[David Edmondson]

I am looking at buying a gutter vac cleaner in the next few months. I have seen a mid range "gutter sucker" with part carbon fibre poles, reach upto 30 ft, 2 x 1500 watt motor, wet and dry 60 litre capacity, flexi goose neck and camera/screen for £1100.
I am looking at doing my work safely and am not wanting to risk going up so high on gutters anymore. Especially now that I wont be covered by insurance for going above the first floor.
What experiences/views do people have on the gutter vac cleaners and do they do a good job?

[Smurf]

To be honest so say gutter vacs are not all they are cracked up to be so be expected to still use ladders when required. After saying that they are a handy tool to have in the van as on some jobs I will use both methods.

Myself I started out buying a guttervac thinking great I don't need ladders but found out rather quickly the hard way that was a big mistake.

If you are worried about using ladders to clear guttering as safely as you can then I would recommend using an ankalad & microlite stand-off as in example pic.


 

[Smurf]

Also progutter pro-g tools attached to a pole or wfp (fitted with a correct male acme adaptor) are very handy too.

If your going to go for a wet vac then I would go for a 3 motor one.

[David Edmondson]

Thanks very much for the information. I have just looked at the progutter tools. They look like they would definately make the job easier and also get to those hard to get to places. Thanks very much.

Why do you think I should get a vac with 3 motors? What are the benefits compared to the 2 motors I have seen at 1500 watts each?

[Smurf]

Did you also see my gutter clearing ladder setup in the pic as makes the jobs so much easier and safer to do?

I've always bought 3 motor vac myself and the first two where 4200 watts but 3000 watts seems good enough to be honest for most domestic jobs. The reason why I say 3 as if you lose a motor whilst working as they do fail 3 motors are better than a 2 motor vac.

Thanks very much for the information. I have just looked at the progutter tools. They look like they would definately make the job easier and also get to those hard to get to places. Thanks very much.

Why do you think I should get a vac with 3 motors? What are the benefits compared to the 2 motors I have seen at 1500 watts each?

[David Edmondson]

Yes the stand off for the ladder seems like a good idea. It should ensure I can get to the gutters better and not cause any damage.
I will bear in mind what you say about the motor.
I am a window cleaner full time but obviously get asked to do gutters from time to time and anything that makes it safer and easier the better.
thanks for your input.

[Smurf]

No probs David.

Most of my customers already have a regular window cleaner

[David Edmondson]

Ah, thats why I dont get that many gutter jobs

There is one other thing I haven 't managed to find out about. What do you do with all your waste?

[Bill.upnw]

Bag it up and leave with customer to put in the bin.

[David Edmondson]

Thanks for that bill.

[Smurf]

The most I have ever bagged up so far to date and left with a customer was 14 refuse bags full of pine needles etc. Was a good job the owner agreed and all as would not fit in my van

If you go to progutter facebook page you will see some example pics I sent them removing pine needles on a large house guttering & 8 roof valleys by hand with a pro-g tool. From experience I used that method as a guttervac would have been useless for that sort of job.

https://twitter.com/PROGUTTER/status/407602662314876928/photo/1/large?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=fb&utm_campaign=PROGUTTER&utm_content=407602662314876928

[Smurf]

Need to check also when giving a quote the gap between the tiles and gutter as some are very narrow. Also how badly blocked the gutters are especially in any corners & downspouts as a gutter vac more often than not will struggle to cope even when trying to break up sods first.

On some jobs you will find it's easier & quicker to remove sods etc by hand especially in corners with it matted under flashing so need to price accordingly. Again corners you will most likely find more often than not the roof valley's are also blocked to the top with debris, moss, fillets of broken mortar, broken tiles etc so using a gutter vac you would not be able to get to them properly if at all.

Most downspout bends (swan necks) you will find blocked are due to where a twig, broken bit of tile/mortar is lodged in the bend. So again more often than not needs removing by taking the joints apart and removing the obstruction by hand.

Hope this helps?

Forgot to mention gutter clearing even when using a gutter vac can be bloody hard work so good luck

[David Edmondson]

I have had a few really solid sods that were difficult to get out even by hand so I know what you mean. 
Saw your pictures on twitter, I can understand the gutter vac wouldn't have been able to cope with that!
I realise now that I will have to look at the job first and see what equpment I'll need and how long it might take me and price accordingly. Thanks for that
Looks like I am still gonna have to use my ladder as well on some but at least I wont have to use it as much.
Don't your customers mind leaving the bags of waste with them? I have asked them in the past if I can put it somewhere in the garden (if its just soil) and they have allowed me to put it on top of other soil in the garden. I like to recycle if I can and think its a shame if it goes in the bin! Landfill sites will soon get full up.

[Smurf]

I found out very quickly most jobs were pigs to do safely by ladder let alone trying using a vac. That's when I fitted an ankalad stabaliser (blue outriggers in pic) to my gutter clearing ladder set and started using a microlite standoff so could rest the ladder on roof tiles instead. Using that combination the ladder is not going to go anywhere which makes the job so much safer and easier to do.

To be honest I would have packed up gutter clearing a long time ago if I just carried on using normal ladders.

Regarding waste I have no problems with customers as can be bagged up & binned, recycled into a composter/heep or put on to borders under a bush etc. Just need to look first for the best option where to put it then ask nicely. Works for me
 


   

[David Edmondson]

Thanks for that.
Those Ankalad ladder stabilisers look pretty bulky, do they fold up? Im just thinking about tranportation in my combi van!

[Smurf]

They fold in to the stiles of the ladder when not in use.

Here is a link for more info http://www.laddersafetysupplies.co.uk/stabiliser.shtml

The Ankalad Ladder Stabiliser

An Ankalad Stabiliser secures a ladder in much the same way as stabilisers secure a child's first bike.

Correctly positioned it's impossible for the ladder to slide down the wall or side over sideways due to over-reaching - which is the real killer and cause of 9 out of 10 accidents.

Ankalad weighs just 3.6kg (8lbs) and is built to a high quality using the finest materials, namely annodised aluminium, zinc plated steel, brass, stainless steel and nylon mouldings.

If you use ladders, or if you employ people to use your ladders, can you afford NOT to use Ankalad?

 Fits any wooden or aluminium ladder of 1, 2 or 3 sections
 Very high quality
 Extremely strong, yet very light
 Provides a safe reach of up to 26ft against a solid structure and up to 14ft free standing
 Folds away flat when not in use
 Adjustable telescopic legs with easy find locking buttons to cater for un-even ground
 Totally eliminates ladder 'bounce'
 Makes extending your ladder much easier
 Will TOTALLY stop your ladder from sliding down a wall or toppling sideways  

Thanks for that.
Those Ankalad ladder stabilisers look pretty bulky, do they fold up? Im just thinking about tranportation in my combi van!

[David Edmondson]

Thanks very much. 

[Smurf]

No probs bud...Keep safe

[Griffus]

I use one of these, but always via ladders and long vacuum hose. 

http://www.proclean.uk.net/paving-cleaning-machines/issa-629-vacuum-cleaner_l.jpg

The downpipes are often blocked top to bottom by the time people decide to call us in. This means unclipping / unscrewing. There are often minor repairs to clamps or twisted end sctions.

You'll need ladders for these anyway.

As always with ladders. Just use safely, not rocket science, is it? 

[Griffus]

Whilst the one I have has never failed me if I were to replace I'd go for the triple vac version: -

http://www.lunesdale-pumps.co.uk/wet-vacuum-cleaners/1241-issa-640-wet-dry-vacuum-cleaner-230v-issa640m.html