I bought a gutter clean out kit for my leaf blower. Oops!

[gamedic]

I stopped by the Stihl dealer today. I was looking around the store and saw a gutter cleanout kit for a handheld leaf blower. It's a 12 foot long light weight plastic pipe that fits on a leaf blower. It makes a 180 degree turn at the far end so it will direct the force of the blower into your rain gutters to blow leaves out of them. I put it together, put it on my highpowered backpack blower and stuck it in my gutter. I hit the throttle and helplessly watched as my brand new gutter cleaner kit split in half at the joint where it makes its 180 degree turn. The now free upper piece left the confines of earths gravity and achieved low earth orbit before falling on my 12/12 pitch roof about two foot from the peak. It's still stuck up there, out of reach of my 24 foot ladder. All I could do was laugh. Maybe the wind will blow it down.

 

[m1gunner]

Maybe the rest of the attachment can be used as a tennis ball launcher.

 

[firestrat]

I use my Stihl backpack for cleaning out my gutters too. I get the ladder out, get on the roof and walk along the gutter blowing out the leaves. The roof is only 4/12 though.

 

[doublesharp]

My roof is only 8 ft off the ground and I've got a Redmax backpack. I don't need a ladder, I just point the tube towards the ground, go full throttle and it hovercrafts me right up.

 

[JcMack]

Rescue mission?

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

My wife cleans the gutters. It's in her contract.

 

[NCTexan]

Thanks for a great laugh this morning....

That's one of those "Oh 'Pooh'" moments that plays out in slow motion as you see it unfold before your eyes.

 

[Wyatt Burp]

This is funny because my very inventive mechanical freind made just such a device and was all set to patent it. I went home, got on the computer and, well, I had to tell him they already exist. But his didn't blow up. Probably still works.

 

[m657]

We got tired of that routine. And the other various clean-out devices. And the incredible array of little screen guards that didn't work very well.

Got the solid gutter covers in 4' sections that snap on, water runs over them & down & around into gutter without debris. Voila!!! They really do work, and it took one long afternoon, a ladder & handtools, and about $60 to install a section 48' long.

Tried something easier for an outbuilding after getting the idea from a home show.

3" perforated pipe squished into the gutter....excludes debris, easy install, no tools needed.

My adaptation to someone else's high-$ idea.

Cheers,

watch out for them flying leaf blower parts....they don't all come down on the roof.

 

[Jhp147]

Okay, I learned more than I ever thought I'd know about cleaning my just-installed gutters my from these posts above. Thank you, but why didn't the screens work? I had them put in mine and thought they would be great. No?

 

[M29since14]

Great story about the legendary German quality. (Hey, nobody's perfect!)

Thanks for the laugh.

 

[Rule3]

Okay, I learned more than I ever thought I'd know about cleaning my just-installed gutters my from these posts above. Thank you, but why didn't the screens work? I had them put in mine and thought they would be great. No?

No, just no.

I tried them all, stuff just gets under them or they collapse. I gave up. I just get on the ladder and scope out the crap or stand on the roof and use the blower. My main problem was stuff would bypass the screens and clog the downspout. Then it was disassemble time and clear out the sections

M657's solid sections type may be the way to go, I think I saw them on a TV Home show or somewhere.

 

[Jhp147]

Dang. Next time I'll just go here for gun advice OR gutter advice. Think I'm out a few bucks on the screens for nothing.

 

[bk43]

Think I'm out a few bucks on the screens for nothing.

I have the screens and wouldn't say they are for nothing. In some respects real, real close but still do a little bit of good here and there.

Bob

 

[m657]

re: "why didn't the screens work?"

in our case that side of house has lots of deciduous trees AND shade yielding moss & a lot of debris. The screens were good for a couple years but let enough pureed solids thru I'd get a wonderful rain gutter/moss forest worthy of guided tours on 'Wilderness Expeditions' and the downspout despite various gizmos would fill up & the gutter would cascade water over the edge. Did I mention the rain in Western Oregon?

We're on on third winter with the solid panels and at last inspection it was doing great!!! Home improvement store had 4' sections at very nominal cost. Upper side slides under shingles (may require a bit of dealing with roofing nails---no really big deal, just a little time to develop your technique) and the lower side snaps over/into the gutter.

Even my perf pipe experiment is working very well.

 

[cjw3]

I made one of those once out of 1" PVC pipe and duct tape.........yep, I am Bubba.