Gutter Vacuum Filter Questions

[Cleanz]

I've got one of the gutter vacs from here :

http://www.guttercleaningsystems.co.uk/3000watt.html

I've had it a few months and done roughly 18 jobs with it. Mostly standard 3 bed house type jobs, a few bigger ones.

Managed to snag a nice commercial job the other week on an arts centre with big long and wide gutters. The gutters were absolutely full up with moss covered thick mud.

Everything was going fine and the gutter vac was going nicely until about halfway through the job when the filter decided to (not sure how to describe it) but it would be sucked around the cage frame underneath the motors (as if it was blocked).

When I took the motors off the filter was as you would expect totally soaked/covered in mud, I just washed it off (as I had done at times before) and put it back in. It worked again for maybe a minute but then started to suck around the cage again, so no suction was getting to the hose/poles.

Basically I had to finish off the rest of the job with ladders which took ages, when I got home I washed and dried out the filter but when I took it out to use on a couple of jobs last week it was fine for the front of a house but then once you started to suck up water/mud the filter sucks itself to the frame again and water gets inside the filter.

So anyway, I phoned up the guy (who is by the way very helpful and a nice chap) and he said when he uses his, he doesn't bother with the filter takes off the frame underneath (3 screws) and where the hole is puts a small circular bit of foam in the hole and re-screws the frame over this (can take photo if no-one knows what I mean).

So he kindly sent me a few of these foam pieces and I used it on a job the other day, no problems at all. My only concern is, isn't this going to wreck the vacuum cleaner?

I mean all of the under frame was covered in mud and totally soaked with water. As was the foam piece, which was also soaked/covered in moss & mud (and a bit torn)

 

[chilt69]

Its a pain when the filter gets clogged up - which is why its essential to clean it after every couple of jobs. And don't just wash it off & leave it to dry.

I find best way is to soak it in the bath with some detergent - leave for hour or so, then squeeze out & rinse continually until the water runs out virtually clear. Must be fully dry before you use it again, or gets clogged up real quick.

 

[Smurf]

My missus would go ape me washing a filthy vac filter in her white sparkling clean jacuzzi bath. :Image13:

Hosepipe job in the back garden works for me :Image3:

Gutter clearing jobs like that then would say a guttervac would be no good anway as would spend more time unblocking the hose, nozzle, poles, inlet and filter than doing the job by hand. That is unless you have access to an outside tap to keep flushing the system through.

 

[chilt69]

I have to do all the cleaning, so its only a bit more work for me anyway!

 

[Cleanz]

Its a pain when the filter gets clogged up - which is why its essential to clean it after every couple of jobs. And don't just wash it off & leave it to dry.

I find best way is to soak it in the bath with some detergent - leave for hour or so, then squeeze out & rinse continually until the water runs out virtually clear. Must be fully dry before you use it again, or gets clogged up real quick.

I not only scrubbed it but also soak it for around 3-4 hours, I clean after every job - always dry when I first start using.

 

[Cleanz]

My missus would go ape me washing a filthy vac filter in her white sparkling clean jacuzzi bath. :Image13:

Hosepipe job in the back garden works for me :Image3:

Gutter clearing jobs like that then would say a guttervac would be no good anway as would spend more time unblocking the hose, nozzle, poles, inlet and filter than doing the job by hand. That is unless you have access to an outside tap to keep flushing the system through.

Had access to water, hoses and poles weren't the problem, just the filter but that's now been taken out of the equation. used it on a really bad job a couple of days ago, no blockages at all.

Just wondering if water/mud etc is going to be a real problem for the vacuum,or if there is an inner filter of some kind which protects against water/mud.

 

[Smurf]

It's a basic wet & dry vac so when used for sucking up water the large filter in the drum should be removed so the ball valve will float up and stop water getting pulled through the motors when full. When using it as a dry vac you are supposed to leave the large filter in the drum so to stop dust & **** getting pulled through the motors.

They are not designed to suck up loads of wet gutter sludge. Simples.... :Image3: