Blocked rain gutters

nomad97

nomad97

Resident Geek
I have a small problem with my rain gutters - they are blocked by the leaves falling from my neighbours trees. The leaves are so numerous and compact that they block the downpipes and gutters. During a typical downpour or thunderstorm water cascades over the gutters like a waterfall. In fact, the gutters are of no use at all.

gutter1.jpg gutter2.jpg

The gutters are approximately 15 meters in length and, by contorting myself a bit like Harry Houdini, I managed to clean out a dustbin full load of leaves in about 2 hours. It is not easy work because it is at height and there is a fence and other obstructions in the way. I would guess that this jobs needs doing at least 2 or 3 times a year. Short of chopping down my neighbours trees, how can I prevent the gutters getting clogged each year? Can anyone recommend a way or a method to stop the leaves collecting in the space between the gutter and the roof tiles?
 
There is a myriad of gutter mesh available in the west in handy rolls, but I guess they don't stock it here. I can't really say I have seen it here in Thailand. I would suggest shopping for some mesh that would suit the purpose and just cut to fit with a pair of tin snips.

Google Gutter mesh for some ideas.

In my experiance it is not a panacea to your woes though, it just lengthens out the periods of clean up.
 
Rice said:
There is a myriad of gutter mesh available in the west in handy rolls, but I guess they don't stock it here. I can't really say I have seen it here in Thailand. I would suggest shopping for some mesh that would suit the purpose and just cut to fit with a pair of tin snips.

Google Gutter mesh for some ideas.

In my experiance it is not a panacea to your woes though, it just lengthens out the periods of clean up.
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Thanks Rice, I did think of mesh but I don't fancy the cutting and fitting! I will Google and see if I can find some ideas along those lines, e.g. http://www.guttermesh.com/ . I also thought of blocking the gutter channel with blue plastic pipe. Say a 2 and 1/2" dia pipe, drill will holes like a sieve, and insert in the space between gutter and roof tile.
 
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You can show your digital pictures to your neighbor and ask him if he is of the mind to assist in your 'back-breaking' troubles by cutting or trimming back his trees.

If not , cover the gutters with plastic sheeting that allows the run-off to fall on the other side of the fence. (Maybe he'll open a dialogue with you afterwards.)
 
We installed gutters so that we could collect the rainwater to drink (one of Nung's bright ideas). It worked for a while (and the water was definitely better than most).... but then the pigeons and sparrows decided it was a good place to nest.

Surprisingly, the water still filters through the nests.... but is no longer drinkable.
 
isanbirder said:
We installed gutters so that we could collect the rainwater to drink (one of Nung's bright ideas). It worked for a while (and the water was definitely better than most).... but then the pigeons and sparrows decided it was a good place to nest.

Surprisingly, the water still filters through the nests.... but is no longer drinkable.
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You could make a fortune selling birds nest soup IB.
 
Prakhonchai Nick said:
You could make a fortune selling birds nest soup IB.
Click to expand...

I don't quite think its birds nest soup, more like Guano soup. mad1
When I lived on a coral atoll we had rain water diverters for this reason. We only switched in the collection when the water ran clear from a milk consistency at the start. I can't start to describe the smell of this guano soup.
 
Gutter Guards - the solution:

I looked at some pictures on the internet and decided what was required was some galvanised steel mesh, cut to width and welded across the gutters. However, I also decided that was big money and beyond the scope of DIY. I therefore opted for a simpler solution and used green plastic mesh.

Jim Thompson 060.jpg

I cut this in half length wise and then cut it into manageable 2 meter sections. This was rolled up and secured with rubber bands. I then inserted the rolled mesh into the gutter thus blocking the space between the gutter and the tile. When it rains water should still pass through the mesh although the leaves should be kept out of the gutter and not block the down pipe.

Experimental solution Mk1.

Jim Thompson 059.jpg


ThumbUp6
 
Good job NM, I hope that stuff is UV stabilised. You will find out in a year.

What was the mesh's advertised purpose? If it was for outdoor you should be right.
 
Rice said:
Good job NM, I hope that stuff is UV stabilised. You will find out in a year.

What was the mesh's advertised purpose? If it was for outdoor you should be right.
Click to expand...


UV stabilised? I doubt it. It is sold in the DIY shops and I have used it before for fencing in the garden. It will last a year for sure, maybe two or three. The good thing about using plastic was easy to work and relatively cheap (about 300 THB). Located inside the gutters it is not going to be messed around with and should stay relatively undisturbed. I did call it, "Experimental solution Mk1" and I am really testing/ proving if it will keep the leaves out of the gutter? If it does I can upgrade the material to a galvanised mesh I saw in Thai Watsadu - they only had a little in stock and I would need 8 meters or so (cut in half = 16 meters). I wanted to get the job done before the start of the hot weather and the rain season. If successful, I will order the galvanised mesh and do a 'proper job' next year.

The alternative is to take down 15 meters of guttering and spot weld the galvanised mesh across the gutter. A much bigger job and I would need to call in the 'gutter man' or the 'fencing man' to do the work. I would probably need to replace the guttering too so as to get maximum life from the additional work/expense.
 
If you weld the galvanised mesh to the guttering you may have a problem in cleaning out the dirt and rubbish that dies make its way through the mesh.
 
AussieBill said:
If you weld the galvanised mesh to the guttering you may have a problem in cleaning out the dirt and rubbish that dies make its way through the mesh.
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A very good point AussieBill. I do have a high pressure water wash rig that could overcome that problem. Get someone up on the roof with the high pressure gun and that should shift any residual debris and flush away through the down pipe. The gutters have been up about 4 years and that was the first real clean. Surprisingly, I didn't find too much residual dirt when I cleaned out the leaves. The neighbour's trees have been growing for the past 3 years and this winter was the first real shedding of the leaves. I have been forced to sweep my drive and surrounds of the house too quite frequently to collect the fallen leaves. It's additional work but I am not complaining and I would not like to see the trees chopped down. Mind you, my neighbour may chop the trees down by himself because I don't think he envisaged that they would be this much work.
 
Coffee said:
You can show your digital pictures to your neighbor and ask him if he is of the mind to assist in your 'back-breaking' troubles by cutting or trimming back his trees.

If not , cover the gutters with plastic sheeting that allows the run-off to fall on the other side of the fence. (Maybe he'll open a dialogue with you afterwards.)
Click to expand...


I did have a very nice word with my neighbour a few days ago and showed him the gutter guards. He was impressed. I did not complain about the leaves, Buddha forbid, but only said his gutters were totally blocked too. I think he has a much bigger problem with the fallen leaves than I do, like 20 times as much.

Surprise, surprise, this morning after the school run, I looked up and lo and behold the trees had been cut right back sometime the night before.

Before:

Trees 001.jpg

After:

Trees 003.jpg
 
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Nomad, simply it must be karma

By initiating the conversation with your neighbor followed by the action he decided to take , the gutters on your house are no longer clogged and should allow the roof to drain without any inconvenience during the upcoming wet season.

Funny though how your urinary gutter became clogged...mmmm.

Now as the Urologist cauterized the growth in your kidney I'm hoping that your pathology report comes back clean too ! 10of10Score
 
Coffee! Sit up and pay attention. It was bladder not my kidney that had the problem. All part of the drainage system but lower down.
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