Leaf blowers

I'm trying to justify buying the Stihl 600 backpack blower. Thought I'd save by cleaning my own gutters twice a year, by getting the gutter attachment. They don't make a gutter cleaning tool for backback blowers. Went on YouTube, seen someone made one for a single story out of 4" sewer pipe. I'd like to do a 2 story home.

At the dealer, they told me to buy a handheld Stihl, then get the gutter attachments.

I really want to spoil myself with the 600. Any suggestions on how to make a functional attachment, which won't fly apart when hooked up to a backpack blower?

Help!

Reply to
Eddie
Loading thread data ...

You need it. it is that simple.

Mine is made from 3" PVC that is screwed to a shopvac gutter cleaner. I've adapted it to hook onto my Stihl handheld.

Couple sheetmetal screws in the joints will do it.

I don't own a backpack blower- but a decent one will move twice the leaves a handheld will [and wet ones, too]. If you can afford it, go for it. The whole idea is to make life easier. Make it as easy as you can.

Jim

Reply to
Jim Elbrecht

Gutters might get me to buy a leaf blower. I always crawl around up there and scoop them out by hand. Hate it. Always seems there's muck there too, which I throw on the lawn. Seems I've done it mostly after a backup. Takes along time for leaves to dry in a gutter. So watch for that and try to do it when it's dry as possible so you don't get muck splatter. My gutters are only about 10' off the ground, so I'd rig a piece of 2" or 2 1/2" PVC with a gooseneck made of a 90 and a 45 . Attach to the blower with a flex hose/clamps. For a 2-story that PVC pipe could be hard to handle. My first thought was a light 20' painter's pole with flex hose strapped to it, but that's expensive and still hard to handle. So I'll go Rube Goldberg. Go with a long PVC setup, but fabricate an aluminum frame at the end with a light plastic wheel that let's you roll it along the roof. If you want to get fancy, add a light plastic V-wheel that runs on the gutter rim to keep distance. Might have to jump it past gutter straps/brackets. Everything cheap and easy except putting it together right. Envy of the neighborhood maybe.

--Vic

Reply to
Vic Smith

If you are planning to stand on the ground, then you need a long blower extension to reach the second floor. At the end of the extension, you need an elbow to curve the air into the gutter. This is going to put a strong side force on the extension, making it very hard to control, even if you have powerful upper body strength.

If you are near the ground of a single-story building (ranch house), your shoulders might be only four feet below the gutter (standing on a lower rung of a step ladder). Add nine feet for a second story, and now you are 13 feet below the gutter. The side forces will be 13/4 = 3.25 times higher. This is due to the change in direction of air flow alone. The higher air speed from the backpack style worsens the situation.

I've ignored the weight of the extension itself. Even with the blower off, you have to consider wrestling with the weight of the extension.

Lowes (and others) offer water wands for the end of a garden hose. Even they are hard to control.

formatting link
To avoid the whole situation, consider gutter covers. Cheaper and safer.

R1

Reply to
Rebel1

-snip-

Make your life easy. This is where I started-

formatting link
Then I got a Stihl blower and pumped it up a bit. Some of my gutters are 25' off the ground so I've got a 10' piece of PVC, several sections of vac tubing and a 10' piece of flex hose that gets hose clamped to the blower.

-snip-

Actually not bad. Once it is up there, the blowing takes the weight off the operator. I *have* lost control a couple times, but it isn't un-recoverable.

I tried that at first. The PVC is easier. [mine happens to be schedule 40-- lighter might be better.]

IMO- way too complicated. a fairly able-bodied guy can handle 15' of plastic pipe - especially after the blower supports the business end.

Jim

Reply to
Jim Elbrecht

I tried that once, with an electric blower.

What's the point, all that stuff comes out of the gutter and lands right on you.

With my backpack blower, I climb up on the roof and blow out the gutters from above. No attachments.

Reply to
despen

On 10/10/2011 8:45 PM, Rebel1 wrote: (snip)

formatting link

Before my inner ears told me to stop doing that, I used to clean single-story gutters by scooting along on my butt from above, and scooping the crud out by hand. Tried a garden hose a few times, with less than great results. (old galvanized gutter with seams every six feet.) On this house, I walk the roof and use an electric leaf blower, held in one extended arm, but I don't feel real comfortable doing it. Good thing these are continuous gutters, very slick on the inside.

Reply to
aemeijers

Thanks. Never even thought of vacuuming. I've got a hang-up shop vac, 3hp with 1 1/2" hose. Should do, with the right length PVC and gooseneck. Luckily I don't too many leaves since I had the big maple next to the house cut down. Not due to the leaves, but because it was over my sewer tiles. Saw this when searching for vacuum gutter attachments.

formatting link
good ideas.

--Vic

Reply to
Vic Smith

No-- Don't suck-- blow!!! Sucking will just keep clogging up, IMO. They blow better when dry- and twice a year makes it a job that takes longer to set up than accomplish.

Jim

Reply to
Jim Elbrecht

I never get dirty when I do mine-- and they are 20-25' up, on a roof with about 12/12 pitch. You won't be walking mine- especially with a backpack blower strapped on.

I pay attention to which way the wind is blowing and save the highest point for last. For most of the roof I'm standing 5-10 feet away from directly below the 'action point.

That would work for my porch roof-- but why get the ladder out when I don't need it.

Jim

Reply to
Jim Elbrecht

If I tried blowing my gutters, I'd spray mud and rotting debris all over my house, cars and probably the neighbor's house.

I live in an area with a lot of trees and have to clean my gutters at least 3 times a year - 2 story colonial, almost 3 in the back, fully extended 28' ladder required.

There's *always* gunk in the gutters due to rain rotting the seed pods and other vegetation that lands in the gutter. I'd be doing them weekly if I tried to blow them out before the stuff rotted.

For me, it's up the ladder wearing a homemade belt with hooks to hold a 5 gallon bucket. I have a hook on each side so I can reach as far as I can to the left then switch the bucket to the right side and reach as far as I can to the right. Then it's down the ladder, dump the bucket, move the ladder and back up again.

Maybe I need to invent some sort of "auger system" that continuously spins and moves the debris up and out of the gutters. Of course, the ice melt wires might get a little tangled...

Reply to
DerbyDad03

On 10/11/2011 8:05 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote: ...

Saw one such robot on a local TV news "Does It Work?" segment within the last year...basically, it was a rotary brush on wheels w/ the same problems as mentioned above of throwing trash everywhere.

Solved the problem here by not having gutters. :)

Reply to
dpb

formatting link

Think I'm going to give your idea a try. I have a generic hand held, I'll start with that. Still trying to justify that Stihl 600! Making life easier is what I need at this point in life.

Reply to
Eddie

think gutter helmet, and other similiar products.

end gutter cleaning forever.

espically if the gunk that accumulates and rots can clog a underground line or drywell

Reply to
bob haller

...

...

Or, not so much...

Installations saw in TN/VA failed miserably on maple helicopters and various pines (still got thru into gutters) or tended to simply cover over the top and not wash over thereby rendering gutters nonfunctional (oaks, primarily, other large leafed species to a lesser degree).

There it rained enough that gutters did have a reason to be; here, not so much an issue so many just forego them entirely. Of course, nothing like the variety and sizes in the way of trees, either.

--

Reply to
dpb

I also like to clean my own gutters with a leaf blower but I would never take a gas powered tool of any sort onto my roof. I would be afraid that any gas leakage would destroy the asphalt shingles.

Reply to
Reno

I have yet to hear of a gutter covering product that both:

1 - Work well when maple tree "helicopters" and pine needles are part of the debris 2 - Work at all when ice melt wires are required

Please, no comments about about reinsulating the attic to eliminate the ice dams, etc. There is more to that particular issue than I care to get into.

Once every couple of years a little bit of quality time with a 3/4" power snake clears the roots and debris from my underground pipes.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.