Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Nick Day on July 08, 2011, 06:19:01 pm
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Hello,
We've had many people ask us whether the 1400 watt vacs will handle weeds, mud and moss in the gutters. So we've done a video showing the 1400 watt vac clearing a gutter full of weeds, mud and moss.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZBxLHC9YoU
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looks good nick,
did you use the karcher 48 for that job mate?
many thanks
colin
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brilliant i love videos!
more windys show start doing technique video's, im gonna do one next!
i cant believe ive only just though about it! :o 1 video is worth a 1 million words i recon!
thank very very much!!!
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I like that, might look into one of those for next year
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Hello
No, we used the Clarke 20, we use the smallest one to show the capabilities of the system.
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justed looked at you site i see all the prices have gone up :(
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Hello,
We have now added an extra pole and are now adding three extra heads.
You can have the older deal if you wish, but you really do need the extra pole , and combined with the heads it is very good good value.
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not being funny but thats not a fair test, all your promo vids are done on that same gutter so you obviously put the debris in yourself. so it still doesnt show it tackling really rooted in turf etc you could see it was loose.
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I bought a clarke 30 from nick 2 months ago works very well with moss and weeds ,i done 1 last week and it sucked out a bit of grass that was like carpet about 8 inches long and 1inch thick ,it sucked it out in 3 sections no problem.great piece of kit
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i was looking into one of these myself a few months back after doing a few gutter cleans and am yet to be convinced the vac could suck away tightly compacted moss, weeds, flower rots thats been sitting for a year or more, maybe a new video of proper gutters needing cleaning would prove its up to the job...
other wise its up the ladders we go!
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Show me a real scenario,not staged as in this video. There are different video`s on you tube of the same stretch of guttering with a different type of muck in.So you have to be putting the muck up there prior to removing it .I`ve only done 4 gutter jobs this year and a guttervac would have been totally useless each time along with the majority of all gutter jobs i`ve ever done.I`d say that sometimes they could be a handy accessory for a job or parts of it but due to the cost of purchase and then on-site running it would probably be far more economical to refuse the jobs on which you might need it.Now to be perfectly clear i currently only work on domestic properties and can see the benefits for higher/larger commercial guttering though i suspect a cherry picker/scaffolding would be the way to ensure a better result.Anyone wanting to work domestic houses with one of these is going to get a rude awakening. If you dont want to get up a ladder then dont think you can do gutter work.
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Just remembered i did a commercial job at the beginning of the year,6 inch wide gutter about 8 inches deep,40ft long both sides and completely waterlogged with a root system in it that needed garden shears and a hacksaw several times.Now if i`d had a guttervac with me i would definitely have lost the will to live.
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Hello Sean,
No disrespects but the only person in for the rude awakening is all you guys cleaning gutters from ladders.
The H.S.E have made it very clear, if you fall from a ladder and live you could be prosecuted, if you fall on some body and injure them you could face imprisonment, your customer could also be prosecuted.
We have yet to attend a job (yes we do actually clean gutters) and be defeated with our kits. We have removed weeds long 20' weighing 20kg with our weedhook and then quickly vacuumed the rest of the gutter.
We have cleaned 1000's of metres of social housing, care homes, private schools, landlords housing and have yet to encounter a job our kits could not handle.
I feel it is important to point out, we are gutter cleaners manufacturing and selling kits, not cleaning machinery people selling kits they think can clean gutters.
We have hundreds of before and after pictures of gutters that we have taken to submit as reports for clients, everybody is more than welcome to see them.
It is in nobodys interest, especially ours, to make unsubstantiated claims that we can not back up, and any body is more than welcome to have a demonstration of any of our kits.
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Can the vacs and parts be purchased separately? I don't need the poles but could do with the vac and a mirror.
Have you modified the inlets at all on the machines from 38 to 50mm and have you overcome the problem of inlet blocking inside the drum due to the ninety degree change in direction?
Your competitors overcome this by altering the angle of the inlet pipe (and giving it a fancy name) basically to allow a free flow of crud into the drum.
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Here is one of Nicks nice gutter vac machine , we love it :) :D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH4mZJoio5g
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Hello Nick,i can see the potential.If i was perhaps more into general property upkeep and maintenance i`m sure i would think this a necessary bit of kit and my money would heading your way as i get the feel you" know your machines" so to speak. Was tempted to say onions but theres a bloke on here that may be affected by the word"onions".
Seriously though its maybe time i raised my game and started seeking commercial and varied work as domestic bread and butter poses no challenge anymore.
See whats happened,i`m psyching myself up to justify buying one now.
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hydrophly...check out b&q they a cracking wet vac pretty cheap with 50mm inlet
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Can the vacs and parts be purchased separately? I don't need the poles but could do with the vac and a mirror.
Have you modified the inlets at all on the machines from 38 to 50mm and have you overcome the problem of inlet blocking inside the drum due to the ninety degree change in direction?
Your competitors overcome this by altering the angle of the inlet pipe (and giving it a fancy name) basically to allow a free flow of crud into the drum.
Don't bother to answer I'm in no hurry :( i've gone through your back posts and it would seem you fit 51mm inlets of some kind to your vacs. I normally use 38mm 'cos my poles are Superlights However I would like a more manageable machine to keep in the van rather than the Chinese monster I have and certainly have no intention of wasting £500+ on an Issa 3200W machine that simply falls apart.
Do you have a reducer so that there is the option of going to 51mm and back to 38mm if required?
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Betterclean thanks I'll investigate.
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i think to save all this confusion,you would be best to send me one to test on some real life gutters ,and icould video and post an impartial result ;D
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hydro... http://s7g1.scene7.com/is/image/BandQ/0000005205240_001c_v001_zp?$160x160_generic$
http://s7g1.scene7.com/is/image/BandQ/0000005204519_001c_v001_zp?$160x160_generic$
they have 38mm hose but inlet is 50mm
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I`ve decided i remain totally unconvinced,especially these smaller vacs with small capacity for debris.I just dont think i would want to tackle anything that was in need of doing with one of these.
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hydro... http://s7g1.scene7.com/is/image/BandQ/0000005205240_001c_v001_zp?$160x160_generic$
http://s7g1.scene7.com/is/image/BandQ/0000005204519_001c_v001_zp?$160x160_generic$
they have 38mm hose but inlet is 50mm
Thank you
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Hello,
We've had many people ask us whether the 1400 watt vacs will handle weeds, mud and moss in the gutters. So we've done a video showing the 1400 watt vac clearing a gutter full of weeds, mud and moss.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZBxLHC9YoU
looking forward to your new gutter coming soon!
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I clean gutters all the time and anyone who does regularly will know instinctively that that muck has been placed there on purpose. There was no compaction ar tightness at all, it just completely flew out. Ive often grabbed a chunk and pulled and one or two foot would come out like a snake. I have some nice fotos but the lap top has no blue tooth. Gutter vacs wouldn't be worth a poo. For starters in the real world the roof tile is always fit too far down so you can barely get your fingers in, never mind that 2 inch pipe in the vid. And even go there about gutter spikes or whatever either. Iv researched that marked and I know they are brutal. If I was gonna get one I would go down the Omni pole full monty deal. Buy nice or buy twice. I knew spotty would like it though. He's a fighter not a grafter.
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Ahhh the gutter squad hits the forum once again - like others you can clearly see the gutter is staged - i believe you will find this could put you in trouble with the advertising standards Authority.
unfortunatly this type of shinanagins puts gutter vac'ing in a bad light - we did 2 today - 1 yesterday and several
earlier in the week - we don't use nicks lightweight vac - but a real heavy duty make and i can say the vac never fails to clean perfectly every time, no matter whats in the gutter or how difficault it is to reach.
Vac's are well worth getting as an add on service - from safety point alone.
perhaps the gutter squad could or should get a video of themselfs in action on one of thier many multi thousand pound contracts which were being boasted about earlier this year ?
surely you could have found at least one other gutter to clear ???
you dont do yourselfs any justice if what you claim is true - go do some real gutters and show us those.
good luck guys
Darran
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This is why I love cleaning forums like this, members exposing the fakers and saving money for genuine people in business ;D
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One of the biggest problems is sludge coating the suction tubes - even 3200W struggles at times. I'd also like to see the vacs coping with pine needles.
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So, do you really think "Juan Sheet" gate crashed that wedding, and by sheer coincidence, cameras were conveniently positioned to see him soak up the spilt juice with his super absorbent cleaning tissue, and then see the women oogling his bum?? Off course the videos are set up!!
But just as Juan's tissue does what it says and shows, our 1400 watt vacs do what we say and show.
The rigidity from our poles and heads tightly clamped, mean that as you move the head along the gutter, any impacted muck is loosened and lifted straight away, another sweep back and forth means job done. Check your work with the mirror, clear up any bits left, and then move on to the next section. Our weedhook lifts out large weeds prior to vacuuming.
All systems get that build up of mud in the hose, we always take a couple of tubs of water and a bucket, as soon as the hose gets heavy, suck a bucket of water through, it clears it instantly.
Faking suggests a level of illegality, I can assure you that none of our customers has ever suggested our kits do not perform as well we have advertised them to do and do you really think KÄRCHER and CLARKE International would be supplying us with vacuums and BARCLAYS supplying us with card services?
Criticism is essential for any industry to improve and move forward. However it is far more helpful if the critics have actually tried the item they are criticising. We have owned and used all the systems out there, and any comments we have posted about them has been purely down to our experiences of using them, we also know that our regular critics on this forum have not. We also believe that failings we found with these systems have been addressed by our new kits.
Gutter cleaning could easily become a large factor as part of your incomes, many of you have large customer bases who have regular maintenance to their homes, be it window cleaning monthly, pressure washing, gardening etc. I am sure that annual gutter cleaning can easily be added to that portfolio of services.
But I am also convinced that with power and fuel prices forever creeping upwards and the growing green lobby, the move forward has got to be acheived by using the least amount of power to produce the maximum amount of suction and performance.
Before you buy any gutter cleaning system, try them all out first, because if you believe our most vehement critics (one of whom is a local competitor) you could be making payments on an expensive kit, whilst your competitors are making money with their cheaper kits.
Just to create a level playing field I have posted this video of an Omni systems working at 4200 watts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9CZDWZEJwU
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I piggin hate that advert and refuse to buy the product as a result!!
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Rather poor technique in that video too. Anyway as I was saying ....... have you altered the inlet?
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I am surprised at some of the harsh comments Nick has had. He is trying to demonstate his system working on a badly blocked gutter and he never implied that he hadn't put the rubbish in there himself - it's fairly obvious. What his system does show is it's ability to remove large lumps of earth, moss and weeds quickly and effectively. As he says, if this was a compacted gutter the rigidity of the pole would be enough to loosen it before the vac picked it up.
Sludge in the tubes is indeed a problem with any guttervac but as Nick says if you pull a bucket of clean water through then you're back with a clean pole - it takes 2 minutes. As for the job with the hacksaw - I'd have given them their money back.
Nick has been at the forefront of trying to bring ladderless gutter cleaning into the modern age for quite some time, along with several other good systems. His systems are very modestly priced and I would defy anyone not to at least double their money within 1-2 months of buying one.
Before you ask, no I don't use Nick's system and I don't know Nick. I contacted him before I bought my system and in the end I went for a more powerful vac which I now believe wasn't necessary (although it does a good job). When I do buy another system it will be one of Nick's just for the unbeatable value for money.
The point is that there is a genuine need for this service which is going to grow as more people start doing it. As I said on a different thread now that most of the WC's are using WFP the gutters aren't getting cleaned anymore. I regularly come across houses that haven't been done for over 10 years. Everyone spends £200+ servicing their car each year but they are neglecting an equally vital job on their house which is worth far more than the car.
At the end of the day gutter cleaning as a service is going to grow all over the UK. At the moment very few people know about it and an entry level opportunity is being offered to existing window and other cleaners to get in on the action. It's hard but interesting work (every house is different) and good money. In my opinion it's a no-brainer for a WC with an established round. Just contact all your existing customers and you've got £2k plus of work straight away. But as long as some people keep poo-pooing the idea and nit-picking over what vac can pick up what clump of moss then a new group of people will move into gutter cleaning and they'll take the market.
Ladderless gutter cleaning is the future of gutter cleaning and I applaud Nick for his efforts in bringing his sound and well-tested system to market and for offering so many the chance to make a decent extra income for less than the price of a fortnight's grocery shopping.
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They are a good bit of kit and could be used in conjunction with a proper 3 section ladder (with stand off and stabilizer) . If a gutter has not been done in ten years its gonna take more than a glorified telescope to sort it out. I do windows WFP, but on the initial cleans I still need to give them a good trad clean, to get the spiders nests, corners, algae from the frames, cills deep cleaned and what have you. Over here its all whites. Upvc city. I clean and polish gutters to completely rejuvenate them. Facia, soffit and down pipe.
I would like a gutter vac but only If I was gonna get the whole lot, i.e the Genny, the extendable p/w lance, the camera, the Big R2D2 thing. The climate now is not maintenance cleans on gutters. Its leave it till the very last ( or else give concessions to the next person who moves in for your neglect) . Gutter vacs would be a no go. I know they suck but do they polish too ::)? The point? Gutter vacs for maintenance, Ladders for initials. Plain and simple. And no scare mongering on the 2005 hswa working at height regs please.
Gutter cleaning. "Its money for old rope!"
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I think the video is obviously staged, but then let's face it most videos are staged aren't they. The products look impressive and if they perform half as well as they look to then they are impressive.
I guess the discrepancy is that Nick is highlighting the importance of H&S and not using ladders but how did the debri get in the gutters in the first place, I don't see a cherry picker in the picture. Better to highlight the speed of use which is what window cleaners would be far more interested in.
People don't want to buy something because they are being forced to, they are more likely to buy something because it will work to their advantage. Gutters are a brilliant business add on and I think these systems would be brilliant over 90% of the time.
Simon.
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Nicks line about juan sheet is possibly the funniest I have ever heard on this forum! I love it! lol
Give nick a break its a good video - a decent vac works well. we have had several over the last 4 years and they do work.
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i have just had a look at Nick's website and all can say is good luck to the bloke.
Its obviosly someone having a go and making a good tool at a realistic price.
Gutters is something i have always avoided as I hate doing them but I think with something like this i might give it a go.
How much is the going rate to charge? i assume its done per meter?
At a guess I was thinking £1 a meter for bungalows and low level stuff and £1.50 for high level stuff? would I be about right?
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Hello,
Depends on where abouts you are, the average is about £3-£3.50 per metre for high level work and £2.50-£3 per metre for bungalows.
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Am I invisible ???
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Hello,
Depends on where abouts you are, the average is about £3-£3.50 per metre for high level work and £2.50-£3 per metre for bungalows.
Thanks Nick,
Does that price include cleaning the outside of the gutter and the facia and soffit too?
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Am I invisible ???
Who said that?
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Am I invisible ???
Who said that?
dont know couldnt see anyone 8)
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i have just had a look at Nick's website and all can say is good luck to the bloke.
Its obviosly someone having a go and making a good tool at a realistic price.
Gutters is something i have always avoided as I hate doing them but I think with something like this i might give it a go.
How much is the going rate to charge? i assume its done per meter?
At a guess I was thinking £1 a meter for bungalows and low level stuff and £1.50 for high level stuff? would I be about right?
to be fair to them, i think they are doing very well.
very disappointing on some of the posts (not this one!)
gutter vacs are very pricey as a norm but these arent too bad in price.
very nice people to talk to etc...
of course the vid is some what staged!! its a bloody ad!
they are bringing out a new machine soon, with a much better spec and a good price!
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Hello,
That price is just for emptying the gutter. Hydrophyl, not quite sure what you mean by changing the inlet? We just use the standard machine (we've gone through about 20 different machines) and adapt our cuff to fit the hole. Most machines have a 51mm entry point on the machine. With regards to your 38mm hose you might be better to use a 51mm piece of hose going into the actual machine (assuming the hole is approx 51mm) and then use a 51 to 38mm reducer (you can get them from AXO Clean Machines, Europart or Woodbridge International). Hope that helps.
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Hello,
That price is just for emptying the gutter. Hydrophyl, not quite sure what you mean by changing the inlet? We just use the standard machine (we've gone through about 20 different machines) and adapt our cuff to fit the hole. Most machines have a 51mm entry point on the machine. With regards to your 38mm hose you might be better to use a 51mm piece of hose going into the actual machine (assuming the hole is approx 51mm) and then use a 51 to 38mm reducer (you can get them from AXO Clean Machines, Europart or Woodbridge International). Hope that helps.
i have pm you mate
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I am surprised at some of the harsh comments Nick has had. He is trying to demonstate his system working on a badly blocked gutter and he never implied that he hadn't put the rubbish in there himself - it's fairly obvious. What his system does show is it's ability to remove large lumps of earth, moss and weeds quickly and effectively. As he says, if this was a compacted gutter the rigidity of the pole would be enough to loosen it before the vac picked it up.
Sludge in the tubes is indeed a problem with any guttervac but as Nick says if you pull a bucket of clean water through then you're back with a clean pole - it takes 2 minutes. As for the job with the hacksaw - I'd have given them their money back.
Nick has been at the forefront of trying to bring ladderless gutter cleaning into the modern age for quite some time, along with several other good systems. His systems are very modestly priced and I would defy anyone not to at least double their money within 1-2 months of buying one.
Before you ask, no I don't use Nick's system and I don't know Nick. I contacted him before I bought my system and in the end I went for a more powerful vac which I now believe wasn't necessary (although it does a good job). When I do buy another system it will be one of Nick's just for the unbeatable value for money.
The point is that there is a genuine need for this service which is going to grow as more people start doing it. As I said on a different thread now that most of the WC's are using WFP the gutters aren't getting cleaned anymore. I regularly come across houses that haven't been done for over 10 years. Everyone spends £200+ servicing their car each year but they are neglecting an equally vital job on their house which is worth far more than the car.
At the end of the day gutter cleaning as a service is going to grow all over the UK. At the moment very few people know about it and an entry level opportunity is being offered to existing window and other cleaners to get in on the action. It's hard but interesting work (every house is different) and good money. In my opinion it's a no-brainer for a WC with an established round. Just contact all your existing customers and you've got £2k plus of work straight away. But as long as some people keep poo-pooing the idea and nit-picking over what vac can pick up what clump of moss then a new group of people will move into gutter cleaning and they'll take the market.
Ladderless gutter cleaning is the future of gutter cleaning and I applaud Nick for his efforts in bringing his sound and well-tested system to market and for offering so many the chance to make a decent extra income for less than the price of a fortnight's grocery shopping.
I will second that. :)
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Hello,
We've had many people ask us whether the 1400 watt vacs will handle weeds, mud and moss in the gutters. So we've done a video showing the 1400 watt vac clearing a gutter full of weeds, mud and moss.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZBxLHC9YoU
Sorry but gutters are just not filled like this - carefully laid out and not compacted into the gutter - any vac could suck up loose stuff like that and it could have been done on the ground.
i have nothing against Nick or any other company selling gutter vacs - and the cheaper the better - but i'd like a bit of realism and straight talking about it rather than rubbishing all other products other than their own - if a 1400 watt was the be all end all why are there more powerful ones available ?
i just don't want to see hard working windy's spends a few hundred on kit , only to find it does not meet their needs.
local to you yes....
compeditor no.... but thanks for the compliment !
as others could tell you - i'm more than happy to help out fellow w/cs with equipment, time, staff etc...
the world is a tough enough place without having to screw up your fellow w/c's.
Darran
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I've bought one of these gutter vacs from Nick, the 30 litre one. Done our own properties with it and just a couple of jobs so far. Have had no problems with it, well one and i'll get back to that !!. I was sceptical that any of these vacs could indeed empty out a gutter properley. They can. They're probably better than doing it by hand, they remove even the silt, sand etc that only getting a hosepipe up to the gutter would remove.
The problem i had was i broke the mirror !! And the mirror does work suprisingly well, when its not cracked !!
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Hi Mike - yep gutter vacs are superb and have always found them to clean out a gutter better
than any hand job :-*
and at least Nicks vac's incorperate solid ali tubing - which i feel is a must, so in that respect it's a better
system than some of it's rivals...
Darran
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Better of making one like the guy did with the also one over weekend.looks better than these tbh.
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looks like the debris had been loosend before hand