Gutter Covers

[newbury]

I have no experience with covers for rain gutters. There are trees near the house and the leaves end up plugging the downspouts. What have you tried that works well? Thank you.

Forty years ago I used to clamber up on the roof (three stories off the ground) every fall, clean out the gutters, sit on the ridge and enjoy the view. The house is surrounded by red maples.

With the onslaught of 4 children over the next 12 years that joy decreased.

However every year I made sure the children over about the age of 8 climbed up with me (they were safely roped) and also got to enjoy the view. It did take a while to coax them up the ladder, but they all helped clean gutters, made it to the ridge and were proud.

About 15 years ago we got a new roof, new gutters, and screens that look like what HD sells. My youngest still wanted to go up on the roof to clean gutters every year. I let him but it was not really needed. Seems after he became 25 that desire dropped.

Good screens took away one of the small joys joys of life, but we still have the pictures and memories (somewhere).

<snip>
Ultimately, the type of foliage on your roof dictates the type of gutter you need but the metal micro-porous ones will work in any situation as far as I know - they're just expensive.
<snip>

That may be the biggest factor. I've one house of the four I own with pine nearby and the pine needles stick in the the screens.

 

[KennyG]

I've had very good luck with broadleaf trees using the screen type snap in gutter covers. Works very well. I have heard that they are not so good with pine needles but have no experience with that. My pole barn gutters are installed such that the covers won't fit. I added the foam that fills the gutter. Works fine for leaves and keeps the water flowing. Unfortunately it collects dirt and allows seeds to sprout. So now I have to "weed the gutters" once a year.

 

[EddieWalker]

I've been using the open screen gutter guards sold at Home Depot for years with great results. The are cheap, easy to install and they perform flawlessly. The problems I've seen with most of the high dollar gutter guards is they have holes too small to catch all the water and then they direct some water back under the shingles, which leads to rot of the fasica and soffits. All you need for the guards to do is keep out the leaves, small stuff that gets through the screens is so small that it just washed down during heavy rains. Keep It Simple.

 

[tman1020]

Ah gawd, you've get me started on gutters. We have pin oaks surrounding our house and they're a gutter nightmare. The spring tassels (look like pipe cleaners) fall into them and the pin oak leaves are long and narrow. Used to clean the gutters by hand twice a year which was a royal pain. Tried a variety of gutter screens but none have worked thus far. Saw a company that makes a micro-porous mesh that covers the tops so that the water goes through but everything else washes off the top. Great idea but at $10+ a linear foot, they're very expensive (screens only - not the gutters themselves). The wrap around types with the underside slits sound like a great idea. That's what I have right now. The idea is that the slits are on the underside so the water will follow the curve to the underside where it enters the slit and falls into the gutter. The debris will slid off. Yeah, these are the ones you slip up under the shingle. They don't work either as the tassels follow the curve and clog up the slits or the rain is heavy and still runs off the side of the house and not into the gutter. Ultimately, the type of foliage on your roof dictates the type of gutter you need but the metal micro-porous ones will work in any situation as far as I know - they're just expensive. Go to a home builders show and you'll see them.

Many of the metal ones with small holes will create a situation where the water will hydroplane right off the gutter. Especially if there are some leaves stuck to it.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Here's the best way I've found to deal with gutters,

I drive along slooooly and they get cleaned... It's a fast and easy way to keep them clean...

SR

 

[hosspuller]

I've oak, maple and pine trees around my house. Spring brings the Oak pollen, Fall brings the narrow pin oak leaves, Pine needles anytime the wind blows. Nothing worked. Cleaning gutters was miserable with the gutter supports blocking the debris. Finally, last year I replaced all the gutters with Raingo gutters. It's supported by plastic hangers outside the gutter. The open top is unobstructed. Further I didn't close the ends, but angled the ends up after the downspouts.

Now cleaning the gutters is a breeze. Either blow all the debris out with a leaf blower or use a hook made of 1 1/2 PVC pipe to sweep everything out the ends.

 

[k0ua]

I've oak, maple and pine trees around my house. Spring brings the Oak pollen, Fall brings the narrow pin oak leaves, Pine needles anytime the wind blows. Nothing worked. Cleaning gutters was miserable with the gutter supports blocking the debris. Finally, last year I replaced all the gutters with Raingo gutters. It's supported by plastic hangers outside the gutter. The open top is unobstructed. Further I didn't close the ends, but angled the ends up after the downspouts.

Now cleaning the gutters is a breeze. Either blow all the debris out with a leaf blower or use a hook made of 1 1/2 PVC pipe to sweep everything out the ends.

That is an interesting idea.

 

[hosspuller]

Here's a PDF sheet on the gutters. Notice the outside support bracket. That's a downside if you want a smooth look.

http://www.raingo.com/docs/Raingo%20Quad%2011-09%20Web.pdf

 

[4570Man]

I gave up on gutter guards. In my experience they don't work and usually hinder the performance of the gutters.

 

[Snobdds]

Still blower. The only thing I've found that works. Open gutters for me.