Leaf Blower Vs. Wet & Dry Vacuum (Mostly Used for Roof & Gutter Cleaning)

motui302 on 22/02/2022 - 11:48
Last edited 22/02/2022 - 11:48

Dear fellow Ozbargainers,
I truly appreciate any insight from you on the following matter.

I'm weighing between a leaf blower versus a wet & dry vacuum cleaner, chiefly for roof & gutter cleaning.
My roof is basically one giant flat sheet of colorbond, which I can stand on.
I suppose this helps make cleaning the roof and gutter a tad easier.

Do you think I should buy a leaf blower or a wet & dry vacuum cleaner?
I'm actually leaning towards the vac but haven't been able to find much information on how one performs yet.

There's a Ryobi from Bunnings.
https://www.bunnings.com.au/ryobi-20l-stainless-steel-wet-dr…
But I guess I'll pass since people say the wet filter is flimsy and, in many cases, breaks upon installation.

I'm considering the following one (Stanley) from Costco.
https://www.costco.com.au/Kitchen-Laundry-Appliances/Vacuums…
But I haven't been able to find any product review online.

I would appreciate any insight from those who have had experience using wet & dry vac.
Thank you all in advance.

Best Regards,
Ted

Home & Garden Blower Vacuum Cleaner

Comments

  • skid on 22/02/2022 - 12:00

    Will the hose or power cord be long enough to vac the roof? The hose is quite narrow too. What sort of leaves are on the roof? Gum leaves would be fine.

    A leaf blower would 100% work.

  • Euphemistic on 22/02/2022 - 12:03
    +1

    Vacuum can block up pretty quick wit leaves and stuff of the nozzle is too small. Maybe a garden vac would be better.

  • iDroid on 22/02/2022 - 12:14
    +5

    I think both are sufficiently loud, should be good to go.

  • leTintin on 22/02/2022 - 12:16
    +2

    I have thought about using a blower before but there are gaps underneath the colorbond and debris would be forced into the roof space?

  • mr-incredulous on 22/02/2022 - 12:22

    I have a wet & dry vac that has a blower function, like you're talking about. I also have a battery powered leaf blower. Even though the vac is literally more powerful, it performs much worse at blowing. Vacs and blowers are optimised for different things. Vac = big pressure difference to pick things up, blower = big flow rate of air. Combined with the hassle of lugging a bulky vac up the ladder and around the roof, I would strongly recommend a blower. I use my blower to clean the gutters and it works great.

    Keep in mind also that this technique will make a big mess on the ground with all the leaves and debris, so you might spend some time cleaning up around the house afterwards (blower would be useful again).

  • billdsl on 22/02/2022 - 12:29

    Another option is a leaf blower with a vac mode on it and a bag. My stihl blower has this and I alternate between just normal blowing or vacuuming depending on the part of the roof

    I live on acreage with a lot of gum tree's so ive gotta do mine quarterly and the volume of leaves makes vacuuming a little too much work but gives you a few options

    Id also recommend battery power over petrol or 240v these days, will really give you the future proofing you should be looking at

    I bought Stihl so that it would last and now that ive had it for 7 years wish it would die so i could justify purchasing a big battery blower, but i think ive got another 20 years use left in her yet :-)

    This is the setup I have - https://www.stihl.com.au/STIHL-Products/Blowers-Shredder-Vac…

    Also note this is probably an expensive way to do it vs just a good quality blower

  • Davo1111 on 22/02/2022 - 12:44

    i dont think vacuuming the gutters will work. (with a shop vac).

    The gutter guys use a poker to push the leaves out, then a blower.

    • ESEMCE on 22/02/2022 - 15:22

      A few bits of 40mm PVC pipe attached to my shop vac to hook into the gutter, does a great job.
      Even where there's mud and wet leaves in the gutter.
      No standing on the roof either.

  • dust on 22/02/2022 - 13:31
    +2

    Have you got leaf gutter guards? If not, would recommend those.

    • TimmyTims on 22/02/2022 - 14:18
      +1

      I asked the roofer about these when I got my roof cleaned and re-mortared. He said to stay away as they block and cause more damage than an uncleaned gutter. I'm no roof expert but I took his advice and get on a ladder each winter

  • Hithere on 22/02/2022 - 15:16

    Our local council use a Wet & Dry vac as part of their Home Help service but it's an industrial one, at least five times the size of the typical Wet & Dry vac you see in Bunnings.

    A Gutter Pro – Universal Gutter Cleaning Kit for Blowers looks interesting. It wouldn't be hard to make one yourself for a lot cheaper than it is here.

    https://au.worx.com/shop/garden-tools/other-garden/gutterpro…

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