Clearing gutters... any tricks or tools?
 

Hi

Now all the leaves are down I need to clear the gutters as quite a few are
completely full and overflowing etc. problem is that most of them are about
5-6 metres up!

Is there a specific tool you can get? I'm thinking of something like a
hooked garden hoe on a long pole. Best idea I can come up with is to fix a
garden hose onto a long reach roller pole I've got (4.8 metres) and blast
the leaves out but this will be ridiculously messy.

Anyone else got any suggestions?

Tony

Clearing gutters... any tricks or tools?
 

TonyK wrote:
Hi

Now all the leaves are down I need to clear the gutters as quite a
few are completely full and overflowing etc. problem is that most of
them are about 5-6 metres up!

Is there a specific tool you can get? I'm thinking of something like a
hooked garden hoe on a long pole. Best idea I can come up with is to
fix a garden hose onto a long reach roller pole I've got (4.8 metres)
and blast the leaves out but this will be ridiculously messy.

Anyone else got any suggestions?

Tony

There's no substitute to getting a ladder and going up there.
Then you notice other problems like the soffits are rotting etc...
I got fed up with doing this constantly this time of year as there are 3
large oak trees nearby.
I eventually fitted a very good gutter guard :-
http://www.permaflow.co.uk/

Clearing gutters... any tricks or tools?
 

I would open a gutter joint down line the blockage, to catch the debris
when it's flushed down the pipe to avoid possibility of blocking the
underground drain.


"TonyK" wrote in message
...
Hi

Now all the leaves are down I need to clear the gutters as quite a few are
completely full and overflowing etc. problem is that most of them are
about
5-6 metres up!

Is there a specific tool you can get? I'm thinking of something like a
hooked garden hoe on a long pole. Best idea I can come up with is to fix a
garden hose onto a long reach roller pole I've got (4.8 metres) and blast
the leaves out but this will be ridiculously messy.

Anyone else got any suggestions?

Tony

Clearing gutters... any tricks or tools?
 

"TonyK" wrote in message
...
Hi

Now all the leaves are down I need to clear the gutters as quite a few are
completely full and overflowing etc. problem is that most of them are
about
5-6 metres up!

Is there a specific tool you can get? I'm thinking of something like a
hooked garden hoe on a long pole. Best idea I can come up with is to fix a
garden hose onto a long reach roller pole I've got (4.8 metres) and blast
the leaves out but this will be ridiculously messy.

Anyone else got any suggestions?

Tony



I don't think you stand much chance of cleaning them properly while standing
on the ground - if that is what you want to do!

You need a decent ladder of an appropriate length - with a stand-off bracket
to hold it away from the wall at the top. You need to go up the ladder,
armed with a bucket and a stout pair of rubber gloves, and scrape the leaves
and other debris into the bucket with your hands. Finally, take a hosepipe
up the ladder and swill out the gutters to wash away any remaining muck.

If you prefer, you could swill *all* the muck along and down the downpipes -
but you'll then have to clean out the gulleys - and that's an even worse
job!

Roger

Clearing gutters... any tricks or tools?
 

"TonyK" wrote:

Hello TonyK

T| Now all the leaves are down I need to clear the gutters as
T| quite a few are completely full and overflowing etc. problem
T| is that most of them are about 5-6 metres up!

It's a joy, isn't it?

T| Is there a specific tool you can get? I'm thinking of
T| something like a hooked garden hoe on a long pole. Best idea
T| I can come up with is to fix a garden hose onto a long reach
T| roller pole I've got (4.8 metres) and blast the leaves out
T| but this will be ridiculously messy.

Work has a shtil petrol blower which has an attachment for doing
gutters. Complete waste of time and money, it rains black gunge over a
huge radius.

T| Anyone else got any suggestions?

Ladder I'm afraid.

Stick hose in at high point. Work your way down with a bucket and hook
it out by hand. Use a paintbrush if the access is tight.

--
Simon Avery, Dartmoor, UK
uk.d-i-y FAQ: http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/

Clearing gutters... any tricks or tools?
 

On Tue, 2 Dec 2003 11:23:16 -0000, "TonyK" wrote:

Anyone else got any suggestions?

A plastic bottle with a handle and a roud/oval cross-section (get one
suitably sized for your gutter) makes a good "shovel" for gutters: cut
off the bottom of the bottle with a knife, and bevel the rest, leaving
the handle and a bit to take the gunge.

Don't know if it's any good at the end of a pole, but it's a good tool
the get the composted muck out of gutters, and it's everyone's
favourite price...

Thomas Prufer

Clearing gutters... any tricks or tools?
 

Don't know if it's any good at the end of a pole, but it's a good tool
the get the composted muck out of gutters, and it's everyone's
favourite price...

I actually found a purpose-built gutter "rake" in one of the sheds
(Homebase I think) a while ago - bought it, and never got it dirty :-}

Here`s a picture of the end of it, it came on an aluminium pole about 4
foot long

http://www.phoenixbbs.dsl.pipex.com/gutter.jpg

--
Please add "[newsgroup]" in the subject of any personal replies via email
* old email address "btiruseless" abandoned due to worm-generated spam *
--- My new email address has "ngspamtrap" & @btinternet.com in it ;-) ---

Clearing gutters... any tricks or tools?
 

"Colin Wilson" wrote in message
t...
Don't know if it's any good at the end of a pole, but it's a good tool
the get the composted muck out of gutters, and it's everyone's
favourite price...

I actually found a purpose-built gutter "rake" in one of the sheds
(Homebase I think) a while ago - bought it, and never got it dirty :-}

Here`s a picture of the end of it, it came on an aluminium pole about 4
foot long

http://www.phoenixbbs.dsl.pipex.com/gutter.jpg

--

Colin

Exactly what i was thinking of mounting on the end of a long reach pole so I
could drag it backwards a bit at a time and then flush through with a hose
(somehow).

I'll have a look around of few places.

Tony

Clearing gutters... any tricks or tools?
 

On Tue, 02 Dec 2003 15:59:35 +0100, Thomas Prufer
wrote:

On Tue, 2 Dec 2003 11:23:16 -0000, "TonyK" wrote:

Anyone else got any suggestions?

A plastic bottle with a handle and a roud/oval cross-section (get one
suitably sized for your gutter) makes a good "shovel" for gutters: cut
off the bottom of the bottle with a knife, and bevel the rest, leaving
the handle and a bit to take the gunge.

Don't know if it's any good at the end of a pole, but it's a good tool
the get the composted muck out of gutters, and it's everyone's
favourite price...

Thomas Prufer


I cut a piece of ply to the 1/2 moon profile of our gutters. This was
mounted on a length of very light lathe (off cut from ripping timber
actually). Using this eliminates a lot of ladder moving as one can
reach out to both sides with it and pull the rubbish in before picking
it out and dropping into a bucket.

It was lashed up as a temporary measure some years back but still
survives.It doesn't have to be very strong as one is pulling and not
pushing with it.

Thank heavens we have had some heavy frosts recently as that willl
bring down the last of the leaves.

Paul Mc Cann

Clearing gutters... any tricks or tools?
 

In message , TonyK
writes

"Colin Wilson" wrote in message
et...
Don't know if it's any good at the end of a pole, but it's a good tool
the get the composted muck out of gutters, and it's everyone's
favourite price...

I actually found a purpose-built gutter "rake" in one of the sheds
(Homebase I think) a while ago - bought it, and never got it dirty :-}

Here`s a picture of the end of it, it came on an aluminium pole about 4
foot long

http://www.phoenixbbs.dsl.pipex.com/gutter.jpg

--

Colin

Exactly what i was thinking of mounting on the end of a long reach pole so I
could drag it backwards a bit at a time and then flush through with a hose
(somehow).

I'll have a look around of few places.

I made one out of a length of 1" diameter dowel and a small piece of ply
cut to the profile of the gutter, later replaced the ply with an offcut
of uvpc.
--
Robert

Clearing gutters... any tricks or tools?
 

A ladder and a rubber glove is the only way.

A bucket is optional!

dg


"TonyK" wrote in message
...
Hi

Now all the leaves are down I need to clear the gutters as quite a few are
completely full and overflowing etc. problem is that most of them are
about
5-6 metres up!

Is there a specific tool you can get? I'm thinking of something like a
hooked garden hoe on a long pole. Best idea I can come up with is to fix a
garden hose onto a long reach roller pole I've got (4.8 metres) and blast
the leaves out but this will be ridiculously messy.

Anyone else got any suggestions?

Tony

Clearing gutters... any tricks or tools?
 

Paul Mc Cann wrote:

On Tue, 02 Dec 2003 15:59:35 +0100, Thomas Prufer
wrote:


On Tue, 2 Dec 2003 11:23:16 -0000, "TonyK" wrote:


Anyone else got any suggestions?

A plastic bottle with a handle and a roud/oval cross-section (get one
suitably sized for your gutter) makes a good "shovel" for gutters: cut
off the bottom of the bottle with a knife, and bevel the rest, leaving
the handle and a bit to take the gunge.

Don't know if it's any good at the end of a pole, but it's a good tool
the get the composted muck out of gutters, and it's everyone's
favourite price...

Thomas Prufer



I cut a piece of ply to the 1/2 moon profile of our gutters. This was
mounted on a length of very light lathe (off cut from ripping timber
actually). Using this eliminates a lot of ladder moving as one can
reach out to both sides with it and pull the rubbish in before picking
it out and dropping into a bucket.

It was lashed up as a temporary measure some years back but still
survives.It doesn't have to be very strong as one is pulling and not
pushing with it.

Thank heavens we have had some heavy frosts recently as that willl
bring down the last of the leaves.

Paul Mc Cann




My god. All this trouble. Makes me glad I did what I did..extended the
french drains necessary for the thatch right round the tiled section of
the house, and eliminated gutters altogether. Now the whole house drips
like IMM's nose in the rain, but it all goes underground and vanishes
into the pond..and one less regular maintance job to do.

Clearing gutters... any tricks or tools?
 

dg wrote:

A ladder and a rubber glove is the only way.

A bucket is optional!



Actually, I had - and still have - a few gutters on the garage.

Hose, or better still pressure washer, gets the muck out in seconds, and
flushes the downpipes.

Any muck that ends up on the walls gets hosed away as well afterwards.


dg


"TonyK" wrote in message
...

Hi

Now all the leaves are down I need to clear the gutters as quite a few are
completely full and overflowing etc. problem is that most of them are

about

5-6 metres up!

Is there a specific tool you can get? I'm thinking of something like a
hooked garden hoe on a long pole. Best idea I can come up with is to fix a
garden hose onto a long reach roller pole I've got (4.8 metres) and blast
the leaves out but this will be ridiculously messy.

Anyone else got any suggestions?

Tony

Clearing gutters... any tricks or tools?
 

On Wed, 03 Dec 2003 09:04:32 +0000, The Natural Philosopher
wrote:





My god. All this trouble. Makes me glad I did what I did..extended the
french drains necessary for the thatch right round the tiled section of
the house, and eliminated gutters altogether. Now the whole house drips
like IMM's nose in the rain,

Poor guy. I almost feel sorry for him. You already Klargested him
in the last day.... ;-)

Thinks. I wonder whether "to Klargest" could enter the language in
the same way as "to Hoover".......??




but it all goes underground and vanishes
into the pond..and one less regular maintance job to do.





..andy

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