Gutter cleaning tool

This didn’t work out as well as I hoped. I’ll probably end up modifying the design to improve the performance. It may also be that the gutters were too clogged and that this tool will work fine if it’s used on 4-6 months worth of debris as opposed to several years.

Gutter cleaning tool – there is a union so I can add or remove the middle ten foot section as needed.

The gutters on my house are very clogged and need to cleared before fall. And given the three foot deep soffits, I worry about leaning a ladder on the gutter. As a child, I watched my father ride a ladder down 40 feet when a guy line broke free. To this day I still get nervous on ladders more than about 15 feet off the ground, so I’d like to clean the gutters from the ground, if possible.

I decided that a water jet would probably be a good tool, so I figured out how to get a water jet up to the gutters.

Adding complexity to the project, the garage & family room are a one story structure, but the rest of the house is a two story structure. So I need a rigid tool that can reach both seven and seventeen feet in the air.

Basically, the tool is a garden hose adapter attached to a length of PVC pipe with two 90’s and a cap with some holes drilled through. I added a valve to start and stop the water flow, and another valve to drain the tool. (The last bit is adding completely unnecessary complexity)

All the bits ready to get assembled.

Where I think I went wrong is this last bit. I drilled three holes through the cap, giving me 6 orifices for water to spray out. Holes were drilled while holding the assembly in my bench vice. I’m not sure if I need fewer holes or smaller holes.

A) Below the flat jaws, there are round jaws to hold pipe. B) Ignore the mess, please

I solved the two different height issues by installing a union in the middle of the tool so I can add or remove a ten foot length of pipe.

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Author: rexplex

With a bachelors degree in history, I turn wrenches for a living. I’m most at peace when I hear the wind in the trees or the gurgle of a brook. I’m a believer in the Renaissance Man, as epitomized by DaVinci engineer, artist, soldier, statesman. As Heinlein said, “A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyse a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.”

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