[Richard Flower]

Sure I read some people saying they don't do this and just stick to glass? I'm new to this business and quite a few of my customers have asked ; does state it on the van I bought (bought a window cleaning business off sone) I've just bought the hoover from xline...so cost a bit but I'm wondering why people are not doing it?! Bit late now to query but any advice helpful.

[deeege]

Sure I read some people saying they don't do this and just stick to glass? I'm new to this business and quite a few of my customers have asked ; does state it on the van I bought (bought a window cleaning business off sone) I've just bought the hoover from xline...so cost a bit but I'm wondering why people are not doing it?! Bit late now to query but any advice helpful.

Some people are full to the brim with Window work, some people don’t like doing gutters, some people are lazy and can’t be bothered, some people are scared of heights and can’t afford a guttervac.

Don’t worry about how or why others are not offering this service, concentrate on your business/pricing etc.

[Smudger]

Great post above.


Just to add, many have had bad experiences with gutter vacs, mainly buy buying cheap which are not really up for to the job, and that’s not really down to the vac itself. - if you have Ali poles they are heavy and difficault to use on large jobs ( best for 2 men ) lots of systems will sell you carbon poles but only 38mm diameter - useless to narrow and block easily - poles need to be 51mm diameter to cope with gutter waste and finally silicone swan neck bend (135 degree) what a crock! You seriously can not clear gutters with a flappy moving silicone pipe - get a solid Ali bend this allows you to scrape, push, pull, and flick heavy clumps of grass and weeds

Gutter vac’ing is a great add on

Darran

[John Mart]

Great post above.


Just to add, many have had bad experiences with gutter vacs, mainly buy buying cheap which are not really up for to the job, and that’s not really down to the vac itself. - if you have Ali poles they are heavy and difficault to use on large jobs ( best for 2 men ) lots of systems will sell you carbon poles but only 38mm diameter - useless to narrow and block easily - poles need to be 51mm diameter to cope with gutter waste and finally silicone swan neck bend (135 degree) what a crock! You seriously can not clear gutters with a flappy moving silicone pipe - get a solid Ali bend this allows you to scrape, push, pull, and flick heavy clumps of grass and weeds

Gutter vac’ing is a great add on

Darran

Great post here too. I've got a system with 38mm poles and a slicone swan neck. 

It does the job, but I reckon it'd be easier with the system you describe. That said I reckon we do around £2k a month with the guttervac so I can't grumble too much. But I think I would dislike gutter jobs less if I was confident of the guysd doing them without getting me getting a call for help footing a ladder or going up myself.

[Marc Stock]

Sure I read some people saying they don't do this and just stick to glass? I'm new to this business and quite a few of my customers have asked ; does state it on the van I bought (bought a window cleaning business off sone) I've just bought the hoover from xline...so cost a bit but I'm wondering why people are not doing it?! Bit late now to query but any advice helpful.

The issue is that all these extra jobs actually mess up your schedual a bit, require alot more time and effort even if you charge the earth, and you can end up getting carried away with all sorts of add ons.

Ever heard of the phrase jack of all trades, master of none? Unfortunately there are quite a few who window clean, gutter clean, hedge cut, dog hoovering, carpet cutting....you get the picture..

The hardest thing to recognize in business is what actually works from a financially viable avenue. And this is different for everyone.

For me at the moment all i am interested in is regular window cleaning as its the mechanism for my plans to push the business forward.

Find your mechanism and stick to it is the only advice i can offer.

[Splash & dash]

Great post above.


Just to add, many have had bad experiences with gutter vacs, mainly buy buying cheap which are not really up for to the job, and that’s not really down to the vac itself. - if you have Ali poles they are heavy and difficault to use on large jobs ( best for 2 men ) lots of systems will sell you carbon poles but only 38mm diameter - useless to narrow and block easily - poles need to be 51mm diameter to cope with gutter waste and finally silicone swan neck bend (135 degree) what a crock! You seriously can not clear gutters with a flappy moving silicone pipe - get a solid Ali bend this allows you to scrape, push, pull, and flick heavy clumps of grass and weeds

Gutter vac’ing is a great add on

Darran

Exelent post very true , I would only add that the silicon bends do have there uses sometimes it’s nice to have a flexible head rather than fixed especially when working over conservatory roofs or vaccing  out valleys or rooting around in some tight spots , you need a variety of bits and bobs to succeed in gutter clearance it comes with experience many give up saying a vac is no good we very rarely get a ladder off and haven’t come across a job we cannot do , we are getting busier year in year with this type of work we have 7 jobs booked in for May that’s a first as we only used to do gutter jobs September to jan/feb time nice little earner too as you can price high as it doesn’t matter if you get the job or not , not many do gutter clearance around hear so pleanty of jobs about

[Splash & dash]

Great post above.


Just to add, many have had bad experiences with gutter vacs, mainly buy buying cheap which are not really up for to the job, and that’s not really down to the vac itself. - if you have Ali poles they are heavy and difficault to use on large jobs ( best for 2 men ) lots of systems will sell you carbon poles but only 38mm diameter - useless to narrow and block easily - poles need to be 51mm diameter to cope with gutter waste and finally silicone swan neck bend (135 degree) what a crock! You seriously can not clear gutters with a flappy moving silicone pipe - get a solid Ali bend this allows you to scrape, push, pull, and flick heavy clumps of grass and weeds

Gutter vac’ing is a great add on

Darran

Darran what vac have you got now ?  You used to have an omnivac didn’t you ? Ime currently looking at replacing mine with a skyvac industrial have you any experience with one ?

[Smudger]

Still got the omnivac - 8 years old and still going 😁 mind you had a couple of new motors over that time


I have also got a gutter sucker brought second hand but absolutely mint - the guys say it’s got more suck than the omnivac but it’s limited with 38mm pipe. I have sourced a 2” cyclonic inlet from grippa tank but have yet to fit it

Sky vac have a great rep.

Darran

[Richard Flower]

Thank-you! Really helpful...did my first job today christened in the pouring rain
My poles are carbon 44m  and  silicone Swan neck but didn't encounter any problems.
Interesting to hear about demand @reflectionssouthwest I've had about 6 people ask me for next week...... But seems not many people offering the service in our area?  finding this forum v helpful! 👍

[John Mart]

Still got the omnivac - 8 years old and still going 😁 mind you had a couple of new motors over that time


I have also got a gutter sucker brought second hand but absolutely mint - the guys say it’s got more suck than the omnivac but it’s limited with 38mm pipe. I have sourced a 2” cyclonic inlet from grippa tank but have yet to fit it

Sky vac have a great rep.

Darran

That’s what I’ve got. It also has the floppy bend. It’s alright, but we’ve needed ladders on three jobs in the last two weeks for blocked downpipes, knocked out sections and hard to shift turf.

[John Mart]

Thank-you! Really helpful...did my first job today christened in the pouring rain
My poles are carbon 44m  and  silicone Swan neck but didn't encounter any problems.
Interesting to hear about demand @reflectionssouthwest I've had about 6 people ask me for next week...... But seems not many people offering the service in our area?  finding this forum v helpful! 👍

We have at least 2/3 gutter clears every week of the year, but we only do it for existing customers.