Guttering accumulation of Pine Needles

[Hysteresis]

I have seen , but don't know what they are called - devices that go on the downpipes, just above the ground . Open front with a grid angled so debris falls onto the ground and the water passes through.. Found IT Rainus downpipe filter !

They look like they would do the job , but at around £110 each, I need 14 of them so at £1540, I could get a little man in to clean the guttering so a bit expensive. Thanks for the tip Nige.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

They look like they would do the job , but at around £110 each, I need 14 of them so at £1540, I could get a little man in to clean the guttering so a bit expensive. Thanks for the tip Nige.

It probably would not help anyway, if it's your gutters becoming obstructed.

 

[Hysteresis]

It probably would not help anyway, if it's your gutters becoming obstructed.

Spot on Harry, Another issue is that the needles entering the downpipe will get lodged in any of 4 - 45 deg elbows that exist in all of my downpipes and clearing these obstructions is the essence of the problem. In researching available products I found perforated gutter covers which would work albeit very expensive, but again all these would do is provide a platform for the needles to collect and again stop the water entering the gutter and the resulting water overflow remains.
Solution is to Clean out the gutters 4 times a year.

 

[StephenOak]

the needles entering the downpipe will get lodged in any of 4 - 45 deg elbows

I have lots of mature trees near me (including field maples which have very large leaves) and in one area the offset would clog regularly, causing the gutter to overflow the next time it rained.

I removed the offset and put in a downpipe from the outlet to a hopper. In the bottom of the hopper I put a piece of steel mesh to catch the leaves, etc, that get in there. Obviously the hopper now needs cleaning but it is much lower - so I can use a step ladder rather than an extension ladder - and it brings most of the muck to one place.

but at around £110 each, I need 14 of them so at £1540

Before I removed that offset I looked at adding a leaf catcher and I found they varied greatly in price. I can't find the list of options I looked at but with a quick web search I found

Downpipe Leaf Guard

Reducing any build-up in your guttering, our Downpipe Leaf Separator is designed to look after your guttering and reduce the risk of blockages in drains.

www.directwatertanks.co.uk

Leaf Catcher Filter

Fit the Leaf Catcher on the downpipe at a convenient height. Don’t stand on ladders to unblock gutters! This leaf guard fits round & square downpipes

www.celticsustainables.co.uk

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Downpipe-Diameter-Strainer-Collector-Protection/dp/B08KXYLGNW

all cheaper than that.

Also, the house may have 14 downpipes but that does not necessarily mean that all 14 need work. The side nearest the trees will probably catch the majority of the debris.

If the bulk of the debris can be brought down to low level (accessible from the ground) and removed then the gutters may still need to be cleaned, but how often this needs to be done or how long it takes may well be reduced.

It probably would not help anyway, if it's your gutters becoming obstructed.

The gutters only get blocked because the debris stays there, if it was washed down as suggested in post #3 then a catcher may well work.

I found perforated gutter covers which would work albeit very expensive, but again all these would do is provide a platform for the needles to collect

I put in a load of those gutter covers and subsequently removed them. I think that if you have a small to moderate amount of leaves they stop the leaves from going into the gutters and then the leaves will dry and blow off.

However if you have a lot of leaves, more will land before the first ones have dried, eventually forming a continuous mat which will catch all subsequent leaves and cause the gutter to overflow.

The problem is that I have a lot of Pine trees in my garden which are under a council preservation order so I can't get them felled.

A TPO may well stop you from felling the trees but it does not necessarily stop them from being cut back.

There is a very large TPO here and we have a copper beech that is over 150yo. The flats next door were built far to close and so their gutters used to regularly fill with beech mast. They got permission from the council to cut back the one branch that was actually overhanging the flats which, AFAIUI, fixed the problem.

So you may be able to reduce the problem by cutting back the branches nearest to the house.

 

[Hysteresis]

Hi StephenOak,
Thanks for your comprehensive reply and helpful assistance, I can't remove the Off Set due to the fundamental House design, the eves and therefore the guttering is about 18 inches from the vertical brick as such a dog legged down pipe is necessary then yet another dog leg near the ground as the brick work is a triple brick depth from about 3 ft from the ground so these double dog legs are a feature I have to live with and are of course a source of downpipe blockage.
The downpipe leaf Guard you identified at around £50 would work if I mounted them just below the gutter But I would still have the issue with the damn Pine Needles and Poplar seeds depositing in the guttering and don't get washed away as such stopping the free flow of water to the downpipe and resultant guttering Overflow.
Your experience with guttering covers is what I thought would happen, so thanks so much for your confirmation. Thats another possibility to discount.
As you say, the TPO does not stop the trimming of the branches, but these pine trees are weird things, the trunk of the trees extend around 20 metres with a few spindly branches which are foliage free, above 20 metres the branches are more substantial and carry the foliage and therefore the Pine needles. These branches do not spread out like silver birch or oak, therefore trimming them would not stop the autumnal storm of Pine Needle essentially blowing all over my house and garden. Why a TPO was placed on these trees is a mystery to me, their justification was 'Public Amenity' which is just plain ridiculous as the same council cut down around 100 Acres (Maybe 50,000 trees) of similar tree about half a mile from me for the purposes of new Housing. So just how they can crucify a thriving forest full of wild like on one hand then put a TPO on may 50 trees close to existing housing is beyond me, they do 'cos they can and ignore any public objections. But all of that is another story.
I thank you so much for your help but I am now accepting the requirement to clean my guttering 4 times a year after exploring all alternatives.

 

[diy_fun_uk]

Just cut 'em down ...

Mother who hired tree surgeon to chop down giant tree avoids a fine

Kelly Palmer, 40, smiled as she left court after admitting she paid a tree surgeon to chop down the ash because it blocked drains and regularly bashed against her home in Shirley, West Midlands.

www.dailymail.co.uk

(I'm joking!)

 

[Hysteresis]

Just cut 'em down ...

Taking a chance on upto £20k fine !!!!!!

 

[StephenOak]

I can't remove the Off Set due to the fundamental House design, the eves and therefore the guttering is about 18 inches from the vertical brick as such a dog legged down pipe is necessary

That dog leg at the top of the down pipe is called an offset.

I don't know if it is 18" but my eaves are substantial and I had no problem in taking the downpipe straight down to the hopper, see the photo

The downpipe leaf Guard you identified at around £50 would work if I mounted them just below the gutter

I have never used one but AFAIUI that is not the intention. Rather they are placed lower down , where they can be accessed from the ground.

Partly if the device is throwing leaves etc out then you want this to happen lower down so the leaves are not broadcast too widely. But principally any device like this will need cleaning out now and then and it is much easier if that can be done from the ground.

Pine Needles and Poplar seeds depositing in the guttering and don't get washed away

That is why I said that the gutters would need to be washed down as suggested in post #3 to make a catcher work.

I thank you so much for your help but I am now accepting the requirement to clean my guttering 4 times a year after exploring all alternatives.

What you do is, of course, up to you. But, as I said, if the bulk of the debris can be brought down to low level (accessible from the ground) and removed then the gutters may still need to be cleaned, but how often this needs to be done or how long it takes may well be reduced.

Nothing will stop the problem entirely, all any solution will do is to reduce it.

 

[Hysteresis]

That dog leg at the top of the down pipe is called an offset.

I don't know if it is 18" but my eaves are substantial and I had no problem in taking the downpipe straight down to the hopper, see the photo

View attachment 347347

That is an excellent idea, transfers the problem to much more accessible location. With the home made flushing arrangement already discussed for clearing the pine needles regularly to the collecting receptacle means to whole process becomes less arduous. Great idea. Thanks.