How to Clean Gutters with a Shop Vac

If the roof of your house is not too high (or if there are sections of it that are low), you can use a shop-vac to clean your out your gutters. This is much easier and safer than climbing on your roof.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• House with gutters that are not too high (8-10')
• Shop-vac (medium or lager unit)
• Extra wands
• Plastic "J " bend pipe

Getting set up

1. You will need a medium or large size shop-vac (a larger/higher powerd one will have more suction than a smaller on). If you normally use a bag and filter in your vacumm, you will need to remove them for this job. Try to pick a time when it has not rained for several days.
2. Depending on the exact height of your gutters, you will need several (3-4) extension wands for your shop-vac. These are available at you local hardware store.
3. Attach a piece of "J" bend plastic plumbing pipe to the end of the wand so that the end is pointing 180 degrees to the direction of the wand. This allows you to reach into the gutter.
4. Plug the shop-vac into an outdoor outlet. Other wise use an extension cord from an indoor outlet.

Clean the gutters

5. Stand under the eve of you house to avoid debris that could fall on your head. Position yourself near the end of the gutter and switch on the vacuum.
6. Lift the wand of shop-vac over your head and reach into the gutter with the "J" bend pipe.
7. Use a gentle up/down motion. Do not press down into the debris, or you will clog it up.
8. You should be able to feel and hear material being sucked into the shopvac. Keep the wand moving all the time as you work. This will help prevent clogs.
9. There are a series of horizontal metal supports that are regularly spaced along the length of the gutter. Your will need to lift the wand up and over these, as you work your way down the gutter.

Tips & Warnings

• Despite your efforts, your wand may periodically become clogged, depending on the type and amount of debris in your gutters. If it does, just lift the wand out of the gutter and turn off the vacuum. Remove the "J" bend and shake it out until the clog is cleared.
• Be gentle. No force is necessary. Be especially careful not to pull downward on the gutter with the hooked "J" bend, or you could damage your gutters.

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