Is a leaf blower really necessary for gutter cleaning? what we do now is scoop all the crap out of the gutters (leave a layer of sand/dirt in there) and pick all of the leaves off of the roof. if you are careful there wont be much of a mess on the ground.
so why do you need a leaf blower? it seems like more hassle than its worth.
they also make vacuuming leaf blowers, has anyone tried one for vacuuming gutters?
I use a Stihl backpack blower. I clear all debris from the roof and gutters. Scooping just doesn’t remove everything, IMO. I then use the blower to quickly collect the debris on the ground.
I do scoop wet gutters to avoid the spraying of that nasty gutter water.
Test things out fir yourself and see what works best for you.
so you just get up there and blow everything on the ground?
sounds easy but wouldn’t that make a huge mess…
Why would you leave the sand/dirt, you will only be leaving yourself a bigger job for next time? If that stuff clogs in the neck of a downspout you need to take it apart. Once you get that stuff out it helps the gutter work properly, and next time there should be little grit left in it. I use a gutter scoop on a 8ft mr. Longarm, I have a five gallon bucket with me. I start at the downspout so I can unclog it and let any water drain, I pull all debris towards me, clearing 3-4ft closest to me to first. Then I clean 4ft further from me. I then ball a huck up and stick it in the gutter and plow any grit/dirt down the gutter, to my next ladder set. You get 14-20 ft cleared in a set.
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You dont need a leaf blower. You also don’t need a water fed pole to clean windows.
This is a really nice unit by Makita compact and really great velocity foe a hand held…Gutters, sills, lots of WC’er uses
Mike
Mission Window Cleaning
Los Angeles, Ca.
Yep
It is, as my friend Craig Aldrich would say, “Quick and sick!”
I actually just bought a leaf blower/vac/shredder/bagger yesterday. I’m kind of eager to see how it works out. This model shreds and bags the debris, cutting out a lot of mess. We’ll see how it works.
What’s the run time?
Put on gloves grab a pail climb a ladder scoop out crap by hand dump into pail. Run water down into the gutters as a test. There is a website called windows 101 which many of you may know that sells some useful gutter cleaning tools. I have 2 different scoopers from them that work pretty good. A leaf blower is also good as Larry mentioned, but IMO vacuuming while standing on a ladder seems clumsy and dangerous.
Gutters are too wet around here to use a leaf blower. But we have a stihl handheld that we blow the roofs and valleys off with before we start.
I don’t think a leaf blower is always needed, but it sure comes in handy. We always blow off the walkways and decks/patios too.
+1. Although, i think it becomes super necessary on a tile roof, below a pine tree…or several pine trees
I have never heard of using a leaf blower for the gutter cleaning and I have ben doing it for years the best way that I found was if someone has a tap outside then take out most the crap you can then wash out with a hose.
I use one. Mostly during the dry season. It can get messy during the fall and winter- oh and spring too. We only have a short dry spell.
I think a lot has to do where you live. Big wet leaves don’t seem to blow out as well as fir needles like where I live. If you have a soupy mess, think about taking a hose to it. Don’t blow it out!
As far as the cleanup, I luck out again. Home owners here are more into a natural yard setting. It’s easy to blow debris under trees and bushes or over to te compost pile.
Head over to the eastside, that’s when you actually have to clean up after yourself.
Use a Stihl BR600 STIHL BR 600 STIHL Magnum® Backpack Blower they will blow out just fine wet or dry, although sometimes you have to weigh whether you are going to be making more of a mess or not.
I own the same model (and a 500 and a handheld) and agree with your methods and assessment.
Anybody use the Stihl 600 with the noise reducer? Just curious. Thinking about getting the reducer as an add- on.
Rumor has it, Stilh is working on a propane fed blower.
Yeah, I used to bucket and bag it but now i normally blow and go…
The upside to using a blower is that it is quick and thorough however it can be messy if you don’t know the subtle nuances to blowing out gutters. As a tip, try not to blow gutters when they are wet and don’t blow them toward other connecting joints of the house. You don’t always have to blow using full power. Make sure that you blow off the decks and walkways and shrubbery when you are done. You can blow out the flower beds but just be careful not to blow out the bark or pine straw. You can gather up what you blow by blowing the debris in a pile.
Bucketing and Bagging is a good method, the upside is that not as messy and homeowners like it. The downside is that it takes longer and that there are more ladder set ups involved. But if you have a team with few guys on ladders it can be done rather quickly. With 4 guys each guy just handles one side of the house. But if you have only one or two guys its not as fast.
I don’t like backpack blowers because I don’t feel comfortable with the extra weight when I am on the ladder or walking on a steep pitch. There is a lot more freedom in using the hand held ones, plus if you get in a bind you can always let it go, better the blower falling then you!
Definately wouldn’t vacuum the either…
But these two tools sure can make the job easier…
