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Green Building Bible, Fourth Edition
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Housing - Renovation: Gutter cleaning

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  1.  
    • CommentAuthorowlman
    • CommentTimeOct 17th 2017 edited
     
    I've just done a partial gutter clean and in one seldom visited leafy corner, not only was the gutter full but the downpipe too, I suppose you'd call it a "leafberg". :shamed:
    It got me thinking about the gutter brushes "hedgehog" type. They are about £13 for a 4M length, expense apart are they any good, anyone got experience?

    P.S. I bought some small metal baskets that now fit into the downpipe top
    •  
      CommentAuthordjh
    • CommentTimeOct 17th 2017
     
    I rolled up some plastic mesh that I had left over and stuffed it in the top of my downpipes so it projects above and stops the leaves going into the pipes.

    I made a hedghog from some 'brillo pad' plastic I had left over from my roof breather membrane. It worked well for a couple of years but has now started perishing. I'm not sure whether I'll buy anything different - they mostly seem overpriced. Again, meshing over the top of the gutter is another idea I've seen.
    • CommentAuthorborpin
    • CommentTimeOct 17th 2017 edited
     
    Do the downpipes go directly into the drain? I used Lindab gutter (simply fantastic and well worth the extra over plastic rubbish; but I digress) and they have a 'hopper' for the bottom which will catch anything washed down the down pipe. You still need to clear out the hopper but works well. http://www.lindab.com/uk/pro/products/pages/rt.aspx
    • CommentAuthortony
    • CommentTimeOct 18th 2017
     
    This is what i did, leaf extractor at bottom of bigger than usual downpipe with nice slow swans neck not like the silly plastic ones which are too sharp.

    https://www.dropbox.com/s/ig1u6736ituepx3/IMG_2931.JPG?dl=0
    • CommentAuthordelprado
    • CommentTimeOct 18th 2017
     
    So to confirm how that works the downpipe just runs into the open hopper and you just clean out the hopper every now and again, right?
  6.  
    From the photo the way I see this working is that leaves and water come down the pipe and the bars force the leaves to the front, washed out by the water and the water can go straight down the drain with an occasional cleaning of the drain in front of the down pipe - Right?
    • CommentAuthortony
    • CommentTimeOct 18th 2017
     
    Not quite, the rainwater and leaves come down the rainwater pipe, my home made leaf extractor shoots the leaves out above the grid and mostly they then blow away, the pipe crucially goes through the gulley grid and I clean out the gulley every year of silt and lumps.
    •  
      CommentAuthordjh
    • CommentTimeOct 18th 2017
     
    The hassle of cleaning gullies was why I wanted my downpipes to discharge via open ends and then have the water flow away separately.
    • CommentAuthortony
    • CommentTimeOct 18th 2017
     
    Always going to silt up and collect small stuff
    •  
      CommentAuthordjh
    • CommentTimeOct 18th 2017
     
    What is always going to silt up?
    • CommentAuthortony
    • CommentTimeOct 18th 2017
     
    The gulley
    •  
      CommentAuthordjh
    • CommentTimeOct 18th 2017
     
    Right. That's exactly why I didn't want gullies.
    • CommentAuthordickster
    • CommentTimeOct 19th 2017
     
    See "Guttering leaf guard still working"

    http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=11137&page=1#Item_0

    It's gone a bit faded, but still working!
    • CommentAuthormarktime
    • CommentTimeOct 19th 2017
     
    Hi Dikster. Good to see you're still around. OT How's that biodigester working out? Start a new thread if you like. And great gutter guard, wish I had the rain to have your problems!
    • CommentAuthorborpin
    • CommentTimeOct 20th 2017
     
    Posted By: djhThe hassle of cleaning gullies was why I wanted my downpipes to discharge via open ends and then have the water flow away separately.
    So where does the water flow to? For most people they need to have it flow into the drainage system (even if it is being collected) so on that basis a gully at ground level, with the open down pipe discharging into it, is probably the best option.

    Yes it needs cleaning, frequency depends on season, but that is better than the crud flowing into the drains and my SUDS system.
    • CommentAuthorborpin
    • CommentTimeOct 20th 2017
     
    Posted By: tonythe pipe crucially goes through the gulley grid and I clean out the gulley every year of silt and lumps.
    Ah by gully, you mean an underground trap. Don't have those. The Lindab 'hopper' fits into the drain end and that just flows through. I have a 'trap' at the disconnecting manhole that isolates the whole rainwater system from the combined sewer. Because of the volume of water, it never silts up (or if it does, heavy rain washes it out again). BCO thought it was rather clever!
    • CommentAuthordickster
    • CommentTimeOct 20th 2017
     
    Hi Marktime,

    Yes I'm still about!

    No need to start a new thread as the Biorock sewage system has worked very well since day one. Had the settlement tanks pumped once in what must be six years now. Only two of us, but copes with the occasional party weekend (20 peeps) no problem. Very little fat goes down the plughole!
    • CommentAuthormarktime
    • CommentTimeOct 20th 2017
     
    Good for you. Enjoy.
    •  
      CommentAuthordjh
    • CommentTimeOct 21st 2017
     
    Posted By: borpinSo where does the water flow to? For most people they need to have it flow into the drainage system (even if it is being collected) so on that basis a gully at ground level, with the open down pipe discharging into it, is probably the best option.

    It flows onto the gravel at the top of my French drain, as I said.
    • CommentAuthormike7
    • CommentTimeOct 24th 2017 edited
     
    Posted By: tonyThis is what i did, leaf extractor at bottom of bigger than usual downpipe with nice slow swans neck not like the silly plastic ones which are too sharp.

    https://www.dropbox.com/s/ig1u6736ituepx3/IMG_2931.JPG?dl=0" rel="nofollow" >https://www.dropbox.com/s/ig1u6736ituepx3/IMG_2931.JPG?dl=0


    Agreed about the silly plastic swan necks - couldn't find anything in plastic with less than 45 deg bend, but found I could easily bodge a reasonable-looking 20 deg one using two straight connectors, a bit of pipe and some gentle heat, and pipe cement. Neighbour has several mature lime trees very close so they will give the arrangement a good test.

    At ground level I've used a Wickes bottle trap, but now wish I'd just made a closed connection from the downpipe to a 110mm swept elbow, as I think there's very little chance of a blockage anywhere, especially with the pressure of 5m or so head that would develop if one should occur.

    I've DIYed leaf ejectors very like Tony's at other places where I'm harvesting the rainwater. It's collected from the downpipes via smallish pipes and is for domestic use so the cleaner the better. A refinement is to replace the wires with thin sheet strips, the top of the strips being in the same position as the wires. Otherwise surface tension can result in water tending to form a sheet between adjacent wires and much of it shooting over the edge - and you can afford to have the strips at a closer pitch, thus deflecting more crud.

    There's also an inner drip above the opening to help prevent drips/trickles flipping outward and away. I put the whole gadget at about eyelevel so a bit of pressure can develop to push water along my small pipes/ help prevent any blockage lower down. Has worked well for several years now.

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