Dealing with leaves...

[markocosic]

Gutters are up. Downpipes are fitted.

 

I fashioned some temporary connections / leaf filters to the soakway leading down the hill out of bags.

 

There are many leaves.

 

 

The downpipes currently drop through the decking (nothing visible above the decking) into an a-yet-to-be-improvised connection to 110 mm pipes that lead to a soakaway.

 

How well do these kind of things work? They're probably easier to install inline, above decking level, to kick the leaves out onto the deck (along with many more kg of leaves) rather than having a horizontal "drain" grate and the downpipe finishing above it?

 

https://www.postogu.lt/produktas/issivalancioji-lapu-gaudykle-plastikinis-ruukki/

 

 

Sadly I don't have a drone shovel...

 

Edited November 6, 2023 by markocosic

[Kelvin]

I have the very same decision to make. They are quite bulky/ugly looking things imo so it’s either make the effort to clean the gutters out a few times during Autumn or fit these. I’m also into a soakaway so fitting them probably makes sense. 

[Russdl]

We fitted a silt trap in the pipe run to the soakaway. Works well, I empty the silt trap every quarter or so. I’ll find a link…

 

https://www.drainagesuperstore.co.uk/product/silt-sentinel-300-series-1000mm-deep-catchpit-vertical-silt-trap.html

 

 

Edited November 6, 2023 by Russdl

[markocosic]

Cleaning the gutters doesn't work. These were NEW at the start of October. Then the wind blows and the rain pours. Then the leaves wash straight down the downpipes.

 

(if you have smooth half-rounds and enough fall anyhow - plastic U-section gutters seem to collect leaves and moss because the velocity is too low to move them)

[saveasteading]

I can't  comment on that product without seeing it working. Generally foreign stuff doesn't work for UK rain, especially in the old days when we had drizzle.

 

Absolutely right, that leaves should not reach a soakaway, or it will become a compost heap, and block. Neither should they go into storm drains, simply as good practice. 

 

I've experimented and my opinion is this:

Don't fit gutter guards  whether hedgehog fillers or wire mesh over. They do keep leaves out of the gutter but then they break down and become a stinking mass and thd gutters don't work.

Don't fit gutter outlet guards for much the same reason, unless it is very easy and safe to access and clear regularly.

 

Do fit a gully with grating at ground level, with the dp stopping a hands width above to allow easy clearing. An oversized grating helps. 

OR take the dp down to the grating bug cut out a mouse hole for getting leaves out.

A silt trap works well too. But it needs a stilling chamber. I use a biggish chamber and put a bulkhead across the middle. I asked our worst bricklayer to build a brick wall and then the poor joints let water through with no leaves.

More formally, make the bulkhead from expanded metal.

Sticks and leaves float to the top, silt and so on sinks. Inlet and outlet at half depth.