Best gutter leaf guard? Thanks!

[dougtrr2]

I had some leaf guards installed. I specified that I wanted a 2' section above eave downspout. The theory was, if I needed to get access I would only need to remove a short section, not the 10' piece they came in. They complied and the initial installation had a 2' feet piece above each downspout......... and the rest of the gutter was left open! They obviously fixed it and we had a good laugh over it.

Doug in SW IA

 

[milkman636]

Don't those hold debris on top of the guard. Maybe you are in a windy enough area to not have to worry about that?

The recess on top is shallow and really can’t hold much. I have a lot of maple trees, and the helicopter seeds will collect on them a little bit at my two inside valleys where I have overflow shields, and leaves will collect there in the fall too. But the little bit that lays on top of the rest of the gutters pretty much blows off after it dries out. It really seems like the perforated design allows air to get under the stuff and lift it off. My annual cleaning is basically just sweeping them off with a broom. This year a hand-held leaf blower got both roofs done in around 30 minutes.

 

[2manyrocks]

I suspect the smaller perforated holes would be a better option when maple helicopter seeds are involved than the larger diamond shaped openings on some other gutter shields. The holes need to be small enough for those seeds not to lodge in the openings, but still allow water to flow into the gutters.

 

[shooterdon]

I had Leaf Filter gutter guards installed and they clogged up with pollen. They will not honor their "Lifetime" warranty. Not a good company to deal with.

If the filter is large enough not to get clogged with pine needles etc and small enough to catch the smaller stuff it will clog with pollen.

So a lot depends on where you live and what you are dealing with. Take suggestions here with that in mind. A bit like "what should I use to clear snow". The perfect solution for one case will be marginal in the next.

 

[5030]

The best ones are the ones you buy at the local box store and install yourself, cheapest too.

 

[TN8Man]

I just bought the ones from Lowes and they work fine. I also removed trees that were too close to the house and barn that could cause damage if they fell.

 

[Cub 7275]

Tried the gutter glove from homedepot last year on one gutter. Have pines and maples. Was not impressed. To install they show sliding them under the shingles, but to do that you need to trim off the roof side aluminum strip if you want the shingles to lay flat. They have a depression in the screen (I assume to keep the water from going over the edge) which catches debris and allows it to build up. Cleaned them twice, but they did keep stuff out of the gutter, lol. During heavy rains some water bypassed the gutter. Took them off for the winter to prevent ice dams. They did not go back on this year. Really wanted them to work since cleaning the second story gutter is a hassle.

 

[5030]

I got mine from Menards 3 years ago and they work just fine. I used the mesh rolls on the shop gutters because I fill 350 gallon totes with rain water for equipment washdown.

 

[2manyrocks]

Another DIY option is to buy perforated vinyl siding soffit, cut it to the correct width, slide one end up under the roofing material and screw the other side to the top lip of the gutter. There will be situations where it will perform just as well as anything you can buy, and the longer lengths mean less sections to open up and let leaves in.

There are a variety of ways to cut it. Hand shears or the Dewalt shear attachment will zip through pretty quickly. https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DWASH...lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

[Torvy]

I think another factor may be the size of the gutters/downspouts. I have only had the 4" ones, but the new house has 6". I am hoping they clog less.

Anyone have any experience with the larger size?