Butyl is the magic ingredient for cleaning gutters.

I just tested out adding some to pressuretek's F-13 gutter grenade and it works just as good as Mighty Max plus from Soap Warehouse which is very similar to Gutter Zap.

50 gallon drum of Butyl enhanced F-13

Fill drum with 40 gallons of water
Add 5 gallons pressure-tek's F-13 (5% potassium hydroxide)
Add 5 gallons 100% pure Butyl Cellosolve (2-butoxy ethanol) from http://www.chemistrystore.com/cart.cgi?group=49899&child=49905
Add 1-2 bottles of your favorite dish soap

53.75 + 87.10 = $140.85 + shipping

$200 cheaper than Soap warehouse's Mighty Max plus and much much cheaper than Gutter Zap

5 gallons of Gutter Zap contains <5% sodium hydroxide and 9% butyl.
50 gallons of Butyl F-13 contains <1% potassium hydroxide and 10% butyl.

Pressuretek's F-13 says it is safe to work with dilutions of 5-1.

This mixture cuts it down to 9-1. It will mostly remove just the oxidized layer of paint. Depending on the age of the gutters, I have taken the paint off before. You will have to experiment with it. Every gutter is different.

For the most part after you mix it you won't have to cut it down with water, some older gutters you might, or if the gutters are not that streaky cut it down to save chemical.

Thanks Mike!!!

No problem dude! Let me know how you like it. Mine works great.

There's no color to it, so if you wanted to, you could add your favorite dish soap to give it color and make it stick better too.

Or instead of mixing 50 gallons.

You could test it out by mixing 10 gallons.

Fill 8 gallons of water
Add 1 gallon of F-13
Add 1 gallon of Butyl
add dish soap.

Colder weather add 6-8oz/ Sodium Hydroxide to your 10 gallon mix.

14.00 + 19.42 = $33.42 + shipping

http://hcpc.uth.tmc.edu/pihome/edu/msds/images/Original%20Krud%20Kutter.pdf

Check this out.

Krud Kutter is basically the same thing as Butyl enhanced F-13.

Krud Kutter - $18/gallon.

Gutter Zap - $15/gallon.

Butyl F-13 costs $3/gallon.

Good info Mike. I sometimes use a butyl based degreaser with sodeum hydroxide in it called (Purple stuff) I usually add a bit of Dawn for more sticking power. LT. spray on, dwell 3-5 min and rinse off. Works pretty well. It's a bit tougher on painted gutters and or facia.

Larry, That dwell time is not pulling the paint off? I carry cans of white spray paint on my rig. Sometimes on old gutters and facia you just have to do a little touch up if you know what I mean!!!

I normally mix it pretty weak Spencer and add a bit more if I need to. Average, 3-4 parts water to 1 part degreaser and a squirt or 2 of Dawn. Good Idea about carrying some paint on board. I'll grab a can next HD run. Ya never know when an OOOPS may happen!

Here's the MSDS of Gutter Zap.

http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/sunbrite/GutterZap.pdf

5 gallons of Gutter Zap contains <5% sodium hydroxide and 9% butyl.
50 gallons of Butyl F-13 contains <1% potassium hydroxide and 10% butyl

Add 20 lbs of sodium hydroxide to 50 gallons of Butyl F-13 to make it similar strength as concentrated Gutter Zap.

I have not tried this mixture, probably would strip the paint off. I don't feel the need to make it this strong though, my orginal mixture works fine.

Or maybe perhaps we don't need F-13 after all. Maybe just 2-4 pounds of sodium hydroxide and 5 gallons of Butyl with 45 gallons of water with dish soap to make 50 gallons would work.

Correction.. in Florida this problem happens less than in NC, but I wanted to post an update on my new gutter cleaner.

You will need to strengthen Butyl F-13 in colder weather. Yesterday I was working in about 50 degree weather and was having some trouble removing the black streaks from the gutters.

All I had to do was add a little sodium hydroxide and it came out like BUTTER!

I will add 2 pounds of sodium hydroxide to my 50 gallon Butyl F-13 mix today to get the hydroxide level up to 1%.

New Butyl F-13 for cold weather gutters
50 gallons TOTAL

40 gallons water
5 gallons F-13 (5% potassium hydroxide)
5 gallons Butyl (100% Butyl Cellosolve)
2 pounds Sodium Hydroxide (Caustic soda beads)

MSDS = .5% Potassium Hydroxide, .5% Sodium Hydroxide, 10% Butyl

If 1% potassium/sodium hydroxide is not enough, keep adding SH until you achieve the desired result.

Lye (sodium hydroxide) only costs $.70/lb. here in Greensboro so you are still saving a ton of money compared to Gutter ZAP

It was 33 degrees here last Tuesday Morning!!

Jeez! I didn't think it gets that cold in Tampa!

Not too often. I can say I don't really like cleaning pool cages in that weather!!!