That creosote log that almost cost me a roof repair job last Tuesday

I was up on a slate roof in Portland when a customer's dog knocked over my brush bucket, and I spent 20 minutes climbing down to chase a 3-inch wire brush that rolled into a gutter downspout, has anyone else had animals mess up their setup mid-sweep?

2 comments

2 Comments

brian_ramirez1mo ago

Bro that's rough but wait you said the brush rolled into a gutter downspout? If it was a 3-inch brush it probably got stuck before it hit the ground, so I don't think it rolled into the actual downspout. It might have just sat on the gutter screen or the edge of the funnel. Most downspouts have a strainer at the top, especially on older roofs, so a wire brush that size would just sit on top of it, not fall through. It sucks you had to climb down for nothing though, I hate chasing tools on a steep pitch. Next time check the gutter with a flashlight first before you go all the way down.

margaret991mo ago

Wait @brian_ramirez are you sure about that strainer thing though? I've seen some houses around here where the downspout just has a bare opening, no screen at all. My buddy's place is like that, a leaf blower can basically stuff stuff right down it on accident. A 3 inch brush might not fit perfectly but if it's angled right and wet it could slide in a bit then get jammed partway down instead of sitting on top. That sounds like a worst case scenario to me even worse than having it sit on the screen visible. Flashlight idea is solid no argument there but do you think the angle of the roof pitch might let it slide further into the opening if the downspout is tilted back weird? I guess you'd have to check it from the ground or a ladder first.