Gutter vacuum

[PC]

I think I’m down to the phantom or the predator.
I know Ched has a phantom I think so your thoughts would be good mate. Or anyone else who has had one or currently has a phantom.
I’ve looked at the pros and the cons.
Looks like the predator is the beast to go for if you do loads of gutter work.
However I’m mainly going to be using mine on domestic properties. Probably 3 storey max.
Also the predator would need a hefty genny and getting it in and out of the van is an issue.
I see the phantom can be run off a genny that is about 20kg so easily manageable getting in and out of the van.
My questions are -
Does the phantom cope with most things?
Would it manage easily up to 3 storeys?
What are the cons of it? Ie what does it struggle with? If anything?
Would it be best to go for the clamped poles?
I’ve searched the internet and the search bar on here so I’m really looking for first hand experience.
Thanks in advance

 

[ched999uk]

I can only speak of my limited experience with the Panther. I have a 2019 peugeot partner with a 400lts tank, ro/di/booster, a pure freedom elec reel and some racking which doesn't leave me much space for a gutter vac. I bought the 40ft of ali poles as each pole is shorter than the carbon ones and they just fit between the bulkhead and the tank widthways - the carbon are longer and wouldn't fit there. The Panther then goes in up against the booster pump box leaving just enough space between it and the rear doors for the Atom Geny (I think GVS now sell their own branded geny, which has some nice features). So with the geny and a fuel can it all fits quite tightly.

As for using the vac I have found it good, although I don't have anything to compare it to. I used it yesterday on a job that had quite a bit of weed growth and it took a bit of 'chomping' at the clumps to break them up but it did remove them, I think with a more powerful vac it would have been quicker on those bits but having to lug a bigger geny in and out of the van and around the property would probably have taken the same amount of time.
It is powerful enough to be able to pick up the bits of mortar from ridge tiles that falls into the gutters.

I do use an action camera AKASO V50 Elite with gvs camera and phone mount - I use my old rugged phone to view. I find that it works quite well although sometimes it's difficult to see black dirt against black gutters. I like to take before and after video and screen shot it to send with quotes and then save the after video so I can show I have done the job if required.

I think that I made the money back on all the kit within about 6 weeks when I bought it last August.

For me it fits in my van and anything bigger wouldn't so I didn't have much choice. I don't really do commercial stuff - bar a few shops and a factory - it's not really an area that I have market to. We do have lots of 3 story Victorian properties round here plus lots of companies charging silly low prices - detached £60, 3 story £80. So I tend to only really market to my existing customers.

I do have a big gutter empty (lots of weeds) and gsf clean to do in a couple of weeks that will be quite a challenge for both the Panther and me but I think we will be fine.

A couple of things you have probably already worked out:
If there are lots of bits of mortar from ridge tiles in the gutters, they are a right pain to suck out as each one has to be sucked onto the nozzle then swung to a safe location to then either remove the cuff or stop the vac. This all takes a lot of time - I did 2 neighbours who had same roofer re do the ridge tiles and I think he left every bit of the old mortar in the gutters!!!! Took me a whole day!
If you see weeds and cables in the gutters this again will take lots more time than you think.

 

[PC]

Thanks for that buddy. Appreciate the in depth reply.
How do you find the Ali poles? I noticed they are quite a bit cheaper than the carbon ones

 

[ched999uk]

Thanks for that buddy. Appreciate the in depth reply.
How do you find the Ali poles? I noticed they are quite a bit cheaper than the carbon ones

I've only used the ali and find them ok, they do get cold with the air rushing down them especially when it's wet dirt coming down. If I were doing lots of gutter emptying every day or lots of 3+ story then I would go carbon but for the odd one of 2 a week ali is fine for me.

 

[PC]

Thanks for that mate

 

[Scrubsy]

I can't comment on the GVS vavuums, but I have used both aluminium and carbon poles. I much prefer the carbon poles, but they do need more care after using. The aluminium are very robust. My friend has a couple of lads who work with him sometimes and he uses aluminium as they get chucked about quite a bit.

 

[spruce]

I can only speak of my limited experience with the Panther. I have a 2019 peugeot partner with a 400lts tank, ro/di/booster, a pure freedom elec reel and some racking which doesn't leave me much space for a gutter vac. I bought the 40ft of ali poles as each pole is shorter than the carbon ones and they just fit between the bulkhead and the tank widthways - the carbon are longer and wouldn't fit there. The Panther then goes in up against the booster pump box leaving just enough space between it and the rear doors for the Atom Geny (I think GVS now sell their own branded geny, which has some nice features). So with the geny and a fuel can it all fits quite tightly.

As for using the vac I have found it good, although I don't have anything to compare it to. I used it yesterday on a job that had quite a bit of weed growth and it took a bit of 'chomping' at the clumps to break them up but it did remove them, I think with a more powerful vac it would have been quicker on those bits but having to lug a bigger geny in and out of the van and around the property would probably have taken the same amount of time.
It is powerful enough to be able to pick up the bits of mortar from ridge tiles that falls into the gutters.

I do use an action camera AKASO V50 Elite with gvs camera and phone mount - I use my old rugged phone to view. I find that it works quite well although sometimes it's difficult to see black dirt against black gutters. I like to take before and after video and screen shot it to send with quotes and then save the after video so I can show I have done the job if required.

I think that I made the money back on all the kit within about 6 weeks when I bought it last August.

For me it fits in my van and anything bigger wouldn't so I didn't have much choice. I don't really do commercial stuff - bar a few shops and a factory - it's not really an area that I have market to. We do have lots of 3 story Victorian properties round here plus lots of companies charging silly low prices - detached £60, 3 story £80. So I tend to only really market to my existing customers.

I do have a big gutter empty (lots of weeds) and gsf clean to do in a couple of weeks that will be quite a challenge for both the Panther and me but I think we will be fine.

A couple of things you have probably already worked out:
If there are lots of bits of mortar from ridge tiles in the gutters, they are a right pain to suck out as each one has to be sucked onto the nozzle then swung to a safe location to then either remove the cuff or stop the vac. This all takes a lot of time - I did 2 neighbours who had same roofer re do the ridge tiles and I think he left every bit of the old mortar in the gutters!!!! Took me a whole day!
If you see weeds and cables in the gutters this again will take lots more time than you think.

I watched a gutter clearance company arrive at a house across the road from where I was working. They advertise they only clear gutters. The first thing he did was to fit his camera onto a pole and did an inspection of the gutters before quoting. This I think is a good start, because you can also get an idea of what you are up against.

In our part of the world, we seem to have roofers who love to put the gutters right up against the roof tiles and/or overhang the roof tiles well into the gutters. This doesn't make clearing them easy. When the gutters are round, that's normally an indication that we have to get the ladders off the van and clear them by hand, as the gap is too small to get equipment nozzles into. I hate gutter clearing and will only consider it for our customers. They always take longer than you think they will.

If you are working on your own, you need a camera and monitor. Our camera fits on top of the pole and the monitor on the base of the pole so we can view as we clean. I only clear gutters when my lad is with me as it can be a hassle moving all the equipment moving from say the back upstairs gutters to the front gutters.

Our carbon fibre poles push fit into each other and are held in place with spring clips. Once a dirty pole has been disassembled, the dirt stops it from being reassembled. So we start with the highest gutters and work down, which means moving the equipment around much more.

We have 4 more gutter clears to be done this year and one booked in for Spring next year; if the elderly customer with cancer is still with us. This equally applies to me as well, as I might not be here next spring either.
We have been inundated with gutter clears and fascia cleans this summer from our customers. I won't offer the service for non-customers.

The other issue is equipment clean-up after completion. I try to flush the poles and hose out at the customer's house, but the vac and foam filter needs detailed cleaning and drying. A proper clean at home after the job can take 40 minutes because I also give the poles and hose another flush out on the front lawn. This time needs to be included in the price.

I have seriously thought of stopping gutter clears. There are so many window cleaners around, and most refuse to offer that service now in our area.

 

[PC]

Morning Spruce
You’ve really given me something to think about there. I’ve cleared out gutters by hand for decades but stopped doing them as I don’t want to use ladders anymore. (Hence the gutter vac). However I’m full with window cleaning now and my aim was to just stay as I am with just me to think about. For all the obvious reasons.
But I’ve been thinking about the next few years and when I will be winding down so have been toying with the idea of taking someone on. So that I can slowly wind down on the tools yet keep an income coming in.
Yes I’m aware of the many pitfalls and stresses etc of employing and know it is full of all kinds of hurdles etc.
To take someone on I was thinking of doing a big Royal Mail leaflet drop with windows and gutters on it. I’m pretty sure that I would get enough gutter enquiries to help with the wages of the new person whilst the windows keeps growing. Not much competition where I am.
As always real life experiences on this forum are invaluable. So thank you

 

[Scrubsy]

I watched a gutter clearance company arrive at a house across the road from where I was working. They advertise they only clear gutters. The first thing he did was to fit his camera onto a pole and did an inspection of the gutters before quoting. This I think is a good start, because you can also get an idea of what you are up against.

In our part of the world, we seem to have roofers who love to put the gutters right up against the roof tiles and/or overhang the roof tiles well into the gutters. This doesn't make clearing them easy. When the gutters are round, that's normally an indication that we have to get the ladders off the van and clear them by hand, as the gap is too small to get equipment nozzles into. I hate gutter clearing and will only consider it for our customers. They always take longer than you think they will.

If you are working on your own, you need a camera and monitor. Our camera fits on top of the pole and the monitor on the base of the pole so we can view as we clean. I only clear gutters when my lad is with me as it can be a hassle moving all the equipment moving from say the back upstairs gutters to the front gutters.

Our carbon fibre poles push fit into each other and are held in place with spring clips. Once a dirty pole has been disassembled, the dirt stops it from being reassembled. So we start with the highest gutters and work down, which means moving the equipment around much more.

We have 4 more gutter clears to be done this year and one booked in for Spring next year; if the elderly customer with cancer is still with us. This equally applies to me as well, as I might not be here next spring either.
We have been inundated with gutter clears and fascia cleans this summer from our customers. I won't offer the service for non-customers.

The other issue is equipment clean-up after completion. I try to flush the poles and hose out at the customer's house, but the vac and foam filter needs detailed cleaning and drying. A proper clean at home after the job can take 40 minutes because I also give the poles and hose another flush out on the front lawn. This time needs to be included in the price.

I have seriously thought of stopping gutter clears. There are so many window cleaners around, and most refuse to offer that service now in our area.

Absolutely fantastic advice