[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

[Smurf]

you must get all easy access jobs then not having the need to use guttervac poles?

[Griffus]

you must get all easy access jobs then not having the need to use guttervac poles?

Never had a problem with the work I have taken on, but to be fair they're not exactly our main core of business. I have declined the odd job, not totally due to access, though it has been a partial factor,

I wouldn't generally go above two storey work for gutters but if regular client insisted on it then would consider. Anything above I'd either consider cherry picker or if unsuitable or too expensive for domestic then I'd have to consider other options, which may well include adapting one of our WFP's to take the vac hose, or even subbing to some one with poles.

If all of a sudden we were having gutter cleaning requested all the time then I'd consider purchasing poles, but as per my previous, I think ladders will in most cases be a definite requirement.

Incidentally, there are better ladder safety devices out there in terms of practicality and speed of use. That kit you linked looks great, but I would imagine it becomes a bit cumbersome for all day use on most sites, which are rarely surrounded by pathways or the like.

[Smurf]

I've tried many ladder safety devices in the past and found the combination of using an ankalad & microlite standoff beats them all for ladder stability hands down.

[G O Cleaning]

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.


 

Just looking at your pic, setup looks interesting but why is the stand off positioned above the gutter line hence pushing against the tiles and not the wall ?

[Griffus]

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.


 

Just looking at your pic, setup looks interesting but why is the stand off positioned above the gutter line hence pushing against the tiles and not the wall ?

This is the major benefit of this stand-off against the regulars. It's a good bit of kit and designed to be equally as good on the tiles as up the wall. A big plus point when cleaning gutters.

I have to admit I may well buy one. There have been times when this would have been very useful to me. The price is a bit steep though 

[Smurf]

I've found roofline work is much easier and safer to do using both an ankalad and with the mirolite standoff resting on roof tiles as it is designed to do you're in a much better posistion to work safely

Now in this example pic part of the job I gave up trying to use a guttervac to get the sods out but would have been near impossible to use just a normal ladder to get to what with the sat dishes fence etc being in the way.

Whilst I was up there also cleared the right hand side roof valley too that was badly blocked.

If you ask me using an ankalad and microlite standoff together for roofline work is defo a no brainer



 

[Smurf]

Regarding cost you can pickup good used ones from fleebay when they come up in auctions.

If memory serves me right I paid in total less than a hundred quid for both in seperate listings including delivery. I also bought another brand new ankalad boxed (never been used) for only £25 that I keep as a spare. So just goes to show you can get bargains on good old fleebay and save yourself a fortune. Likewise with guttervac kit as ppl find out gutter clearing using a guttervac can be bloody hard work so get rid

[Smurf]

Wished I had a camera today but my last one had broke. One of my jobs was a call out to unblock a swan neck that had a rudy great long screw through the joint. Needless to say the bend was backed up and the guttering was full of water that had no where to go.

Where I had to set my ladder was on a badly sloping slippery wet grass bank and was told that the previous owner had his ladder slip away trying to unblock it.

I had no such issue using me ladder with the ankalad stabalisers deployed and the mircrolite this time resting on the wall.

Only issue that I did have I got very wet when I took the joints apart as the guttering was full of water  

image from google street view

[G O Cleaning]

I've found roofline work is much easier and safer to do using both an ankalad and with the mirolite standoff resting on roof tiles as it is designed to do you're in a much better posistion to work safely

Now in this example pic part of the job I gave up trying to use a guttervac to get the sods out but would have been near impossible to use just a normal ladder to get to what with the sat dishes fence etc being in the way.

Whilst I was up there also cleared the right hand side roof valley too that was badly blocked.

If you ask me using an ankalad and microlite standoff together for roofline work is defo a no brainer



 

Thks for that the microlite standoff looks good we will give it a go, always have 2 ops for ladder works and use big grip at the base which works well on inclines etc.

Curious why do you hide  ?

Cheers Mike

[chris scott]

I put the back pack blower on the downspouts from the bottom....clears most of them!

[Smurf]

Myself I like to see what is causing the blockage in the first place and remove it which could be anything from broken bits of tile/mortar, balls, twigs, firework sticks, dead birds etc etc etc and one of the strangest ones was a plastic dolls leg. That one needed the long screws removed that some numpty thought was a good idea to hold the joints together.

I put the back pack blower on the downspouts from the bottom....clears most of them!

[Smurf]

I work mostly on my own mike hence why I use that kit so don't need anyone to foot the ladder and all that. That ladder config works very well even on the most slippery surfaces too. Regarding hiding I also take the pics myself and the last one was from google street view.
 
[/quote] Thks for that the microlite standoff looks good we will give it a go, always have 2 ops for ladder works and use big grip at the base which works well on inclines etc.

Curious why do you hide  ?

Cheers Mike
[/quote]

[G O Cleaning]

I've found roofline work is much easier and safer to do using both an ankalad and with the mirolite standoff resting on roof tiles as it is designed to do you're in a much better posistion to work safely

Used the stand off first time today, works well, makes access on to roofs easier / safer thks 

[Smurf]

Nice one bud...glad to be of any help

I've found roofline work is much easier and safer to do using both an ankalad and with the mirolite standoff resting on roof tiles as it is designed to do you're in a much better posistion to work safely

Used the stand off first time today, works well, makes access on to roofs easier / safer thks