Black Gutter Guard (Hedgehog)

Hi guys... can anybody give there view's on, Hedgehog gutter guards, I fitted them to my own gutter's after I cleaned them

that was a couple of years ago checked them out last summer all secure & very little grit on base of gutter had no need to

re-clean said guttering back/front, I would think for my own property lift-out & clean 4/5 years thereof, my roof is fairly with

moss clumps so now have to sweep-up front/back mono-blocked area's more regular. Hope to get roof/scrapper as seen

on Utube. Always interested in your  view's.

Arthur Connal said:

Hi guys... can anybody give there view's on, Hedgehog gutter guards, I fitted them to my own gutter's after I cleaned them

that was a couple of years ago checked them out last summer all secure & very little grit on base of gutter had no need to

re-clean said guttering back/front, I would think for my own property lift-out & clean 4/5 years thereof, my roof is fairly with

moss clumps so now have to sweep-up front/back mono-blocked area's more regular. Hope to get roof/scrapper as seen

on Utube. Always interested in your  view's.

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Check out Ashley Mackintosh's YouTube channel AE Mackintosh 

I do believe he did a full review and personally uses the Marshaltown scraper set which are claimed to be the most comprehensive set of various profile and attachments which fit the gutter vac tubes 

Cheer's APW,I have seen that one and that was the one I'm thinking of getting. Thanks mate.

Arthur Connal said:

Cheer's APW,I have seen that one and that was the one I'm thinking of getting. Thanks mate.

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You're welcome mate. Kind regards Austin 

My personal opinion is gutter hedgehogs are rubbish and cause more problems than they are worth , we remove hundreds of meters of them each year , we find that they hold moss and this then holds water seeds land on the moss and grow very quickly causing a right mess you cannot vac out the dirt so they have to be removed all the grass roots grow through all the plastic spines and the lot needs to be thrown away it’s far easier to let the dirt accumulate in the gutter then vac it out much easier and quicker . 

I tried to vac my first set of hedgehogs last week, circa 35' up. Found the moss well and truly attached to them, managed to remove some but not all of it. Probably a job I'll give up if they don't remove them.

Part Timer said:

I tried to vac my first set of hedgehogs last week, circa 35' up. Found the moss well and truly attached to them, managed to remove some but not all of it. Probably a job I'll give up if they don't remove them.

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We won’t evan attempt to vac gutters with them , we point out the issues to the customer and say we are happy to remove them but won’t attempt to vac them as we cannot get satisfactory results . The proble is when you lift them out the drip dirty water all over the white gutters so you have to rinse that all down so we charge a lot more for the job 

Pjj said:

The proble is when you lift them out the drip dirty water all over the white gutters so you have to rinse that all down so we charge a lot more for the job 

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These were black gutters and dry. Actually found you can get the thin tool under them but can't see what's under them. Told them before I did the job I couldn't guarantee the results. They are only in along one side, overhanging trees, and account for 20% of the total guttering. They're that pleased with the work I did, removed a massive plant, they want me to take out all of the hedgehogs from the car ports, clean them and put them back in. Must be about 200 metres of them  :1f633:

I see no purpose of those hedgehogs, all they do is block the whole gutter in the fullness of time. Folk will do anything to try and save a bob or two and in the end they need to be removed to clear the gutter.

Hi guy's I hope I haven't opened the proverbale "can of worms here" fully appreciate

your opinions on this topic hence the reason I ask? Soon as the better weather comes

in I'll be getting the ladders-out & shimming-up and checking "Mr hedgehog". Again many

thanks to all for there views... All copied. 

They’re a nightmare, the removal process is a mucky one, it all needs bagging up, the patio or path below will need sweeping & rinsing, as moss and mud will arrive on it, & the fascia whites will be stinking after removal, if its a warm day and dries on youve got a mare. Thankfully it was a very rainy day when i made the unfortunate discovery of them, helped a lot with the cleaning and rinsing process! Keep an eye out for them

If you can remove them up onto the roof and bag them there then it saves a lot of hassle.

In reply to the "Hedgehog" issue, it certainly sounds like a said nightmare, I think if

asked to clean/price Guttering my first question would be, are you "Hedgehoged".

This is one of my customers the hedgehog s have been in a few weeks I know from experience in a short space of time there will be grass a foot high as the seeds will blow on to the thing be constantly damp and grow very quickly ,the only way to get the grass out is to remove the hedgehog 

Last  autumn a customer borrowed a freinds ladder and proudly showed me his handiwork as he had fitted a hedgehog all round his semi i didn't have the heart to tell him they were rubbish last week I went round to clean his windows an their was a six foot hedgehog swinging wildly in the wind and he asked me to tame the beast by dragging it from the gutter with my SLX. This I duly did, I said "I bet you're glad it's down and rid of"..........     "no"...... he says ......."I'll borrow my freinds ladder and cable tie them in!"

I just got paid and went to my next job..........

I tell my customers who enquire about hedgehogs, that they are best left in the forest and should never be stuck in a gutter. ?

I would suggest it depends on your perspective imho

As a cleaner - so/so

Depending on local conditions (trees/leaf type/moss on roof etc) they will need removing and vigorous shake to clean,  pick out roots, moss clumps and replace. This is repeat business (~2-3yrs) which is positive but it's not very pleasant (just price accordingly) 

Since they work and prevent most debris entering the gutter - the custy will not need the gutter cleaned as regularly (previous typically annually) so may lose some annual repeat work.

As a customer - good thing

They prevent ~95% of leaves/moss from entering the gutter, any which settle on the guard are often blown off and onto the ground. As a result these greatly decrease the likelihood and frequency of any blockages (if maintained) which reduces the risk of blocked gutters causing damage. (some debris will rot down and fall into/below the guard over time)

Maintenance can be scheduled ahead so no need to wait for signs of issues which is often too late to avoid damage

They are more effective than the other grid/mesh type guards and are much easier to remove/replace.

You can prevent them being dislodged by using their clear plastic clips with slots on the gutter at the front and protrudes over the top of the guard - keeping it tight.

I received an email today regarding a gutter clear. I would need a very large ladder because its quite high up. After I clear and clean the pvc I have to clip Floplast gutter guards on top of gutter. I told them they would need to higher a scaffold because we are not allowed to work off a ladder! ?

Pjj said:

This is one of my customers the hedgehog s have been in a few weeks I know from experience in a short space of time there will be grass a foot high as the seeds will blow on to the thing be constantly damp and grow very quickly ,the only way to get the grass out is to remove the hedgehog 

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It's a one way trip when I get involved with it. I'll remove it but I won't replace the rubbish. Only exception is that I will sometimes plug a short length down into the top of downpipes as a very effective leaf stopper.

Infact I now carry leaf stoppers in the van and put them into downpipes that are prone to blocking, especially if I'm likely to be clearing the gutters again in future. Makes future jobs quicker and safer and they only cost £1.65 from Screwfix. I don't bother passing the tiny cost on to the customer. ?

I have 2 customers that i clean there leaf blocker from the downpipe each month. They are surrounded by 100 foot trees. I get the gutter clear every year or sometimes every 6 months. Just heard today about Gutter Guard that clips onto top of gutter, not sure how good they are.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/floplast-gutter-guards-100mm-black-10-pack/12515?tc=TB3&ds_kid=92700020972857483&gclsrc=aw.ds&ds_rl=1241687&ds_rl=1245250&ds_rl=1249404&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIlqaYhJLF5wIVybHtCh2SHQXhEAYYASABEgIPDfD_BwE

scottish cleaning service said:

I have 2 customers that i clean there leaf blocker from the downpipe each month. They are surrounded by 100 foot trees. I get the gutter clear every year or sometimes every 6 months. Just heard today about Gutter Guard that clips onto top of gutter, not sure how good they are.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/floplast-gutter-guards-100mm-black-10-pack/12515?tc=TB3&ds_kid=92700020972857483&gclsrc=aw.ds&ds_rl=1241687&ds_rl=1245250&ds_rl=1249404&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIlqaYhJLF5wIVybHtCh2SHQXhEAYYASABEgIPDfD_BwE

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I've come across this stuff on a few occasions and came to the same conclusion as with the hedgehog. Most of the leaves will blow off the top with strong breezes. But, the problem is that some of the leaves will break down and fall through to the inside of the gutter, as will dirt from the roof and plant seeds carried in the air. This will then grow grass and weeds and slow or block the water flow. Only remedy I've found is to remove the gutter guard. This usually means having to place the ladder at about 4 feet spacings.

After having to do that, I don't put it back.