If you’ve ever wondered what a full week of high-access maintenance looks like, day five at Trent College sums it up perfectly: gutters, roofs, blocked outlets, unexpected favours, and a healthy dose of British weather thrown in for good measure.
This one’s a mix of practical problem-solving, behind-the-scenes graft, and a few laughs along the way and if you want to see the action unfold, make sure you watch the full video
A Wet and Windy Start — But Granite’s Got Me Covered
The day kicked off with a classic Nottinghamshire forecast: manky.
Fortunately, I was fully shielded by my Granite Workwear kit, including one of my all-time favourite hoodies. Proper warm, proper comfy… basically like wearing a hug on a rooftop.
Nothing quite like good gear when you’ve got a whole school campus worth of gutters and roofs to finish off.
Progress Check: What’s Done, What’s Left, and What’s Driving Me Mad
By day five, the to-do list was long but the completed list was even longer.
I walked the site talking through what had already been tackled:
- Multiple roof lines cleared
- Whole runs of gutters sorted
- Weekend work still holding up
- The Blake House section looking spot-on
- A few final areas left to survey
But after days knee-deep in leaves, sludge, and surprises, I’ll be honest, I was absolutely fed up with gutters.
Time to move on to actual roof repairs… and trust me, I was ready for the change.
If you enjoy the candid behind-the-scenes stuff, you’ll like this part of the video, here’s a good spot to watch the full clip for the walkthrough.
A Blocked Downpipe With a Hidden Monster Inside
Next up: a “newish” roof, about two years old, which usually doesn’t give us any grief.
But this year? A completely blocked downpipe.
When I flipped the camera around, the culprit didn’t disappoint.
Pulling the outlet apart revealed a massive lump of debris sitting perfectly over the exit, not even blocking the pipe itself, just stopping water dead. A tidy extraction later, and it was flowing again.
I also shared a handy little trick:
Instead of screwing the outlet together in the usual direction (which lets the plastic spread and fall apart), I wedge the screw downward.
It keeps everything tight, avoids future blockages, and means the parts can still be taken apart without glue if another issue shows up later.
Small tip big difference.
More Roof Issues: A Sneaky Gap That’s Definitely Causing Trouble
Further up on another section, I spotted a nasty little gap between the tiles, exactly the sort of thing that causes leaks inside a building over time.
It’s subtle, but once you see it, you can’t unsee it.
If you want to catch these kinds of issues yourself, this segment of the video is a great one to watch and learn from.
Helping Out a Painter (and Taking the Spider For Another Walk)
After finishing the dining hall roof, you’d think I’d be done for the day, but no.
A painter on site needed help reaching a window in the maintenance yard, so I fired up the Spider and trekked all the way across the school again.
The painter, John, doesn’t “love me enough to share a basket,” so I worked the ground controls while he took the aerial view. Fair enough, more elbow room for him.
A few adjustments, a steady lift, and before long the job was done.
Jobs a fish. Another good day wrapped up.
Final Thoughts: One Day Left and Still Plenty To Do
Day five wasn’t glamorous, but it was productive, roofs cleared, gutters sorted, blockages removed, issues identified, and even an impromptu rescue mission for a painter.
Tomorrow is repair day, where all the problems uncovered throughout the week get their turn. That’s when the real fun begins.
If you enjoy following these day-to-day high-access adventures, don’t forget to watch the full video, it shows you everything from the rooftop views to the problem-solving tricks you won’t see anywhere else.
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My workwear is sponsored by Granite Workwear, and all of the clothing I’m wearing in the video can be purchased on their website: https://www.graniteworkwear.com/
