Gutter kit for Stihl backpack blower?

[BigBlue1]

Has anyone found a gutter extension kit to clean leaves out of your gutters with a Stihl backpack blower (like the BR600)? Stihl has a kit on their web site but lists it for the BG series handheld blowers. I don't know if the tubes are the same size.

STIHL

An idea of how to build this myself would be entertained too.

Thanks,
Rob

 

[flyerdan]

Duct tape and pvc conduit sweeps?

 

[s219]

I made one out of PVC pipe, and use it with my shop vac (the exit port that blows out air). Works like a charm. Didn't know Stihl made a kit -- that's a good use for a leaf blower.

 

[ericm979]

I have a gutter kit like that for a hand held Husky blower. I've never seen one for a backpack blower.

The gutter kit is kind of a pain to operate. With it on and the engine idling, it blows the unit over. When you rev it up the torque reaction is strong. Those are manageable though. When you blow out the gutters you'll get pine needles or leaves all over you. It's not so bad when it's dry but if it's wet you'll be a mess. And it takes a month or more of no rain for the gutters to dry out. With our long dry season there's 4 months or so where I can use it without getting showered in dirty water and stinky part rotted pine needles. If you're in a place where it rains all year round, yuck.

Also it's not tall enough to reach all my 1st floor gutters from the ground... you need a house with a floor that's not too far from ground level.

I find it easier to climb on the roof and blow the gutters out from above. A battery powered blower is best for that, especially if like me you get to the roof by climbing out a 2nd story window.

 

[BigBlue1]

I normally go up on the roof with my backpack blower to deal with the leaves. The only thing that bothers me about it is the wear & tear on the shingles from walking around. Well, and carting the dang ladder from the shed to the house and setting it up. Most of my gutters are basically just a single story up (have a deck on one of the higher sides), so reach shouldn't be a problem. With a backpack blower the extension tube is probably easier to manage than with a handheld.

Thanks for the tips and suggestions.

Rob

 

[MossRoad]

Many years ago my father bought one of those attachments for his leaf blower to clean his mother's house gutters. He popped it on, fired it up, blew into the first gutter and got a bath of wet, rotting leaves dumped onto him almost immediately. :laughing:

I laugh not at my father, but with him, because he laughed hard. He got a raincoat and goggles.

 

[BigBlue1]

I know that is a risk. It can happen when blowing the gutters out from the roof too. Been there, done that. But I'd rather get dirty than have plugged gutters and water running where it shouldn't around my foundation.

I have been thinking strongly about some of those gutter screens that cover the gutter, but I don't know anyone who has them so I really don't know if they would be worth it.

Rob

 

[LittleBill21]

wen makes a kit, i use a hand held though, easier to use then with my backpack

Amazon.com : WORX WA494 Gutterpro Universal Gutter Cleaning Kit, 11’ Reach : Garden & Outdoor

 

[MossRoad]

I know that is a risk. It can happen when blowing the gutters out from the roof too. Been there, done that. But I'd rather get dirty than have plugged gutters and water running where it shouldn't around my foundation.

I have been thinking strongly about some of those gutter screens that cover the gutter, but I don't know anyone who has them so I really don't know if they would be worth it.

Rob

Well, I can help you there. My in-laws have screens on their gutters and live in a wooded neighborhood. They've asked me to clean their gutters many times. I go up there, and there are NO leaves in the gutters. None. There's no way for them to enter the gutters because the screens work.

The only thing I ever found in their gutters was shingle sand, dirt and plant growth, but that was because their gutter was not pitched correctly and run away from the downspout instead of towards it. Rather than removing the gutter and re-pitching it, I added a downspout to the low end and all was well. Any dirt now flows downhill with the water and is washed out the downspout.

The screen just slips under the last row of shingles about 1 inch and clips into the leading edge of the gutter. I think it's less than $100 for a 25-pack of 4' pieces at most home centers.

 

[BigBlue1]

Well, I can help you there. My in-laws have screens on their gutters and live in a wooded neighborhood. They've asked me to clean their gutters many times. I go up there, and there are NO leaves in the gutters. None. There's no way for them to enter the gutters because the screens work.

The only thing I ever found in their gutters was shingle sand, dirt and plant growth, but that was because their gutter was not pitched correctly and run away from the downspout instead of towards it. Rather than removing the gutter and re-pitching it, I added a downspout to the low end and all was well. Any dirt now flows downhill with the water and is washed out the downspout.

The screen just slips under the last row of shingles about 1 inch and clips into the leading edge of the gutter. I think it's less than $100 for a 25-pack of 4' pieces at most home centers.

Thanks for the feedback. So the screens don't cause more problems by having the leaves stack up on top of them and plugging thing that way? I suppose as long as they aren't wet they will blow away before sticking.

I may have to invest in some of those. Will have to measure my gutters and make sure they are compatible.

Rob