Looj question

[pofak]

Sorry. I know there is Looj forum but there is no traffic and I really need an answer to this question.

We have a two story house. I can reach one end of the gutter easily from the garage roof but for the other end is about 25-30 high. I am thinking of buying a Looj and start it from the garage end but I am afraid the it may get stuck and I have to reach it from the end. Is this a problem? Should I avoid buying Looj if I cannot get to it from the other end?

Thanks and my apology for posting to the wrong forum.

[Fraggboy]

Moved it to the Looj forum, while leaving the topic visible in the Roomba/Scooba forum so you can get some exposure.

I don't own one, but I have read that they do get stuck from time to time and you might need to recover it. Since you can't use a ladder (25-30ft) in that certain area, can't you just walk on the roof to get to that area if it does get stuck Or is the transition from the garage roof to the second story roof too high?

[RoombaRules]

i don't own a Looj either, but from what I've read, the newer Looj's have been redesigned to work in more gutters...i doubt they're perfect, but iRobot usualy gets it pretty good by the 2nd try. i would give it a shot. There's no reason you can't just return it if it doesn't work.

[pofak]

Thanks for replies.

The transition from garage to the roof is too high and I am sure my wife won't let me to go on the roof even if I wanted myself.

I try to find one in local store so I can return it easily but I doubt any store carry it.

[Fraggboy]

Yea, I haven't seen them in stores here either. What I would do is purchase it from a company that has a Lifetime warranty, like Hammacher (If they sell them). So, if your not satisfied you can get your money back no questions asked..

This forum is very quiet. It's either hardly any one uses it, or it works that great..

[RoombaRules]

I think Looj is just a very niche thing. The only time I've ever seen an advertisement for it was on TV once....and that was last year. I don't think they market it very strongly. If you ask me, it makes sense too. Unlike Roomba, Looj would seem to be something you would only use a few times per year. Plus it costs hundreds of dollars and just goes back and forth in your gutters. That's not to say it isn't worth it for some people, there are circumstances where a Looj would definitely be extremely useful....I just don't think it applies to the average person.

But at any rate, if you have indeed decided on a Looj, Hammacher Schlemmer does in fact sell them. Their lifetime warranty simply can't be matched by any other store, period. So seeing as how this product may or may not be what you're looking for, I would definitely take this route since you'll be able to return it without much hassle. Go look at their website, they are brave enough to call it "unconditional" even online. It sounds too good to be true, but it realy isn't. I've had nothing but good experiences with them. Here is the link to the Looj on Hammacher's website:

http://www.hammacher.com/publish/74923. ... mo=QCO&ls=

Also, just because I get a kick out of it, here's a link to Hammacher's Lifetime Gaurantee....there's no legal mumbo-jumbo or anything....it's unconditional.

http://www.hammacher.com/order/ret_exch ... eGuarantee

UPDATE: After looking at Hammacher's page about the Looj, it looks as though they are actualy selling it for only $80 right now (not including shipping of course). That's a realy good price! Almost makes me think about getting one myself. Hmm....

[bjohnstone]

I've been a happy looj user for a couple of years. There are only a few things that will make you need to find a ladder and retrieve: 1. the clearance between the gutter nails and bottom/front of gutter is too tight/low to get the looj auger blades through without sticking 2. roof/shingles overhang above the gutter is too short to allow looj to move without restriction 3. a funky corner or curve that allows looj to get halfway through, then stuck 4. the last gutter nail before the end of your run prevents the antenna from coming all the way through which results in a kink that traps the looj. You will know the answers to clearance questions 1 & 2 after a very short run; 3 & 4 require a visual inspection. Most of these problems can be worked around by using the old army method: one step forward, two steps back. And you will need a hose to wash off the debris that gets slung out of the gutters by the very efficient looj. The recommendation of purchasing at Hammacher is the best advice you'll ever get. http://www.hammacher.com/publish/74923. ... mo=QCO&ls= Don't forget your safety glasses!

[jbh3]

My house layout sounds like yours. If the looj got stuck out near the end, I'd have to pay someone to come fetch it.

That said, I couldn't resist the $30 deal, so I got one. I also bought a ball of nylon string and tied it to the end. The string pretty much feeds itself out (its sitting in the gutter in front of the ladder). My gutters were filled with oak leaf muck, water, and some new growth. Plus several wasp nests were present. The looj would only go about 6 in at a shot, before the clutch would slip, and I had to back it out. After a while, it stopped working, and I realized that my string had become bound up in the rear wheels. After that I kept tension on the string, in fact I found it easier to pull the looj backward with the string rather than use reverse. I cleared 30ft (about half of the back gutter of my house) in about 1.5hrs, before the battery gave up. I did have to run the auger the "wrong" way to get through some blockages, so the junk got thrown up on my roof. That will either dry up and blow away, or come back in the gutter for a fairly easy second pass.

The looj did flip itself over a couple of times, and I did have to pull it back with the string a couple of times. The string will remain attached to the looj, and gets cleaned with the same bucket of bleach solution. Oh yeah, be prepared to get sprayed with a fine mist of foul gutter juice.

But, it did the job, and I'm pretty happy with it. I hope it lasts for a while.

After

[pofak]

I got the Looj on Friday. After the charge, I gave it a try. I also tied a string to it in case. I had 5-6 worth of pine needles packed in the gutter so process was slow. I did half on Saturday and half on Sunday after a fresh charge. The one I got was the old version and the biggest problem was the antenna. It would get stuck under the shingles. Finally I got tired and loop the antenna through the opening at the end of Looj and everything was fine. It flipped many times but it could be used flipped after the antenna was tucked away. Th gutter is cleaned now but unfortunately there are some needles stuck in the down spout which is out of reach. I hopping that they get unstuck after a few rain. I think I can do the same gutter in less than 30 minutes from now on. My problem is that I cannot reach the gutter in from of the house but that one receives a lot less leaves.

I am very happy with the purchase.

Thanks for all your help.