[Nick Day]

It's taken us 2 years of constant trial and error but we've finally perfected a device that can unblock swannecks from the ground without the need to take ladders and taking the whole swanneck apart. Some of you may remember we put a video on a couple of years ago of the prototype working, here's a video of it doing a customers gutters who had reported a blockage in her downpipe which we were able to clear from the ground without ladders. We use it on every job and it's amazing how many blockages we come across in the swannecks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2SxVJ1kxVE

[Clever Forum Name]

Been using this and just disconnect down pipe at the bottom.

http://gardinerpolesystems.co.uk/all-products/whats-new/quick-loqtm-gutter-spike.html

[Tosh]

We've found this to be fairly satisfactory.

[Smurf]

It's taken us 2 years of constant trial and error but we've finally perfected a device that can unblock swannecks from the ground without the need to take ladders and taking the whole swanneck apart. Some of you may remember we put a video on a couple of years ago of the prototype working, here's a video of it doing a customers gutters who had reported a blockage in her downpipe which we were able to clear from the ground without ladders. We use it on every job and it's amazing how many blockages we come across in the swannecks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2SxVJ1kxVE

I personally would not mess about like that especially on easy accessible blocked ground floor swan necks.
I've found most blockages are caused by a solid object trapped in/around the top bend so no amount of faffing about with that thing will get it out surely

Half a job springs too mind as if you don't remove what has caused the blockage in the first place it will only block up again quite quickly.

Do you have a phobia of using hop-ups/ladders Nick?

[Smurf]

Been using this and just disconnect down pipe at the bottom.

http://gardinerpolesystems.co.uk/all-products/whats-new/quick-loqtm-gutter-spike.html

Looks a useless as a chocolate fireguard if you ask me 

[Clever Forum Name]

Been using this and just disconnect down pipe at the bottom.

http://gardinerpolesystems.co.uk/all-products/whats-new/quick-loqtm-gutter-spike.html

Looks a useless as a chocolate fireguard if you ask me 

Well you're wrong.

[Smurf]

OK then but still I will not be rushing out to buy one 

[Fin Clearview]

I always remove the swan neck and clear by hand, you'd be there forever with that on some jobs I've done.

[Tosh]

I guess it has it's place, very very occasionally,  but for the vast majority of first floor domestic cleans the tool of choice really ought to be clearing and dismantling by hand by using a ladder.

[Cookie]

I guess it has it's place, very very occasionally,  but for the vast majority of first floor domestic cleans the tool of choice really ought to be clearing and dismantling by hand by using a ladder.

I agree. This tool would have been no good at pulling out the massive dock plant I removed from a customer's downpipe yesterday. Took quite a bit of tugging ...

[andyM]

I'll probably just continue clearing them by hand as that is the best way.
I've seen them bunged up with lumps of mortar, bits of roof tile, rooted in plant life, tennis balls, families of slugs, all sorts really.

[Susan Dean (1stclean)]

we find a bit or curtin rail track the best , only needs to be a small bit , bends right round the swan neck and it doesn't do any damage to the gutter or the track itself

[Smurf]

Most guttervac camera surveys I do it's very common to see one or more downspouts blocked.

To be honest most of the time I don't need to use ladders and/or have to take the joints apart. That's if I can get a guttervac downspout nozzle I made in and down to the first bend it can quickly sort any blockages out. Not only that it's a very quick way to test if it's free flowing or not by simply putting my ear to the downpipe and listing to the amount of air going through it. If the downpipe is open at the bottom you will hear a good volume of air rushing through it or not too

However on awkward access when ladders are not a safe option and/or the joints are fixed sold like cast iron ones etc if that don't work I will try to jet them clear first using tap pressure using a hose pipe and cone nozzle attached to the top of a wfp. Then if that fails the last resort is to use a pressure washer drain jetter to try to jet them clear.




 

[Tosh]

Where d'you get your cone nozzles from Smurf?

[Nick Day]

We've been testing this for over two years, it has now become a huge part of our kit. We leave every job knowing we will never get called back. It takes literally a few minutes to run it down every downpipe and around the swannecks. You never know if you've cleared any apart from sometimes if they are blocked as in the video it might take a few seconds for it to bite into the blockage, and then it just screws down, we pull it back still turning and gyrating let it go back...job done every time. We remove the actual weed in the downpipe with our downpipe fork (no matter how big) so all that can be left is roots and mud. We have even removed a small sycamore sapling. It made no difference to the downpipe screw.
Our customers love it with all customers fascinated to see it work. It is so basic and obvious nobody doubts it's ability when they see it work and in just a few seconds they know that the pipes are fully cleared.
Our stats on the site show it to be way ahead of any other viewings, and the way the bookings are coming in, demonstrates the importance that they put on the clearance of the downpipes and the importance they put on the no use of ladders!!.

[p1w1]

We've been testing this for over two years, it has now become a huge part of our kit. We leave every job knowing we will never get called back. It takes literally a few minutes to run it down every downpipe and around the swannecks. You never know if you've cleared any apart from sometimes if they are blocked as in the video it might take a few seconds for it to bite into the blockage, and then it just screws down, we pull it back still turning and gyrating let it go back...job done every time. We remove the actual weed in the downpipe with our downpipe fork (no matter how big) so all that can be left is roots and mud. We have even removed a small sycamore sapling. It made no difference to the downpipe screw.
Our customers love it with all customers fascinated to see it work. It is so basic and obvious nobody doubts it's ability when they see it work and in just a few seconds they know that the pipes are fully cleared.
Our stats on the site show it to be way ahead of any other viewings, and the way the bookings are coming in, demonstrates the importance that they put on the clearance of the downpipes and the importance they put on the no use of ladders!!.

Thats when you do a video showing it in action, not when there is a couple of leaves in the gutter. Not knocking you but ive never really seen a proper video done by any gutter vacuum retailer showing how effective there equipment is on a proper bunged up guttering and down pipe cleaning job (which is what most of them are), it always seems to have a few leaves and a couple of bits of moss (dry) as if they've been laid there purposely for a video.

 

[Tosh]

You never know what you're going to get on a gutter cleaning job until you start doing the work.

It's quite common for swan-necks to simply come apart when knocked, possibly because the down pipe has slipped, they weren't fitted and cut to the right length when originally installed or have moved over time or simply are unfit for purpose now. Show me a tool apart from a ladder that'll deal with those scenarios.

Same can be said for end-caps. Easily knocked off.

[Nick Day]

Unless you use a transparent swanneck it is going to be impossible to show it working on video. It should be pointed out that  it is a standard pipe bend clearing technology i.e a motorised screw clearing pipes we just adapted it for gutter cleaning.
In that video the leaves were resting on the blockage. I should also point out that if you have a roof tile that has slipped down against  the gutter, the screw will go under the tile and clear any muck under the tile. It is also excellent for running into corners with overhanging lead flashing. We have encountered and dealt with all these problems.

[Nick Day]

Slack Bladder it may be common where you are but it certainly isn't here. We have never knocked off and end cap or had a swanneck  fall to bits and we have encountered thousand's, so to claim it being regular doesn't apply here.

[Tosh]

I'm so tempted to respond sarcastically to that, but I'm not going to bother.