Description
Gutters protect against structural damage by diverting rainwater away from a home. However, an unavoidable consequence of gutter use is that they collect various types of debris (leaves, sticks, acorns, pine needs, silt/mud) in addition to water. Cleaning them is an arduous task which often requires a landscaper or homeowner to put their own safety at risk to reach the gutter, and/or to become covered in debris in the process. A few methods that currently exist for cleaning gutters are as follows: standing on a ladder and scooping debris into a bucket, using an attachment on a leaf blower that blows the debris out of the gutter, or standing on the roof and using a combination of these two methods. Apart from being both dangerous and messy, these methods are often not time efficient and ineffective at clearing heavier debris such as wet leaves, sticks, and acorns. Thus a tool that can eliminate the above problems and alleviate the mundane nature of the job is desirable. Since clearing debris from gutters is a multifaceted problem, the team must consider several metrics. These metrics include but are not limited to: user interface, ergonomics, debris collection, adaptability, and user safety. The tool must be easily operable, requiring minimum input from the user. The team must therefore consider several things such as weight, curvature of any handles, and user interface. To achieve this, the tool must consider the aforementioned metrics and satisfy the following requirements: clears multiple types of gutters containing various types of debris, be lightweight/intuitive to use, clears gutters from the ground, and keeps the user safe .
Department Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor TTI
Advisor Richard Simmons
Primary Email Contact jfranco34@gatech.edu
Table # G21

Members

Name Major Hometown
Brett Delozier ME Dalton
Jesus Franco ME Dalton
Joshua Mosher ME Cartersville, Ga
Joshua Herrera ME Dalton, Ga
Kaitlyn Comstock ME Marietta, Ga
Tyler Leach ME Woodstock, Ga