Conservatory gutter

[Robbox]

Our conservatory gutter fills up with leaves and stuff from the nearby Lime tree. I think the installers (long since gone) didn't do a very good job with the fall on the guttering, since water struggles to flow away nicely. Consequently, gutter fills up with muck and it's a right old PIA to clean out.
Looking at the two options, the hedgehog thing and the plastic cover guard. I was advised by a window installer to not use the hedgehog thing. But the roof gets so much muck from the tree that if I fit the guards I'm sure they will block up and cause more problems.
Any advice? I don't suppose it's possible to adjust the fall?

 

[Mw Roofline]

Almost all conny brackets are on a track system behind meaning it will always be dead level. Unfortunately whichever guard you choose it still fills up! Sorry.

 

[Robbox]

Thanks. I think the hedgehog is cheaper, so I'll go for that for now.

 

[^woody^]

Hedgehogs should be banned.

Not only do they not work, but actually make the problem of leaf blockage 10x worse.

 

[Robbox]

You think the leaf guard cover is a better solution? I guess its easier to brush away any debris, whereas the hedgehog gets clogged up probably.

 

[^woody^]

No. Anything that covers a gutter creates the exactly the same problem.

 

[JBR]

So what would you do to prevent leaves and detritus being washed down the down pipe? Are those individual filter-type things that go in the outlet any good?

 

[^woody^]

So what would you do to prevent leaves and detritus being washed down the down pipe? Are those individual filter-type things that go in the outlet any good?

This is not at you JBR, but a general comment.

With any drain, on a roof, on the ground or in the kitchen its very simple - the stuff either goes down the drain (as it would in thousands of similar drains) or it blocks.

You can't put any 'thing' in front of an outlet and then expect it to magically stop blockages, because all it does it move the blockage to the other side of the 'thing'.

So stuff goes down the drain and all is well, or it clogs at the top, or in a trap or wherever, and you put in place a regime of checking and unblocking of problematic outlets.

That's the way it is.

A wise designer would design out the chances of bockages as far as possible in the first place, but it's not always possible in real life.

The only solution for the OP to stop the blockages, would be to remove the tree.

 

[JBR]

This is not at you JBR, but a general comment.

With any drain, on a roof, on the ground or in the kitchen its very simple - the stuff either goes down the drain (as it would in thousands of similar drains) or it blocks.

You can't put any 'thing' in front of an outlet and then expect it to magically stop blockages, because all it does it move the blockage to the other side of the 'thing'.

So stuff goes down the drain and all is well, or it clogs at the top, or in a trap or wherever, and you put in place a regime of checking and unblocking of problematic outlets.

That's the way it is.

A wise designer would design out the chances of bockages as far as possible in the first place, but it's not always possible in real life.

The only solution for the OP to stop the blockages, would be to remove the tree.

Thanks for your response, Woody. (I realise that this is general advice for everyone.)

I have had problems in this respect and have tried both the 'hedgehog' things and the basket things that go in the top of the downpipe. Both stop the leaves, etc. going down the pipe but, as you say, this also causes blockages when they build up beyond a certain amount.
I am fortunate to live in a bungalow, so access to these things is easy with a pair of step ladders.
(I'm also unfortunate to be surrounded by many trees!)

Originally, I did leave the pipes unprotected and found a fairly large blockage of leaves at the bottom of one downpipe which had built up above the grating at the bottom of the pipe. The only way I could remove this lot was by removing the downpipe and shaking the stuff out after a bit of poking(!), so I think my best option (and perhaps the same for other people in the same situation) would be to use something at the top of the downpipe. I suspect that a possible better alternative would be to cut off the bottom of the downpipe so that it doesn't sit almost in contact with the grating. Perhaps you'd agree?

 

[Mw Roofline]

The only solution for the OP to stop the blockages, would be to remove the tree.

Or the house!

 

[^woody^]

Or the house!

I don't think the OP is a gypsy. But yes I suppose that is an option.

 

[Robbox]

Our problem is that there is minimal fall on the guttering. So debris does not wash away naturally. As it happens....the culprit tree is on a piece of development land and may well be topped or pollarded. That would cut down the debris massively.

 

[chappers]

pain in the ar5e lime trees if I ever lived under any again I think I would take the fine for chopping them down. On top of the leaves you have all the spinny seed things and that's before we even get to all the sticky 5h1t that comes off of them and the insects that attracts. We lost all our lovely elm trees, why couldn't it have been dutch lime disease

 

[^woody^]

Great for cocktails though.

 

[catlad]

Lime trees have a beautiful smell when in flower
op is it not possible to blast it clean with a garden hose, you could attach
a lance if its in an awkward position.