The bit of roof that I chose to capture our catchment water is, unfortunately, located near a very tall stand of large bamboo. I had failed to appreciate just how much shedding bamboo does. The gutter quickly fills with bamboo leaves.
The gutters are pretty high, as the garage has a ten-foot ceiling to accommodate Timmy the Titan and his tent-on-top camper. Putting a 14’ ladder on a gravel surface and leaning out to scoop leaves seems like a recipe for injury.
Fortunately, the garage is built into the side of a hill. I can stand behind the water tank and actually look down on the gutter. I’ve been using a long piece of PVC pipe to clear the gutters, but it leaves a lot of debris behind. My father-in-law suggested a gutter scoop; I bought one for a few bucks and attached it to my PVC pole. Now I can stand on the hill behind the garage and push the scoop along the straight length of gutter.
This was a first draft. It needs some refinement: probably a larger diameter and longer pipe. Still, it does a pretty good job and I can keep my feet on solid ground.
—2p