Gutter leaf guards

dieselsmoke1 · Jun 4, 2004

Just cleaned out the gutters....again.
About half leafs half pine straw.
Tired of this act, going to install some leaf guards.
Local big box stores have screen types and the flow diverters.
Any advise on what works and what doesn't appreciated.

Thanks

Inspector507 · Jun 4, 2004

I have no idea which works best, but I need SOMETHING too

shade2u2 · Jun 4, 2004

I used the "pop in" 4' sections from Lowes. They're either a firm plastic or laminated metal. I can't remember the brand. They come in a box. They work very well. If I come up with more details, I will forward...

polecat · Jun 4, 2004

dear ds1...

about a year ago i saw a this old house episode where they used a new product made out of plastic that litrally covers the majority of the gutter but has just enough room for the water to get in...i have personally cleaned hundreds of gutters while doing handyman work and the only thing that i can say with the mesh type of gutter clutter setups is that over time i've many that literally clog up especially with pine needles...which make their way through the mesh and then make their way down into the drain pipes....the guys on the show talked about this problem and demonstrated with a few 5 gallon buckets of leaves and needles..and then put the hose to the roof..i was amazed at how well the product worked...u may have to do alittle searchin round but if i had gutters i would most definitely b lookin for this stuff bcause the majority of our trees round here are jist exactly that ...big tall white pines....... just food for thought

TODD /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Logan · Jun 4, 2004

I have used the screen guards before and they didn't work very well with pine needles. I ended up taking them down. I saw the episode of "This Old House" that Polecat mentioned and it was pretty amazing how well that product seemed to work considering the gutter was almost completely covered.

polecat · Jun 4, 2004

welcome to tbn logan!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
your profile does'nt say where u r from???so /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
where ru from???? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Atch4115 · Jun 4, 2004

I've seen that product advertised around here,they call them gutter helmets.They don't look like they would work but supposedly they use surface tension to direct the water to the gutter through the small gap.If anybody has them I would be curious to know if they work or not.

Logan · Jun 4, 2004

Thanks Polecat. Born in mountains of North Carolina, raised in N. Florida, now living in S. GA. I don't post much because I am still learning, but I have been doing a lot of "listening". I think I'm addicted to TBN.

polecat · Jun 4, 2004

u think u r!!!!!!!!!!!!!i've been on here since noon today...well on and off ...had 2 cook dinner 4 myself and the better half and 4 all the "chillin's!!!"

GaryM · Jun 4, 2004

I've had the "Leaf Guard" gutters on our old house for a few years. They are the type with the gutter covered except for the front edge. The water rolls over the edge and "sticks" to the matal due to surface tension. The leaves blow off and the water goes in. They claim that if it clogs they will come out and clean it. Never had any problems in 6 years or so. BUT if it's a really heavy rain, some water will not make it to the gutter. It just comes so fast that it can make the turn.

The leaf guard is a gutter and top in one piece. Not what you want if your gutters don't need to be replaced.

Tomorrrow morning a fellow is coming by to give me an estimate on adding a "topper" to the existing gutters on our new house. I'll let you know how it goes.

And if you have any maple trees, forget about screens. The maple seeds will stick in the screen until the wing rots off. Then it falls through and you get maple trees growing in your gutters.

Cliff_Johns · Jun 5, 2004

We had our house done four years ago, and I am so happy we did. The guard we bought has the curved lip that draws the water into the gutter, but has some slits cut into the top to catch water as well. The local company that installed it also makes it. It was installed on the current gutters. Works great. Hasn't paid for itself yet in terms of having someone come out and clean the gutters four times a year, but the problem was, we didn't clean them out enough and then when it snowed or rained hard enough, we would get some water where it didn't belong. Then we'd get the gutters cleaned. What a pain. Now they are always clean. No worries.

Cliff

Cliff_Johns · Jun 5, 2004

One thing I forgot. Most of these companies have a guarentee. Something like, "If you gutters clog, we will come out and remove the cover, clean the gutter, and replace the cover at no charge."

If you can find a reputable dealer that's been around for a while that has a guarentee like this, it's to your advantage.
Cliff

MarkV · Jun 5, 2004

Cliff, there are a lot of ads for similar products in my area that I have watched with interest. My understanding was that they could be pretty pricey. Would you recall a price per linear foot for the system you had put in?

MarkV

jfh230 · Jun 5, 2004

I've tried several options over the years. My opinion is that anything you can get at the big box stores will be a temporary solution. They just don't perform well over time. Wind, sticks, birds, squirells will dislodge them and allow leaves in at a seam. The best solution seems to be the "helmet" type. There are some that can be installed over existing gutters. They will work the majority of the time but in heavy rains the water can run past the lip. Also inside corners like at valleys will cause an overflow. A word of caution, make sure your gutters are attached securly and that means with some kind of mechanical clip system not a spike driven thru the gutter lip.

Jack

Cliff_Johns · Jun 5, 2004

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Cliff, there are a lot of ads for similar products in my area that I have watched with interest. My understanding was that they could be pretty pricey. Would you recall a price per linear foot for the system you had put in?
MarkV )</font>

We had them do some gutter rerouting at the same time so the costs were mixed in, and some of the work was 30 feet up with a steep sloped roof and poor ladder access, but I would guess around $4 - $5 a foot. Something like that. A lot of money, but if you don't clean you gutters that one last time in the fall and it snows/thaws/freezes/snows/freezes and the ice dams up and water comes into your den and the drywall puffs out and the window trim is dammaged, then you pay one way or the other. This happened to a uh . . . friend of mine who isn't very good about remembering those maintance items.

Cliff

milkman · Jun 5, 2004

Had a guy from Gutter Topper come out an give an estimate to cover gutters on house and garage, about 220' of gutter. I was on the road and the wife called with his estimate...$2600.00, that really steamed me and if I'd been home when he gave the estimate, I would have physically threw the thief off the property. I got the 4' plastic covers from Lowes, less than $4.00 each and installed them myself, so far they're working. Like someone else posted, in a downpour, some of the water runs over, but not a lot.

Cliff_Johns · Jun 5, 2004

On the price I mentioned, remember that that was several years ago and a local maker, not a nationally advertised brand.

Cliff

PineRidge · Jun 7, 2004

I am currently experimenting with a brand sold by Ace Hardware Stores. Last fall I installed the gutter guard on my 24 X 35 pole barn since it is located the closest to the trees on my lot and plugs the quickest. So far I am happy, the gutter guard appears to be doing what was promised.

The cost is also relatively low. This particular guard comes in rolls of I believe 20 to 25 foot rolls but may be joined for longer runs by overlapping an inch or so. You first attach plastic arched clips to the gutter to support the gutter guard and the the screen then snaps onto the fastened clips. Looking at the gutter from the end you would notice that the gutter guard has an arched appearance to further promote the shedding of debris. It was available in white or brown.

It actually looks like a factory installed job once it is in place. I'm most likely going to add it to the house gutters next.

dieselsmoke1 · Jun 15, 2004

Bought and installed the plastic solid helmet version from Big Orange, $3 for 4'.

Seems to work pretty good, got to put some diverters at the valleys to slow the spillover there.

One neat feature was the ledge whih overhangs the front edge of the gutter by about 1/4". Claims to make the water drip off and not run down the face of the gutter leaving those precious black streaks about every 3/4" apart, appears to work as promised.

I wasn't real happy with the interlocking device which secures the front edge, afraid high winds or an errant pressure washer could disengage, so I added a 2 pop rivets per piece to make sure it didn't move.

Thanks to all for their advice.

KAB · Jun 15, 2004

I have the plastic ones from one of the box stores and they have not clogged for 5 years. About 25 ft section is direcly below a buckeye tree. I usually check them about once a year and have not had a problem. The only one that gets clogged now is the gutter that I did not cover since there are no trees near it.

Kurt