Gutter vac ,which one to choose

[mark5379]

Hi all.I was looking at purchasing a gutter vac.I am a little limited on storage and i came across the sky vac atom vac





Motor Wattage: 


1600 watts max




Water Lift:


 110”




Air Flow Movement:


3800 litres per minute




Decibel Level:


60 dB




Container Capacity:


35 litres




Mains Connection:


 240v




Power Cable Length:


 8 metres




Weight:


8 kg




L x W x H (cm):


37 x 40 x 79







it seems to be smaller than most vacs i have seen ,But i wonder if it will be good enough for the job.I am only looking at doing residential so most will be just 2 stories ,Would this be fit for purpose?

 

[THL4KEL]

A few people on here mentioned they have them. They said very good but occasionally you may need ladder to get out big trees.

 

[mark5379]

i was just thinking the kiam offer a bigger vac at similar price,with 3 motors surely that extra motor would make a big difference,i am not sure if saving a little pace would be worth the sacrifice

 

[Part Timer]

If you're looking at just doing a few gutter clears on residential jobs then everything listed above will do a decent job. They won't be any quicker, and in my opinion do a good a job as, then getting the ladders out with a harris pole and some pro gutter tools. All the cheap vacs have small front inlets that block up very quickly, the good ones, and therefore more expensive, are 50mm side entry vacs.

 

[mark5379]

I get what you are saying about the ladder and tools but that would be the same as saying a ladder and a Squeegee would eliminate the need for WFP.Surely a vac must have a decent advantage in terms of ease of use just as a WFP does.It helps knowing the smaller vac will do the same job.Thanks

 

[Part Timer]

For the vast majority of jobs, WFP is quicker than ladders. For the vast majority of small gutter jobs the ladder is quicker than the cheap gutter vacs as you'll invariably have to get the ladders out and you will also be constantly lowering the poles to unblock the much smaller front inlet. I had a cheap vac and barely used it because of the problems described, I upgraded to the Sky Industrial and even this isn't that much quicker on small jobs. 

 

[mark5379]

I guess that something to think about ,I would not feel that safe up a ladder on my own so i would need to take someone with me to steady the ladder and if the ladder is needed with use of the vac i may be better off just getting the hand tools

 

[Part Timer]

I guess that something to think about ,I would not feel that safe up a ladder on my own so i would need to take someone with me to steady the ladder and if the ladder is needed with use of the vac i may be better off just getting the hand tools

There's always two of us on gutter jobs, personally, If funds are short or you don't think you'll do many, I would buy a cheap vac and buy a side inlet from Spinaclean and convert it. This would cost you extra for the casting and hose but it would be a lot cheaper then buying a top of the range vac.

https://www.spinaclean.com/skyvac-industrial-replacement-vacuum-port

 

[mark5379]

I have seen quite abit about side inlet,i dont mind spending if it makes life easier.But i would be interested to know how much of a pain it is using the standard inlet ,Are we talking it clogs every minute or just once or twice a job?

 

[THL4KEL]

Have a screwdriver in your pocket to clear it. Behind the inlet it has a directional fitting which gets jammed with debris. 

Depends what your sucking up. If its dry it will clog easier than with wet soil leaves ect.

 

[Part Timer]

I have seen quite abit about side inlet,i dont mind spending if it makes life easier.But i would be interested to know how much of a pain it is using the standard inlet ,Are we talking it clogs every minute or just once or twice a job?

More than enough to want you to put a side inlet on. It depends on how many you do. 

 

[mark5379]

So i am so conused as what to buy.

i can get the sky vac that has 1600watt motors

or the kiam vac that has 2 motors

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kiam-Gutter-Cleaning-System-KV60-Wet-Dry-Vacuum-Cleaner-36ft-10-8m-Pole-Kit/351839847264?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D20160323102634%26meid%3D2167fc9c34f94622822e103a4f449d53%26pid%3D100623%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D121985219728%26itm%3D351839847264&_trksid=p2047675.c100623.m-1

What would be the advantage of having that extra power

both are very similar in price

would it be worth going for the one with more power from a lesser known company

 

[Part Timer]

I think @Incheckhas the small Sky Vac, he might be able to tell you what it's like.

 

[THL4KEL]

More power = more lift. 

But dont base it on wattage, airflow and water lift are very important.

Sometimes hard finding out those stats for the cheap Chinese brands. 

 

[Incheck]

The skyvac atom was our starter vac mate and its a brilliant piece of kit. 4/5 stars for me. It got us by for 4 & a half years. It’s very light and maneuverable which makes it great for PITA properties, tight alleyways, you can take it up on flat roofs, you can lift it with one hand whereas larger vacs take a lot of wheeling and any deep steps you come up against are a real pain with bigger vacs. Houses on steep slopes are also no good for ladders. 

As with everything though you sacrifice one thing for another. The suction power is limited, it will deal with moss and mud but any big grass tufts it will struggle. 

Any properties with overhanging trees should be done off a ladder anyway as twigs and branches will block even the bigger vacs. Pro gutter tools and a harris pole work great in most cases.

the more tools you have in your arsenal the better off you will be, never get rid of your old tools you never know when you might need them. I kept the skyvac atom for nightmare properties where a larger vac is too big for the available access. It still saves our bacon every now and again.

as for front entry, dont even worry about it, just unblock it. Done easily by hand. Pull the hose off stick your fingers in happy days. Flush poles and hoses through with warm water and clean the filter regularly and dry it out, a dry filter works better than a wet one. 

Also carry drain rods to unblock the hose or pipes if you get builders rubble blocking the pipe.

hope this helps dude 

 

[mark5379]

Yep big help,Skyvac it is then.Thanks so much to everyone that helped.

Just purchased it off amazon at a great price with 10.5 m poles