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When autumn rolls around, homeowners can’t deny that your lawn becomes covered with leaves dropping from trees. It’s an ideal time to invest in a leaf blower.
It’s a handy tool that allows you to handle the piles of leaves much faster than it would be using a rake. However, what do you do about the leaves which accumulate in your gutters?
Many people will use a shop vac or a pressure washer. However, if you have a leaf blower, you can do a bit of a DIY to rig up something for quick gutter cleaning.
With this handy tool, having to balance on a ladder becomes a thing of the past. Does that sound like something you’d want to try? Then you’ve come to the right place. Read on as we’ll go over a quick tutorial for making a gutter cleaner from a leaf blower.
Options on Making a Gutter Cleaning Kit
If you’re looking to use a leaf blower to clear out your gutter, let’s delve into some alternatives to consider.
1. A Simple Leaf Blower Gutter Cleaner
For the simplest version, you need some tubing to boost your reach. You’ll also need to create the appropriate angle to channel air into the gutter and get rid of the leaves. It doesn’t matter what type of leaf blower you have. While backpack leaf blowers and gas leaf blowers are excellent options to consider, the electric leaf blower or cordless counterparts get the job done just as effectively. The best materials are a PVC U-joint and a two-inch PVC pipe. The piping length depends on how high your gutters are. Furthermore, keep in mind that you need to preserve a 6-inch length piping to connect the opposite end of the U-joint.
If the piping fits snugly on the end of the leaf blower nozzle, you’ll require securing it tightly in position with some duct tape. Connect the long section to the U-joint and the 6-inch piece to the opposite end of the U-joint. With this straightforward setup, you can access your gutters and get rid of any clogs safely from the ground without climbing a ladder.
2. If the Two-Inch Piping Doesn’t Fit
The two-inch piping might not fit around the nozzle of your leaf blower. Typically, it may not. If that’s the case, you’ll need to craft something more elaborate yet simple and affordable. The key is to use a rubber reducer. While the smaller end encompasses the pipe, the opposite one fits over the nozzle. That will solve the issue of the nozzle not fitting the pipe. Other than that, the setup matches the one mentioned earlier.
3. A Gutter Vacuum
We recommend using a leaf blower that also functions as a vacuum to suck out debris, dirt, and leaves out rather than blasting with air. Doing so entails following the same building processes as the first two options mentioned earlier, using a rubber reducer (if necessary), PVC piping, and a U-joint.
Nevertheless, it’s worth noting that leaf blowers that have a vacuum are designed to suck up light debris and leaves, like twigs from your yard when the fall rolls around. Furthermore, the leaves typically make their way through the compeller blades that double as a chipper shredder and turn the leaves into mulch.
Nonetheless, if you’re using a vacuum, you won’t see the gutter when standing on the ground, you’ll be unable to see what you’re sucking up. Therefore, if twigs get sucked up as well, you may damage the compeller blades, so tread carefully if you choose this method. Additionally, when using this setup to suck rather than blow, there’s a high likelihood of debris and leaves blocking the downspout.
Therefore, it’s advisable to refrain from using glue to hold the pieces in position. Instead, use something you can easily remove to clear the blockages.
Source: Unsplash
4. Connect a Mirror
A viable solution is to connect a mirror to the extension tube. Once you connect it to where the piping bends (the point where it gets to the gutter), you’re good to go.
The next step would be to angle it in a way that allows you to see what you’re sucking or blowing without the hassle of climbing a ladder to check. Additionally, you’ll know if your gutter is cleared once you get the job done. Although you can connect a mirror to the piping in various ways, avoid drilling holes in it; otherwise, you’ll lose the air pressure, which will considerably lower the efficiency of the gutter cleaner.
FAQ
Let’s discuss the answers to some of the commonly asked questions on using a leaf blower to clean gutters.
1. Can you use a leaf blower attachment to clean gutters?
Yes! Due to their versatility, leaf blowers are excellent for cleaning gutters. Granted, this isn’t their sole purpose. Nevertheless, to get started, all you require is a few affordable gutter cleaner attachments and you’re good to go.
2. Do leaf blower components work?
Yes! However, it’s worth noting that they’re not always standard and can be costly. For that reason, people gravitate towards options to repurpose gutter cleaning tools they already possess.
3. How does a leaf vacuum function?
A lawn vacuum uses a motor to generate airflow through the machine, creating a suction transmitted through an intake chute into which the debris is sucked and deposited into a reusable bag, a receptacle, or a hopper. An electrical cord, gasoline engines, or rechargeable batteries power vacuums.
4. Can you clean gutters without a ladder?
Yes! A gutter vacuum is another alternative to clean gutters from the ground. If your gutters mostly contain dry leaves, twigs, and pine needles, you can conveniently suck them out with a vacuum without the need for a ladder. Typically, these gutter vacuum components are a snug fit on the end of the leaf blower.
5. How do you clean a leaf blower roof?
If your roof is low-pitched, you climb on it and use a rope connected to a handle to pull your leaf blower up. Once you get on the roof safely, blow the leaves towards an edge that lacks a gutter. Lastly, clean the gutters to get rid of the leaves from your roof.
6. Can you convert a leaf blower into a vacuum?
To turn your machine from a leaf blower into a vacuum, you’ll need to switch the tube to the opposite end of the fan. Some models contain curved nozzles particularly designed to suck leaves out of the gutter.
Conclusion
The method of rigging up your leaf blower to clean your gutters boils down to the type of machine you’re using, the available leaf blower gutter attachments, and the height of your gutters. Nevertheless, the techniques we’ve discussed in this guide should arm you with enough home improvement knowledge to create a gutter cleaner that’s best suited to your home using the materials you have. Remember, if you want to avoid cleaning your gutters annually, invest in a gutter guard, which will keep wet leaves from clogging up the spout.
