So, I go to clean out my rain gutters and...

[Joe Bob]

Sawzall.......

[look 171]

shop vac. Get a fitting at your local plumbing supply and get a ABS pipe with 2 90 degree bends and you don't even have to climb up the roof. Done in a half hour. Now get your wife to sweep already.

[targa911S]

Originally Posted by legion

i use a leaf blower to clean my gutters. It take me about five minutes to do the whole house.

+1

[madmmac]

Blowers only work well when things are pretty dry...does not happen much around here.

I use my pressure washer starting at the downspout and working away from it.

[legion]

Originally Posted by madmmac

Blowers only work well when things are pretty dry...does not happen much around here.

I use my pressure washer starting at the downspout and working away from it.

I disagree. In the fall, I have to clean out my gutters weekly as I have four 60' maples that drop their leaves on my roof. I clean them out whether the leaves are dry or wet. The trick is to do it frequently enough that the leaves do not start to flatten, lock together, and decompose.

If I go two weeks, I have to spend the five hours to do it manually.

I also get on my roof to do the leaves. I tried once from the ground with one of those blower extensions--I spent an hour on one gutter and gave up.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by legion

I use a leaf blower to clean my gutters. It take me about five minutes to do the whole house.

It used to take my about 5 hours by hand...

Good solution as long as the leafs/junk is all dry. Not so good if it's all turned to mulch/compost. I've cleaned gutters where the leafs have decomposed all the way back to solid black dirt.

[speeder]

Beat me to it.

[david914]

Originally Posted by speeder

Good solution as long as the leafs/junk is all dry. Not so good if it's all turned to mulch/compost. I've cleaned gutters where the leafs have decomposed all the way back to solid black dirt.

Yup, got a lot of that in there. It's not gonna be easy with the shingles hanging over half the gutter.

[lukeh]

+100 on the leaf blower. I go up on the roof (not a steep roof and it's a ranch) and walk around blowing them out as I go. I can do the house in 3 minutes and that is when they are full as I have many large trees in the yard.

[john70t]

Why clean gutters?
-The aluminum screen inserts work pretty good from what I've seen. Every few years with a hose(buy a lightweight one) cleans everything out.
-Another product is Gutter Protection Systems, Rain Flow Gutter Leaf Protection, Gutter Covers – JNK Products Pricey fiberous mesh, but recommended by the owner of the local lumber company(Fingerle). I was thinking his stuff may or may not clog over time as leaves turn into dirt.

The Gutterguard and Leafguard don't work, the leaves and dirt follow the curve right back into the gutter.
Gutterguard is also an overpriced ripoff, with crackhead installers who stick them on top of the shingles with whatever nails they have in the toolbox. They even make Comcast installers look good.

[legion]

I'd still start out with the leaf blower. It will at least blow the stuff off the top and dry out what is below a little. If you have to slop, you have to slop. Get yourself a ladder and a 5 gallon bucket for the rest. I'd throw the remains in a compost pile or garden.

[Heel n Toe]

I've often wondered about those hose blaster/extensions because it seems like with enough water pressure all leaves and gunk could be removed without scooping, but evidently, they're a waste of money... this is kind of funny:
______________
After 2 days of doing nothing but eating, sleeping and playing WoW I finally decided to actually get off my lazy ass and go get some much needed supplies at Lowes. Since I bought my house I have been putting together a list of things that need to be done. Of course this list grows larger all the time and I’m sure there is no end in site. Anyway, my primary mission was to clean the gutters and fix 6 screens windows as well as purchase 4 new ones for one reason or another did not come with the house. Secondary objectives included purchasing charcoal, mass quantities of weed and insect killer, and exchanging a 30 Amp breaker. For some reason I thought that I would be in and out in an hour. Of course I didn’t account for the extra little projects that you always think of when you goto any home improvement store. After wandering around Lowes for probably 2 hours I finally got everything I need (at least for now) and left $200 poorer.

First thing I do when I get home is start on my gutters. When I had the house inspected I was told to get the gutters cleaned. Since I am a lazy bastard I havn’t really had time to do it, with WoW and all. So I break out the hose and my newly purchased “Gutter Blaster” ($19.98 + tax at your local Lowes) which is a expendable metal pipe that curves at the end so you can blast the crud with water. I get everything hooked up, put the nozzle in the gutter and let the watter flow. After about 5 minutes of gutter blasting and trying to navigate around the spikes that hold the gutter on I found myself pretty wet. Hoping that progress has been made I run upstairs to my bathroom to lookout the window so I can determine what has been blasted away. After looking out the window at the gutters I determine that the only thing that has been blasted away has been my $19.98 + tax. So after that disappointment I grab a bucket and my ladder climbed onto the roof. This being my first time cleaning gutters I was’nt really sure what to expect. After carefully assessing the situation and praying to God I wouldn’t fall off the roof I determined that my gutters were nothing more than small swamps filled with…. well I’m not quite sure what but it was pretty gross.

After about 3 hours of manually scooping and spraying tons of crud out of my gutters I finally got them cleaned out. My roommate Aaron was kind enough to come out and lend a hand with the hose and emptying the bucket as well being ready to point and laugh at me if fell off.



Adventures In Homeowning