Do rain gutter “hedgehog” brushes work?

We held a very enjoyable lunchtime slot at the Glasgow City Heritage Trust yesterday, talking to a mix of professionals and people who manage heritage community buildings about planning building changes to serve the community better and reduce energy waste at the same time. During it, the question came up – do the “hedgehog” brushes that are becoming popular in rain gutters (in Scotland, rhones) actually work to keep them from getting blocked?

We can’t find a usable image of a hedgehog brush, but they are easy to find for sale on the internet. They look like over-sized pipe cleaners, and in theory, leaves and other debris stick on the outer edge of the brush, allowing water to flow freely underneath. They are meant to reduce the risk of water ingress by making maintenance easier – one of the most important things HeatHack groups think about. And we freely admit, in this case, it was us asking the question. There is no substitute for lived experience for all these kinds of products, something which conservation architects and their clients have in abundance. In HeatHack, we have experience as volunteers at the sharp end in a range of buildings, but our contacts have had many more varied experiences.

And so, the crowd-sourced answer we received: no, generally, these brushes sound good but they just get gummed up with all the debris they’re trying to keep out of the gutter and then end up removed. Sadly, there appears to be no substitute for regular, planned maintenance to keep them clear. As always, “your mileage may vary” – we can’t guarantee they won’t work for you – but we won’t be adding them to the background information part of our Guide Book.

We’d like to thank the Glasgow City Heritage Trust for having us, and for being so supportive and encouraging as we work out how to improve and scale up what we do.