DIY Gutter Vac Setup: Advice much appreciated

[Jimroot]

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What's lurking in this apparently cleared gutter today...

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This un-vacuumable kg of mud and a pair of slugs...

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[Phildeeney]

i use my vac all the time now luv it my first choice is vac every time my ladders come out every now and then ive done high level using it and its hard graft but fun i use ultra lite alli poles i may invest in some grippa carbon the new clamping poles that never get stuck i bet there very lite i use the creves tool on tite gutters its never let me down yet ive had the odd roof tile sliped in to the gutter but i just leve that bit as long as u vac eather side it should wash out after a sorm i think a camra on a pole is a must tho to check the gutter befor and after u vac a gutter

Have a look at easy composites they do the carbon tubing and it will be a lot cheaper and you can just fit the clamps off your aluminium poles

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[Simesy]

I once pulled a sunflower with a foot long root and soil out of a downpipe.

 

[adamangler]

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What's lurking in this apparently cleared gutter today...

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This un-vacuumable kg of mud and a pair of slugs...

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Good point, but the cutomer isnt going to know that, vac n dash

 

[Gazz K]

Used my Skyvac Atom today which was a great help in clearing guttering over a conservatory. Very hard work with internal fixings on the gutters though. I can see how vacs aren't the be all and end all though. Some on the forum say that they use their vacs only and don't get up a ladder. I don't understand that because I still had to get up on a ladder and loosen big clods of mud and undergrowth from under the internal fixings. From now on its going to be £100 clearout front and back if I can see plants growing looking from the ground as there will definately be an established root network running through the mud

 

[Alex Day]

Hello,

We never take ladders when we clean gutters, we use either the vacuum power or the tools, weed hook, downpipe fork etc. When we were developing our kits we were working for a large housing association and it was strictly no ladders so we had to develop tools to enable the jobs to be completed from the ground. It was the same for several large schools we did at the same time, if they'd seen a ladder we would have been ordered off site!!

 

[Diwrnach]

I have all of those tools, they don't clear downpipes regardless, if the block is in or under the bend it will stay blocked until you get a hose down it or take it apart.

 

[Matt Barnett]

View attachment 11373
What's lurking in this apparently cleared gutter today...

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This un-vacuumable kg of mud and a pair of slugs...

View attachment 11372

Wat do you charge for say a standard 3 bed house using the gutter vac? I'm just starting up & will be using the vacs but never quoted with them before.. Do they take longer than doing it by hand? Thanks

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[Jimroot]

I think what you can charge is based on area @Matt Barnett , local competition, how bad you need the work, how bad they want it done, extras to do while your at it, so it's hard to give a definitive answer to pricing. Try and work out how long it will take to do a good job, and price accordingly. If you're new to it, probably double the time you think!

Some are done in half hour, some take most of a day, depending on the style of house and issues - tile/membrane over hang, type of debris, access- that come up.

I've found -generally- modern houses are quicker and vac-able, period houses take longer and need more hands on, but the opposite sometimes happens. Even when I use the vac, I nearly always use the ladder too at some point.

 

[Alex Day]

Hi Matt,

A standard 3 bed house we would expect to complete in about 45 minutes using just the vac (we don't carry ladders) we have been as quick as 20 minutes before depending what's in the gutter. Price wise as said above it depends on where abouts you are, in Norwich we would charge about £40 for a job like that.

 

[Matt Barnett]

I think what you can charge is based on area @Matt Barnett , local competition, how bad you need the work, how bad they want it done, extras to do while your at it, so it's hard to give a definitive answer to pricing. Try and work out how long it will take to do a good job, and price accordingly. If you're new to it, probably double the time you think!
Some are done in half hour, some take most of a day, depending on the style of house and issues - tile/membrane over hang, type of debris, access- that come up.

I've found -generally- modern houses are quicker and vac-able, period houses take longer and need more hands on, but the opposite sometimes happens. Even when I use the vac, I nearly always use the ladder too at some point.

Thanks.. The company I worked for we always done it by hand up a ladder & prices would average from 60-120 (depending on house size) I've herd that the vacuum is harder but I'm starting up on my own & I'm going to use anything to stop me from climbing up a ladder really & working from it.. Specially if I'm alone at a job.. Saw a guy yesterday 3 stories up cleaning gutters from a ladder with nobody at the bottom holding it... Mad man!! Thats not my cup of tea..lol!

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[Jimroot]

I use a brace or ladderm8 if I think the footing is surcumspect, and always a standoff

I don't see how you can get away without a ladder if you're taking on a variety of houses. I've done 8 in the last month, only one was a vac only, there were tile slips, severely blocked spouts, I'd have had to turn down 7/8 or not been honest

I also clip back brackets, realign sections/joints and try and fix leaks if possible