Cleaning out the gutters? Use the leaf blower.
I only just tumbled to it.

good way to clean the leaves (and spiders), but doesn't get rid of the  silt that accumulates at the bottom of the gutters. I'd recommend use the blower first, then clear out silt where ever you see a build up

I have a Ryobi leaf blower/vacuum  thing that I blow leaves in the autumn around the garden, is that what you are on about or something designed for gutters

I must admit I am reluctant to climb ladders at 71

Got a mother biter Stihl, could blow a camel through the eye of a needle. Gutters clean for years now.
Also great when burning off

So how do you use it?

Climb up on the roof and point out towards the gutter.

As I said before, I am in the age group that shouldnt climb ladders etc.

Actually my wife climbs up on the roof and does it.

Well I just stuck it in the end of a section and pointed towards the other end. Then I moved the ladder along and did it again. All the dry leaves just blow out and I've just got a battery job.
Sure, if it's been wet you have to clean it out manually to get silt out. I've even had little trees growing in the silt when I don't get around to it.

PS when you're old you just have to take more care with ladders

Was on a flat part of my roof this morning cleaning out the chimney so I thought I may as well do the gutter while I was up there.
So this is a part of the house where the gutter does silt up because of an overhanging bottlebrush (now drastically cut back).

Well I found that the blower does a fair job on clearing the silt too if you're prepared to use the nozzle to scrape along the bottom as you blow it. Of course right now the silt is pretty much dried right out because there hasn't been any rain for ages. But you might have more respect for your tools than I do. You might even wash your car.

Also realised the blower is good for cleaning the inlet filters on plastic water tanks. Once in a while you'd have to take them out and hose them though.

bogarde73 wrote on Oct 3^rd, 2015 at 3:42pm:

Cleaning out the gutters? Use the leaf blower. I only just tumbled to it.

What about an industrial wet and dry vacuum cleaner, instead of blowing all that gunk under the roof or all over it?
Especially after a dry spell when it is really like chunky dust?

I had a quote to do this for $330. Probably better than buying one for self.

Just run a bit of petrol down the gutter and set it alight.
VAROOM!!!
All the leaves are ash in 5 minutes and you just have to hose it all down the drainpipe.  ;)

Redmond Neck wrote on Oct 3^rd, 2015 at 3:48pm:

I have a Ryobi leaf blower/vacuum  thing that I blow leaves in the autumn around the garden, is that what you are on about or something designed for gutters I must admit I am reluctant to climb ladders at 71

That is sensible. Many home handymen die from a fall from a ladder. Not from a big height either.
Ladders are VERY dangerous.

When I was in my early 50's I decided to not get on the roof again. It's a high set house, so the ground is about 5+ meters from the roof.

I have a leaf blower, but most of my gutters are too
high to reach.  And at my age I certainly ain't gonna
be climbing any ladders LOL.

   We've got a young local bloke who'll do it for 40 bucks.

I have a wide base stable Bailey ladder. I use this VERY carefully for indoor chores, changing lightglobes etc. No way will I use it outside.

I have had fun on roofs—crossing several metres by walking on a 4" wide beam, stepping over rafters with toolboxes and chairs on the cement floor below. Working on the roof of the big villa we owned at the time, 12' ceilings so a VERY high roof. The sheets of iron we took off weighed three times the new sheets that we put on!

Or the second house we built, it was on a slope so I got on the roof on one side and walked the length of the roof to the other which was a LOT further from the ground ewhh! No more of that malarkey!

I know someone who fell off a ladder and landed on her head. My optometrist back in Adelaide, younger than me, fell off a ladder at home and died.

Once you reach 50 STAY OFF LADDERS!

Oh yeah, with only one ear working my balance she is not so good and i have low blood pressure: Mum wanted me to clean her gutter—could see the grass growing in it from the ground. Got the extension ladder, climbed s l o w l y up and stood there for a minute while the roof and garden etc waltzed all around me. Last bit of ladder work I will ever do!

Re falling off ladders:

To improve balance, brush your teeth standing on one leg.

Frank wrote on Dec 7^th, 2023 at 10:14am:

Re falling off ladders: To improve balance, brush your teeth standing on one leg.

I'm gonna try that later on.     :)

Frank wrote on Dec 7^th, 2023 at 10:14am:

Re falling off ladders: To improve balance, brush your teeth standing on one leg.

In a hammock...

Frank wrote on Dec 7^th, 2023 at 10:14am:

Re falling off ladders: To improve balance, brush your teeth standing on one leg.

When I set up a ladder now I walk up to the bottom rung and sway the ladder around a lot. From just 200 mm off the ground, that is the right time to do it.
When I restabilise the ladder and go up, I take no tools, just a ratchet strap and strap the top of the ladder to the tree or whatever.
Then I do down and get my tools.
It works well.

Life Hack: Save Money On Home Improvements By Not Doing Them


"This is a revolutionary idea," said homeowner Dan Simmons. "Who would have ever thought that all that money I would spend remodeling our bathroom could be saved for other things if I just don't remodel our bathroom? I applied this life hack to every home improvement project I had planned — kitchen, finishing the basement, refinishing the deck — and I've been able to save thousands of dollars. I'm actually taking a trip to Cancún next month instead."

As part of the study, homeowners who had completed projects around the house were polled about their expenditures. An astonishing 100% of homeowners polled said choosing not to do their projects would have resulted in saving all of the money they had spent on the work. "There certainly seems to be a direct correlation," said the man who discovered the life hack. "It turns out not spending money directly impacts the amount of money you're able to save."




The science is in.

Frank wrote on Jan 21^st, 2024 at 10:51am:

Life Hack: Save Money On Home Improvements By Not Doing Them "This is a revolutionary idea," said homeowner Dan Simmons. "Who would have ever thought that all that money I would spend remodeling our bathroom could be saved for other things if I just don't remodel our bathroom? I applied this life hack to every home improvement project I had planned — kitchen, finishing the basement, refinishing the deck — and I've been able to save thousands of dollars. I'm actually taking a trip to Cancún next month instead." As part of the study, homeowners who had completed projects around the house were polled about their expenditures. An astonishing 100% of homeowners polled said choosing not to do their projects would have resulted in saving all of the money they had spent on the work. "There certainly seems to be a direct correlation," said the man who discovered the life hack. "It turns out not spending money directly impacts the amount of money you're able to save." The science is in.

I agree.  We have saved 10's of 1000's by leaving our 70's style kitchen as is.

My kitchen needs work, oh yeah it does, LOTS!

High overhead cupboards—too high for me, I am a shortarse.

Hardly any counter space—a double sink + drainage board takes up the usable space.

Want everything pushed back to the back wall of the present bathroom then turn the passage+WC+laundry into a decent bathroom with a BATH plus shower plus vanity plus WC. H&C water taps, 2 sets, in present laundry. Reuse existing vanity, shower head etc to cut costs.

Small kitchen window then becomes the back door, where bathroom etc was becomes dining room. Need steps to new back door maybe some decking for outdoor entertainment?

As long as property value improves by as much or more than the cost.

Sprintcyclist wrote on Jan 21^st, 2024 at 11:49am:

Frank wrote on Jan 21st, 2024 at 10:51am: Life Hack: Save Money On Home Improvements By Not Doing Them "This is a revolutionary idea," said homeowner Dan Simmons. "Who would have ever thought that all that money I would spend remodeling our bathroom could be saved for other things if I just don't remodel our bathroom? I applied this life hack to every home improvement project I had planned — kitchen, finishing the basement, refinishing the deck — and I've been able to save thousands of dollars. I'm actually taking a trip to Cancún next month instead." As part of the study, homeowners who had completed projects around the house were polled about their expenditures. An astonishing 100% of homeowners polled said choosing not to do their projects would have resulted in saving all of the money they had spent on the work. "There certainly seems to be a direct correlation," said the man who discovered the life hack. "It turns out not spending money directly impacts the amount of money you're able to save." The science is in. Another 20 years and it'll be heritage listed. I agree.  We have saved 10's of 1000's by leaving our 70's style kitchen as is.