{ "id": "wire-gutter-balloon-63-to-75mm-2-pack", "sku": "wire-gutter-balloon-63-to-75mm-2-pack", "title": "Wire Gutter Balloon for 63 to 75mm Downpipes, Pack of 2", "slug": "wire-gutter-balloon-63-to-75mm-2-pack", "price": 24.99, "currency": "EUR", "availability": "in_stock", "category": "gutter-and-downpipe-guards", "category_label": "Gutter & Downpipe Guards", "tags": [], "colors": [], "materials": [], "dimensions": null, "weight": null, "images": [ "https://drains.irish/dropship-images/gutter-and-downpipe-guards/wire-gutter-balloon-63-to-75mm-2-pack/main-wire-gutter-balloon-63-to-75mm-2-pack.jpg", "https://drains.irish/dropship-images/gutter-and-downpipe-guards/wire-gutter-balloon-63-to-75mm-2-pack/wire-gutter-balloon-63-to-75mm-2-pack-2.jpg", "https://drains.irish/dropship-images/gutter-and-downpipe-guards/wire-gutter-balloon-63-to-75mm-2-pack/wire-gutter-balloon-63-to-75mm-2-pack-3.jpg", "https://drains.irish/dropship-images/gutter-and-downpipe-guards/wire-gutter-balloon-63-to-75mm-2-pack/wire-gutter-balloon-63-to-75mm-2-pack-5.jpg" ], "description_short": "Two galvanised wire balloons sit in the top of a 63 to 75mm downpipe or hopper head and grip without tools or fixings, holding leaves, twigs and moss in the gutter where you can lift them out.", "description": "Where gutter trouble starts\n\nStand outside on a wet November evening and look up. If water is sheeting over the front of the gutter instead of running along it, there is a good chance the downpipe is blocked.\n\nIt happens the same way on most houses. Leaves, moss from the roof tiles and bits of twig land in the gutter through the autumn. The next heavy shower washes all of it towards the lowest point, which is the outlet. The outlet is also the narrowest point in the whole system. A wide gutter empties into a pipe only a few centimetres across.\n\nSome of that debris goes straight down and out. A lot of it does not. It lodges at the first bend, or at the shoe at the bottom, or in the gully underneath, and each new leaf packs in behind it. A blocked downpipe is awkward to clear, because the blockage sits where you cannot see it or get a hand to it. An overflowing gutter also sends water down the wall, and a wall that stays wet is where damp begins.\n\nThe fix is to stop the debris before it goes over the edge. That is the whole job of a gutter balloon.\n\nWhat a gutter balloon is\n\nIt is a balloon shaped guard made of wire that sits in the gutter outlet, at the top of the downpipe. Water runs through the gaps in the wire and down the pipe as normal. Leaves and twigs are too big to follow, so they stay in the gutter.\n\nThis pack contains two. The maker states they are made from galvanised wire and lists the colour as grey. The maker gives the dimensions as 15 x 8 x 8cm and the weight as 110g, though it does not say whether those figures are for one guard or for the pair.\n\nThere are no moving parts and nothing to assemble. It is about as simple as a piece of rainwater kit can be.\n\nHow it fits\n\nAccording to the maker, you insert the balloon into the top of the downpipe or hopper head, and it expands to grip the pipe. No tools, fixings or special skills are needed.\n\nIn practice that means pressing it down into the outlet by hand until it holds. The wire springs against the inside of the pipe and keeps the guard in place. With this type of guard, the top of the balloon sits up in the gutter above the outlet, and that is the part that does the filtering.\n\nBefore you fit one, clear the gutter around the outlet. If you push a guard into a pile of old leaves, it cannot seat properly, and you start with a problem already in place. Run a little water through the downpipe to make sure it is clear too. A guard only prevents new blockages. It does nothing for one that is already there.\n\nGetting the size right\n\nThe maker states that these balloons fit downpipes from 63 to 75mm. It lists both round and square pipes, and asks buyers to check their sizing before ordering.\n\nThat range covers the downpipes found on a great many houses. A 68mm round downpipe, one of the most common sizes on homes here, sits inside it. Many square downpipes are close to 65mm across, which is also in range.\n\nTo be sure, measure. The figure you want is the width of the opening where the gutter outlet drops into the downpipe. If you cannot safely reach the gutter, measure the outside of the downpipe lower down as a guide. Larger pipes of 100mm and more are outside the range and need a larger guard.\n\nHow many you need\n\nOne balloon goes in each gutter outlet, so count your downpipes. A typical semi-detached or terraced house has one at the front and one at the back, which is what a pack of two covers. A detached house or a bungalow with a long roof often has four or more. Extensions, porches and garages usually have their own short gutter and their own outlet as well.\n\nIt is worth walking round the house and counting before you order. Note the size of each pipe while you are at it. Houses that have been extended over the years sometimes end up with two different downpipe sizes, and the guards only suit outlets within the 63 to 75mm range.\n\nIf you only want to protect some of the outlets, start with the ones under or near trees. Those are the ones that collect the most leaves and block first.\n\nWhat a guard will and will not do\n\nIt is worth being straight about this. A gutter balloon does not keep your gutters clean. It keeps your downpipes clear, which is a different thing.\n\nThe leaves still land in the gutter. With a guard fitted, they stay there, gathered around the balloon, where you can lift them out by hand. Without one, they vanish down the pipe and turn up later as a blockage somewhere much harder to reach. That is a real improvement, but it is not a reason to stop looking at the gutters.\n\nIf debris is left to build up around the balloon, it will eventually form a mat that slows the water. Then the gutter overflows for a new reason. Checking in autumn and again in spring keeps that from happening, and houses under trees will need a look more often during leaf fall.\n\nFine material is another limit. Grit from roof tiles and small seeds can pass through any open wire guard. The size of the gaps is not stated by the maker.\n\nHopper heads\n\nA hopper head is the open box you see at the top of some downpipes, often where a pipe from an upstairs bathroom or a second gutter joins. They are open to the sky and collect leaves readily.\n\nThe maker says the balloon can be inserted into a hopper head as well as a downpipe. The thing to check is the outlet at the bottom of the hopper. If that opening is between 63 and 75mm, the balloon is in range.\n\nWorking at height\n\nThe fitting is easy. Getting to it safely is the part that needs thought.\n\nUse a ladder in good condition, set on firm and level ground, at a sensible angle. Have someone stand at the bottom. Do not lean out sideways to reach an outlet. Climb down and move the ladder instead. Do not rest a ladder against the gutter itself, because plastic guttering is not made to carry that load.\n\nPick a dry, calm day. Wear gloves. If the gutter is above a conservatory, over a steep drop or more than one storey up and you are not used to ladders, hire a gutter cleaning contractor. They can clear the run and fit the guards in the same visit.\n\nNot a ground drain cover\n\nOne point of confusion comes up now and then. A gutter balloon is for the outlet at roof level. It is not a cover for a gully or drain in the ground.\n\nThe maker states no load rating for foot or vehicle traffic. Treat it as a leaf guard and nothing more.\n\nOn the subject of the ground, it is worth a look at the gully where each downpipe ends. Leaves gather there as well. A gully on your own property can usually be cleared by hand. If water is backing up from a road drain or a public sewer, contact your local authority or Uisce Éireann. Altering rainwater pipework or underground drains is work for a qualified person, and the Irish Building Regulations apply to drainage work.\n\nLooking after the guards\n\nThere is very little to do. When you check the gutters, lift each balloon out, shake off what is caught in it, and rinse the wire. Push it back into the outlet and make sure it grips.\n\nGalvanised wire is zinc coated for outdoor use. The maker gives no figure for how long it will last, and we will not invent one. If a guard has been bent out of shape and no longer holds in the pipe, or the wire is badly corroded, replace it.\n\nThe short version\n\nThis is a pack of two galvanised wire gutter balloons in grey. The maker states they fit round and square downpipes from 63 to 75mm, and that they push into the top of a downpipe or hopper head by hand and expand to grip. No tools or fixings are needed.\n\nThey hold leaves, twigs and moss in the gutter and out of the pipe. You still need to clear the gutter in autumn and spring. Measure your downpipe before ordering, take care on the ladder, and do not use them as covers for drains in the ground.", "llm_summary": "This is a pack of two wire gutter balloons, also called downpipe leaf guards. The maker states they are made from galvanised wire, are grey in colour, and fit round and square downpipes from 63 to 75 mm. Each guard is inserted by hand into the top of a downpipe or hopper head, where it expands to grip the pipe. No tools or fixings are needed. The guard lets rainwater through while holding back leaves, twigs and moss. The maker gives dimensions of 15 x 8 x 8 cm and a weight of 110 g. Whether those figures are per guard or for the pack is not stated by the maker. No load rating is stated by the maker, and the product is a leaf guard, not a load-bearing cover. Country of origin is not stated by the maker.", "returnable": true, "return_policy": "14-day right to cancel from delivery under the Consumer Rights Act 2022, buyer pays return postage; the refund may be reduced if the item has been used beyond normal handling; Consumer Rights Act 2022 rights for faulty goods. Return postage on faulty goods is ours.", "shipping_profile": "standard", "warranty": null, "brand": "Drains Company", "gtin": null, "mpn": null, "condition": "new", "url": "https://drains.irish/wire-gutter-balloon-63-to-75mm-2-pack/", "canonical_url": "https://drains.irish/wire-gutter-balloon-63-to-75mm-2-pack/", "json_url": "https://drains.irish/api/products/wire-gutter-balloon-63-to-75mm-2-pack.json", "updated_at": "2026-10-12" }