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What do you use them on?

Green Pro Clean Ltd

Well-known member
Messages
8,103
Location
Nottingham & Derbyshire
This is a serious question. Many of you lads have got a Vac and I understand that they serve a purpose. However for domestic cleaning I find that the tiles are often too close to the gutter to be able to use a gutter vac to successfully. I can see the benefit to using one on Commercial work where you have much wider deeper channels and can get the vac in easily but not for domestic work. I still find personally it's easier to climb a ladder and use pro gutter tools to empty them by hand. Please correct me if you think otherwise.

 
This is a serious question. Many of you lads have got a Vac and I understand that they serve a purpose. However for domestic cleaning I find that the tiles are often too close to the gutter to be able to use a gutter vac to successfully. I can see the benefit to using one on Commercial work where you have much wider deeper channels and can get the vac in easily but not for domestic work. I still find personally it's easier to climb a ladder and use pro gutter tools to empty them by hand. Please correct me if you think otherwise.
I see this almost weekly myself and always wondered how people get there gutter vac in there successfully I can barely get a hand in some I have done lol ...... Pro gutter tools and ladder for me

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I'm sure it is easier to just get up and use the pro gutter tools but I bought a reducer for the end of my vac,can't remember the size of it at the min.haven't had to use it yet though.I'm not great with heights so prefer to be on the ground.saying that,I do get up the ladder if the weeds are massive and get the worst of it before running the vac through but people like to see a machine running that can justify the price of the work.

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I have used the vac for some time, i find it useful for areas where there is very limited ladder access, particularly uneven ground, driveways that slope steeply downwards, front gardens with lots of bushes, narrow alleys which are tight to the neighbors etc. also loft annex windows (the gutters on those)

However i have just invested in pro-gutter tools and used them on two jobs, one being this morning and it made the Vac redundant (i didn’t even get it out of the van) the gutters were the old steel type or cast iron, odd shaped with overhanging tiles (could well of been asbestos but lets just say it was old) the miniflow tool on a harris pole did just the trick. What great tools they are.

However. The obvious risk of being up a ladder in the first place is off putting to many, particularly solo operators. So, as with wfp against trad, having a vac simply provides comfort and reassurance.

Also, if there is decking (no way would i put a ladder up on wet decking) also the back of terraces (if you dare) a vac is often the only practical option.

The more tools i have at our disposal the more confident i feel.

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This is a serious question. Many of you lads have got a Vac and I understand that they serve a purpose. However for domestic cleaning I find that the tiles are often too close to the gutter to be able to use a gutter vac to successfully. I can see the benefit to using one on Commercial work where you have much wider deeper channels and can get the vac in easily but not for domestic work. I still find personally it's easier to climb a ladder and use pro gutter tools to empty them by hand. Please correct me if you think otherwise.
Skyvac have a very thin wide tool that is skinny enough to get in the gap that the usual tool doesn't get through. I've said countless times a 2 man team with pro gutter tools is quicker than a vac.

 
I've made my own reduced end pipe for my vac.
Basically it's a old 50mm alloy scaffolding pole cut down to about 300mm long then squizzed the 1 end in a vice to about 10 - 20mm ( about finger thicknesses ) then back 150mm .
You also should be checking before you quote on the job . As I've learned in the early days you turn up at the job thinking Nice easy hour !!
£80 Thanks very much!!
Then you can't get in the guttering with the Efing vac!!!!
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Sometimes the gutters are too big and the vac doesn't handle the volume.
We even have this problem on residential occasionally. Last month we emptied the vac 5 or 6 times on a large bungalow. There was so much moss in there it was quite unbelievable, so dread to think what the big box gutters can be like, thankfully i don’t do commercial!


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I think @Part Timer response is bang on.   I don't really get involved with guttering and have tried to avoid it to a degree and I am also a well voiced advocate against ladder work as I dread hearing the news of another window cleaner comes off his ladder.  

At the end of last month we were ahead of schedule with a good few days lull in the month and staff twiddling thumbs on my time so I put a text out to the existing client base and got a weeks worth of gutter jobs come in overnight.    With the exception of all but 1 (a 3 story job) all could be done safely enough from ladder with pro-gutter tools so we had a nice strong finish to the month. 

Whilst I try to avoid add on services gutter cleaning and conservatory cleaning are two jobs that Joe public seems to have down as tasks the window cleaners deal with and of course I am never against (safely) earning some extra coin.  

Looking at other threads the prices you lads are discussing for gutter vacs seems almost bonkers unless you have a company that specializes in just gutters or you have a big existing base of commercial gutter cleaning jobs regularly to claw back the investment.  

I think for now I will stick to the old ladder and drilling holes in customers houses to tie it off!  ?  Thanks for the input though guys.  

 
We even have this problem on residential occasionally. Last month we emptied the vac 5 or 6 times on a large bungalow. There was so much moss in there it was quite unbelievable, so dread to think what the big box gutters can be like, thankfully i don’t do commercial!


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I've just done one with 6 inch deep box section, a very uneven steel fabricated roof with very sharp edges, steel straps every 2 feet or so that were full of very wet sycamore leaves. Every time the vac went in the volume, and size of leaf, blocked the vac. Only way to do it was off a ladder and a small headed brush. Took us 3 hours but pays £350 

 
I've just done one with 6 inch deep box section, a very uneven steel fabricated roof with very sharp edges, steel straps every 2 feet or so that were full of very wet sycamore leaves. Every time the vac went in the volume, and size of leaf, blocked the vac. Only way to do it was off a ladder and a small headed brush. Took us 3 hours but pays £350 
The house took us 2 and a half hours this morning [emoji23] very poor access. So you’re on the money!



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I think [mention=2712]Part Timer[/mention] response is bang on.   I don't really get involved with guttering and have tried to avoid it to a degree and I am also a well voiced advocate against ladder work as I dread hearing the news of another window cleaner comes off his ladder.  
 
At the end of last month we were ahead of schedule with a good few days lull in the month and staff twiddling thumbs on my time so I put a text out to the existing client base and got a weeks worth of gutter jobs come in overnight.    With the exception of all but 1 (a 3 story job) all could be done safely enough from ladder with pro-gutter tools so we had a nice strong finish to the month. 
 
Whilst I try to avoid add on services gutter cleaning and conservatory cleaning are two jobs that Joe public seems to have down as tasks the window cleaners deal with and of course I am never against (safely) earning some extra coin.  
 
Looking at other threads the prices you lads are discussing for gutter vacs seems almost bonkers unless you have a company that specializes in just gutters or you have a big existing base of commercial gutter cleaning jobs regularly to claw back the investment.  
 
I think for now I will stick to the old ladder and drilling holes in customers houses to tie it off!  [emoji846]  Thanks for the input though guys.  



I think [mention=2712]Part Timer[/mention] response is bang on.   I don't really get involved with guttering and have tried to avoid it to a degree and I am also a well voiced advocate against ladder work as I dread hearing the news of another window cleaner comes off his ladder.  
 
At the end of last month we were ahead of schedule with a good few days lull in the month and staff twiddling thumbs on my time so I put a text out to the existing client base and got a weeks worth of gutter jobs come in overnight.    With the exception of all but 1 (a 3 story job) all could be done safely enough from ladder with pro-gutter tools so we had a nice strong finish to the month. 
 
Whilst I try to avoid add on services gutter cleaning and conservatory cleaning are two jobs that Joe public seems to have down as tasks the window cleaners deal with and of course I am never against (safely) earning some extra coin.  
 
Looking at other threads the prices you lads are discussing for gutter vacs seems almost bonkers unless you have a company that specializes in just gutters or you have a big existing base of commercial gutter cleaning jobs regularly to claw back the investment.  
 
I think for now I will stick to the old ladder and drilling holes in customers houses to tie it off!  [emoji846]  Thanks for the input though guys.  
Yeah the investment is significant for a residential only outfit like ours. I want to get the industrial so that i can be more confident against big turfs out of ladder reach but £2700 isn’t exactly money you pull out of your pocket without having a good long think about it. Considering i’ve turned down 6 ish jobs in 4 years, (mainly blocks of 3 storey flats) which isn’t reaaally in the general realm of residential anyway, then i’ve still turned down less than the cost of a vac


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Looking at other threads the prices you lads are discussing for gutter vacs seems almost bonkers
I said in a previous post that spending circa £3k for a top of the range vac should only be done with those that are turning, minimum, £10k a year on clearing gutters. I bought a brand spanker in October, after humming and harring for many months. Did some jobs in Cambridge over 4 days last month  that grossed £3200 so for me it's a no brainer. Wouldn't fancy trying to get that back doing houses at say £80 a go.

 
Sometimes I work my way across the gutter at 52mm a time. The pole has to go up and down repeatedly for each 52mm. So long as the vac grabs it I don't mind. Always worth soaking the gutter while your working on tough sections though. 

 
I bought a vac and made my money back easily. I don't shout about the fact I clean gutters though. It's a pain in the ar5e. The end of the vac gets blocked every ten seconds and working alone its a ball ache to safely lower the pole down and unblock it. Then you get home and you've got to clean it out. I'm glad I have it to use so when a new customer asks for the full deal with gutters fascia soffit and gutter clearance I can make a good few quid.

The thin nozzle gets into most gaps but it there are some weeds growing in the corner of a gutter they often struggle. Mine came with a weed hook but it takes ages. Before I changed vans it was always tempting to whip the ladder off and get at it by hand.

I don't really understand how cleaning from a ladder can be faster, surely you need to reposition the ladder several times?

 
I bought a vac and made my money back easily. I don't shout about the fact I clean gutters though. It's a pain in the ar5e. The end of the vac gets blocked every ten seconds and working alone its a ball ache to safely lower the pole down and unblock it. Then you get home and you've got to clean it out. I'm glad I have it to use so when a new customer asks for the full deal with gutters fascia soffit and gutter clearance I can make a good few quid.
 
The thin nozzle gets into most gaps but it there are some weeds growing in the corner of a gutter they often struggle. Mine came with a weed hook but it takes ages. Before I changed vans it was always tempting to whip the ladder off and get at it by hand.
 
I don't really understand how cleaning from a ladder can be faster, surely you need to reposition the ladder several times?
You’d be surprised fella, with a 5m harris pole you barely need to move the ladder. What vac have you got out of interest?


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You’d be surprised fella, with a 5m harris pole you barely need to move the ladder. What vac have you got out of interest?
 
I got the 1800w package from Gutter cleaning systems. I went with the carbon composite poles and one splintered under no pressure. I know a 3000w version would make a difference and I can pick one up for £200 but I'm toying with the idea of going full retard and buying a 2 grand system ?

On a side note I can't believe ''retard'' isn't starred out but ''cr4p'' is ?

 
I think that the secret is in a good survey when quoting if you put up the camera it’s easy to see what’s in the gutter full to the brim or just bits and bobs and a blocked down pipe , it will also let you see if you can actually get the vac in the gutter or not , again maybe different areas in the country have more problems with tile over hang , we do gutter clearance jobs up to 250 miles away from home so it’s important to make sure that you can do the job with out issues , I agree with part timer about the costing we do afair bit more money wise as we have maintenance contracts with some big companies and management companies, I would say we get the ladder off one job in twenty that’s allowing for jobs where you struggle to get your fingers in the gutter let alone the vac , if something looks like it’s going to be a pain I double the price just in case , we have been called in by other cleaners that have tried to do certain jobs and failed , I have looked at a Victorian two storey house today with a very old orangery about 30 meters long on the back of the house gutters are full to the top grass about 12 inches high there window cleaner quoted £60 to empty 120 meters of gutter he managed 5 meters and gave up , he asked me if we could do it I went and had a look and laughed when he said what he had quoted them I told him he left a 0 off the price , , I priced it at £600 we will have to Waite and see if we get the job or not but some people haven’t got a clue about the job they are looking at . I know many don’t think vacs are very good for gutter clearance , again I think it’s down to the vac and technique of how you use it  it comes down to experience in all my years of cleaning gutters I have only admitted defeat once and that was on a very narrow cast iron down pipe that was blocked for 10 feet with soil and roots in , it was solid cast with the s bend cast into the pipe I evan tried the pressurewasher  to no avail , Ime not saying that a vac will do everything it won’t but by accurate quoting 99% of the time you should be able to do the job 

 
I got the 1800w package from Gutter cleaning systems. I went with the carbon composite poles and one splintered under no pressure. I know a 3000w version would make a difference and I can pick one up for £200 but I'm toying with the idea of going full retard and buying a 2 grand system [emoji23]
On a side note I can't believe ''retard'' isn't starred out but ''cr4p'' is [emoji23]
I’ve got by with a 1600w atom for four years so i’m sure yours will be adequate [emoji106]
The shed can grow in time, you’ve only recently started. We are in to our 5th year now and still growing year on year



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