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Different Design Solutions for Clearing Clogged Gutters

The wide variety of approaches indicates no one has cracked the problem yet

By Rain Noe - October 16, 2018

in Object Culture

Experimental design evolution is a fun thing to watch. I'm talking about that early stage, when multiple unrelated parties are all trying to solve the same problem--but taking wildly different approaches, ranging from clever to cockamamie.

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One such problem, I've discovered, is how to clean debris out of a high gutter without getting on a ladder. The house I'm now living in (photo below) has a clogged gutter that is three stories off of the ground, and roof access is impossible/impractical. And even if I had the money to rent a cherry picker, the area is fenced in, preventing truck access.

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I began searching for tools or DIY solutions to cleaning high gutters, and was surprised at the diversity of what I found.

Reasoning that many homeowners already have leaf blowers, several companies have designed ways to transmit forced air from your position on the ground up to the gutter. The Worx Gutter Cleaning Kit takes this tack and uses a series of rigid plastic pipes:

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A slightly different approach is taken by the Gutter Viper, which uses a flexible hose, with rigidity provided by a lightweight pool-cleaning pole:

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The EZ Smart Gutter Cleaner is pretty different--they place the blower and motor up on top of the pole:

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The Gardus/Vertalok Gutter Cleaning System forgoes forced air altogether, and instead employs a cordless drill and a series of paddles:

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For those who own pressure washers, lots of companies offer attachments like this:

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iRobot's Looj aims to automate the task, assuming you can get up to the gutter in the first place:

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Lastly, I found this endearing video of a variety of DIY techniques. The fellow's accent is a bit thick and hard to understand at points, but he's got some great ideas--the camera-and-gravity trick is particularly brilliant:

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In any case, the plethora of solutions on offer indicates that no one has really cracked this problem yet. Or at the very least, there's no one-size-fits-all solution.

None of these solutions seems quite right for me. From my second-story porch I can reach up to the gutter with a short length of pole, though the positioning will be awkward; I'll have to devise something with an S-shape at the end. If I can design something clever I'll keep you posted, and if any of you have suggestions, I'm all ears.

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Garrett McAlister

6 years ago

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Sorry meant to post a picture
https://skyvacusa.com/

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Garrett McAlister

6 years ago

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Please take a moment and look at SkyVac. We are the worldwide leader in gutter vacuum systems. We mainly work with all the professionals; however, we also offer a DIY homeowner system called the SkyVac Atom. It can handle your project no problem, plus very little to no cleanup and no water.

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Brad Johnson

6 years ago

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I think you'll figure it out! My gutters don't get many leaves, but do get dust/dirt as it is very windy so I hook my tubing extension up to the shop vac instead of a blower.

One thing you will want to add is a downspout screen. I would say to screen the whole gutter and be done with it, but you would definitely need a cherry picker, or at least as extension ladder and a roofers safety harness.

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Andrew Roberson

6 years ago

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I got a good laugh out of this commercial... but instead of insurance I actually bought the toro blower attachment. Its easy to use and I imagine you could safely blow the gutter from the top balcony by directing the nozzle. Plus, it is weirdly satisfying to blow out the gutters.

https://www.toro.com/en/homeowner/yard-tools/gutter-cleaner-51667

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