Project overview
This roof sits in near-permanent shade, which is ideal for moss and terrible for gutters. The trough was packed with a wet mat of moss and needle debris that had stopped moving water entirely.
Everything came out by hand into buckets, the downspouts were flushed until they ran clear, and the roof edge was cleared of the loose material that would otherwise have washed straight back in.
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Wet moss and needle mat removed by hand
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Downspouts flushed to clear flow
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Roof edge cleared of loose debris
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All debris hauled off site
Clearing a wet debris mat by hand
Debris in a shaded gutter behaves differently from debris in the open. In full sun a load of leaves dries out, packs down and can often be lifted in sections. Under permanent shade it never dries; it turns into a saturated mat with moss growing through it, and it holds many times its own weight in water. That weight is what pulls hangers out of a fascia over a couple of winters.
A mat like this cannot be blown out and should not be flushed down the trough, because it moves as one piece and jams solid at the outlet. It came out by hand into buckets, working from the far end back toward the downspout so that nothing was ever pushed toward a restriction. Buckets go down on a rope rather than being tipped over the edge, which keeps the beds and the yard clean.
With the trough empty, each downspout was flushed and watched at the bottom. A downspout that has been fed wet moss for a season usually holds a plug somewhere in the vertical section, most often just above the first elbow where the fall changes. Flushing tells you within a few seconds whether the water is leaving freely or backing up in the pipe.
The last part was the roof edge itself. The photographs show the shingle courses immediately above the gutter carrying loose needle and leaf litter along with the shed granules. Leaving that in place means the next heavy rain simply washes it back into the trough you have just emptied, so the bottom courses were cleared as well.
The before and after frames were taken from the same position on the same visit, looking down the same run toward the shed roof.
The problem, and the result
Before: Trough completely blocked with wet moss.
After: Free-flowing gutters and clear downspouts.
Similar jobs: Rear Deck Gutter Clean on a Two-Level Roofline (Wetumpka, AL), Autumn Leaf Clear-Out Along a Boundary Fence (Montgomery, AL)
Seeing something similar on your own roofline? This was a Gutter Cleaning job by our crew at Montgomery Gutter Service in Prattville, AL. Call 334-231-5941 or request a free estimate — we are open every day from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
What This Project Involved
Gutter Cleaning
Hand-cleaned troughs, flushed downspouts and every scrap of debris hauled off your property.
Gutter Guard Installation
Micro-mesh and perforated covers matched to the pine straw and leaf load on your roof.
Gutter Inspection
A written, photo-backed condition report covering pitch, seams, hangers, fascia and drainage.
Thinking About a Job
Like This One?
We cover Montgomery and the surrounding River Region, including Prattville, Wetumpka, Pike Road and Millbrook. If you are not sure whether you are in range, call and ask — we will tell you straight away.
Most estimates are booked within a few days, and routine cleaning usually follows within the same week. Storm damage and anything hanging loose goes to the front of the schedule.
Yes. We come out, ladder the perimeter, look at the actual gutters and give you a fixed written price for the whole job. There is no charge for the visit and no obligation to book.
