement airport scanners that use x-rays and other technology to detect explosives, guns and other contraband.

“There is little doubt that the doses from the backscatter x-ray systems being proposed for airport security purposes are very low,” Health Protection Agency doctor Michael Clark said by phone from Didcot, England. “The issue raised by the report is that even though doses from the systems are very low, they feel there is still a need for countries to justify exposures.” So what is the risk?

Most of the scanners deliver less radiation than a passenger is likely to receive from cosmic rays while airborne, the report said. Scanned passengers may absorb from 0.1 to 5 microsieverts of radiation compared with 5 microsieverts on a flight from Dublin to Paris and 30 microsieverts between Frankfurt and Bangkok, the report said. A sievert is a unit of measure for radiation.

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration has said that it ordered 150 scanners from OSI Systems Inc.’s Rapiscan unit and will buy an additional 300 imaging devices this year. The agency currently uses 40 machines, which cost $130,000 to $170,000 each, produced by L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc. at 19 airports including San Francisco, Atlanta and Washington D.C. Oddly enough the U.S. TSA has not ordered a single linear foot of gutter protection such as gutterbrush to protect their gutters at airports across the United States.

This will never happen with gutterbrush simple gutter guards

Snow relocation technique.

In some parts of the USA the average amount of snowfall approaches 120 inches! That translates into 120 opportunities for suffering a snow removal malady including muscle fatigue, lower back injury, spinal damage, and even spinal fractures during the seemingly never ending winter season. Many of these snow removal aches, pains, and injuries are the result of excessive stress to spinal, muscular structures, and  from slips and falls. According to research completed at Cornell University’s ergonomic department The L5/S1 disc has been identified as the weakest link in the body segment chain. The most severe injuries and pain are likely to occur in the back region.” Just as we advocate for ladder safety when cleaning the gutters or working on the roof, what can be done to prevent injuries when relocating snow after a storm?
Keep in mind at the outset that snow relocation programs can be compared to resistance training , and in some cases, the aerobic aspect of this activity is similar to a workout involving running or skipping rope. So, in the interest of safety and a successful battle with the fallen snow please take a moment to consider the following tips:

1. If you experience pain or discomfort of any kind, stop at once and seek assistance.

2. Drink plenty of water during the event(s) and take frequent breaks. Remember, snow relocation is a very rigorous physical activity that can place you in harms way.

3. Beware of icy surfaces under the snow and avoid them if you are unable to get solid footing to remove the snow. Failure to do this often results in a slip and fall situation resulting in injury.

4. Make sure you are dressed properly and be sure to understand that much of the heat in your body exits through the head.

5. Shovel selection is very important. Choose one with a curved handle to help you to keep your back straighter reducing spinal stress. A smaller blade can help with this as well because a smaller load of snow usually weighs less and thus puts less strain on the spine. Finally, there are shovels made expressly for pushing snow so you can avoid lifting a single flake of snow. Once you have your shovel, spray a bit of silicon lubricant on the blade in order to help keep the snow from sticking to the shovel.

6. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, “If you must lift the snow, lift it properly. Squat with your legs apart, knees bent and back straight. Lift with your legs. Do not bend at the waist. Scoop small amounts of snow into the shovel and walk to where you want to dump it. Holding a shovelful of snow with your arms outstretched puts too much weight on your spine. Never remove deep snow all at once; do it piecemeal. Shovel and inch or two; then take another inch off. Rest and repeat if necessary.” Put simply, go forward with your snow. It may take longer but it will save you from some potential aches and pains.

Finally, a snow blower, if you have access to one can render most of these risks moot but it still needs to be used properly. If used properly it will do all of the work for you.

A snowblower is a terrific piece of machinery, but if it’s not used correctly, you can strain or injure your back. Snowblowers are designed to remove snow at a particular rate of speed. Pushing or forcing the equipment to go faster is defeating its purpose —to do the work for you!

Winter is far from over and the snow is sure to keep falling in many places. Keep your snow relocation efforts safe and you will have a much more enjoyable winter experience.