Free up blocked downpipe from gutter
I had the problem that at 8 m height, the gutter overflowed. With a ladder I did not want to go up to this height. This tip is for anyone who has a roof window at a distance of approx. 3 m from this downpipe and can remove the last piece of the downpipe.
Required work equipment:
I have 2 telescopic poles a. 4 m, a standard garden hose, a 80 cm round brush with 12 cm diameter, detachable cable ties, a notebook for the endoscope camera and a 10 m long waterproof endoscope camera used. If necessary, instead of the notebook and the endoscope camera, a hand mirror can also be fixed to the telescopic rod.
Safety at work:
Before loosening the last piece of the downpipe above the floor drain, please check whether the overflow downpipe is still firmly fixed to the wall. If this slips when removing the lower downpipe, otherwise the connection between the gutter and the downpipe can be solved above.
When working on the roof, only lean out with the upper body out of the roof window and not further. Otherwise there is a risk of falling. The very hard-bitten among the problem solvers, who really want to enter the roof, should do so only with appropriate equipment (fall belt) and in the presence of a second person who stays inside.
I secured the two telescopic poles with ropes against falling off the roof.
But now for the actual problem solution:
The last piece of downpipe above the earth is removed and a large bucket is placed under the open downpipe. This prevents the dirt of the discharged blockage from clogging the channel further down the downcomer.
The endoscope camera is attached to the first telescopic rod and the obstruction is first viewed.
Thereafter, the 90 ° curved round wire brush (see picture) is attached to the second telescopic rod with a detachable cable tie. Please tighten the cable ties properly so that the brush does not come loose from the bar. Now you can poke with this brush in the drain of the downpipe and then flush the loosened parts down with the garden hose. Below is best for a second person to work, which controls whether the area below is also free, so that potential visitors get no dirt or water. If the drainage area is free again, in my case it was small twigs and mainly nuts from the birds, you can control this with the camera. Then you can make the jet of water a bit stronger and the roof in this area and the gutter with the same cumshot. If there is dirt in the gutter, you can also attach the garden hose to the telescopic pole and rinse it with the garden hose from the gutter.
Then reassemble everything and the problem is solved. I have deliberately decided against the two systems with sieve in the downpipe and the grid plates above the gutters. With the grid plates, apart from the cost, I have no experience what happens when they get stuck. Both here, as well as in the sieve, the question arises to me how I get the dirt down when something is clogged.
