Is there a Gutter protection that works??

[LD1]

As the title suggests. What have have you guys found that works and what doesn't.

Every spring and fall, I get tired of cleaning the gutters. I usualld dont realize it or think about it until it is a downpour outside and I see the water pouring out of the gutters.

There are several types on the market such as the foam type that "fill" the gutter. There is the style that cap the gutter and have slots in it. The screen type. The solid type with the rolled edge that the water is suposed to follow, etc. What works best for the money??

If it matters, a little layout of the property. There is a woods about 15-20 yards behind the house with an assortment of hardwoods like ash, maple, and cherry. To the west and north about 15-20 yards are a bunch of white pines which are really dirty as well. When I do clean the gutters, the front and side are mainly full of the pine needles and buds. The back is full with the broad leaves. I only have ~120' of gutter and dont want to go broke. I can clean them for free, it is just a PITA.

All suggestions are welcome.

 

[brin]

As the title suggests. What have have you guys found that works and what doesn't.

Every spring and fall, I get tired of cleaning the gutters. I usualld dont realize it or think about it until it is a downpour outside and I see the water pouring out of the gutters.

There are several types on the market such as the foam type that "fill" the gutter. There is the style that cap the gutter and have slots in it. The screen type. The solid type with the rolled edge that the water is suposed to follow, etc. What works best for the money??

If it matters, a little layout of the property. There is a woods about 15-20 yards behind the house with an assortment of hardwoods like ash, maple, and cherry. To the west and north about 15-20 yards are a bunch of white pines which are really dirty as well. When I do clean the gutters, the front and side are mainly full of the pine needles and buds. The back is full with the broad leaves. I only have ~120' of gutter and dont want to go broke. I can clean them for free, it is just a PITA.

All suggestions are welcome.

I have had 2 different kinds...Our old house had the screen type...did not work and blew off in high winds...talk about a PITA ...The new house has slotted gutter caps and only in 2 spots they have clogged with pine needles...The roof is too steep for me to clean them so I am waiting to find someone to go up there...where they are clogged is not a problem but it is annoying but the slotted work better but so far I have no found the perfect ones...if they exist, especially for those of us who live around trees.

 

[Chuck52]

I've had at least two types of screens, and neither worked well enough to bother with. In my present house I have no protectors, and I'm fairly certain at least the screens wouldn't work because I have a couple of locust trees close to the house. Locust leaves are so small I'm sure they would clog the screens. Fortunately for me my house has a low ratio slope and it is easy to get up there. Unfortunately I am getting older. One thing I will do this fall is cut down the worst offending locust tree. It actually hangs over the house in front and the sludge created when its leaves clog the gutter there is just too much to deal with. It is also ugly. So it goes and I get some pretty good fire wood.

I just can't imagine those solid caps working....I mean the ones where the water is supposed to follow the gentle curve of the metal and end up in the gutters. I only have gutter problems in downpours. I bet the water would just flush right over the sides of those things.

Chuck

 

[Maxfli]

I put caps on mine. Something like $2500. With a lifetime warrantee that they would work. Told the installers I was concerned in a few areas about the amount of water coming off the valley of a steep pitched roof. Then is hardly rained for months. Tried for months to get them to come back, what a joke. If I was going to do it again I would look at the Gutter brush. Don't know if it works but it sounds better that what I have now at a fraction of the price. Gutter Guard, Gutter Cleaning, Gutterbrush Gutter Guards, Rain Gutters Protection

Chuck is right, right over the cap, but I have a very steep pitched roof. Ice is problem in the winter too!

 

[LD1]

That gutter brush looks like it would work for broad leaves really well. It would be the needles that would concern me. Getting all wedged in that brush. I think it would be easier cleanning the gutter itself than trying to get the needles out of that brush.

Has anyone used that prush with pinetrees?? Does it work??

 

[beppington]

I saw a video some years, or on TV (not sure), that basically found that none of them work under all possible scenarios. Maybe there are better designs now, not sure.

Might've been an episode of This Old House, actually.

 

[ray66v]

I have installed many types of covers and screens. One thing no one ever mentions is: If you have steep roof pitches, i.e.> 6/12, no cover will work well. The water has too much speed to be able to hold on, and follow the curve at the end. Much of it will shoot off of the roof.

On pitches < 6/12, I have found covers to work very well.

Covers can also require the gutter to be lowered, before they can be installed, if the cutters were installed with any of the edge of the shingles inside the area of the trough.

So, far there is no perfect solution for all occasions.

 

[dfkrug]

I also have two types currently, and I can not endorse either.

I have huge redwood trees nearby, and they are very messy.

One type is a stainless steel curved expanded metal with hinges on one
side. I have actually seen Stellar Jays open them up. The other side
of the house has some of those vinyl mesh covers, but they seem to get
distorted by the sun.

 

[beppington]

Hope this link works; It's a video clip from This Old House showing Tom Silva "demonstrating" several different gutter guards for a homeowning couple. I quoted demonstrating there, because the hose he uses to spray some water on the roof, as "rain", would be a very light rain!

The homeowners don't seem too thrilled about any of them.

How to Choose a Leaf-Proof Gutter | Video | Drainage & Gutters | This Old House

 

[LD1]

I have installed many types of covers and screens. One thing no one ever mentions is: If you have steep roof pitches, i.e.> 6/12, no cover will work well. The water has too much speed to be able to hold on, and follow the curve at the end. Much of it will shoot off of the roof.

On pitches < 6/12, I have found covers to work very well.

Covers can also require the gutter to be lowered, before they can be installed, if the cutters were installed with any of the edge of the shingles inside the area of the trough.

So, far there is no perfect solution for all occasions.

Unfortunatally I have a 6/12 pitch on the roof. I am wondering if them foam type do any good. Like these Amazon.com: GutterStuff EZ 32-Feet of 5-Inch Foam Filter Gutter Insert, 5-Inch K Style: Home Improvement

But I am wondering how well they will actually do in a heavy rain. Or do they limit how fast the water can get to the downspouts and fill the gutter with water too quickly to be effective in a heavy rain??

Light rains dont bother me, it is the heavy rains that do the damage. Pooling and eroding earth around the foundation. I want something that will handle whatever mother nature has.

 

[Drago]

I tried the foam (Gutter Filter) and I must admit I was happy for a while then very disappointed. As others have mentioned my roof pitch was just too steep for the caps. The foam seemed like a great option. The product worked fine for about 3 years. After that, it started getting clogged with debris or shingle grit. When I would remove it to clean it, pieces of the product would break-off or crumble (even in locations without direct sun). After 5 years, I completely removed it. I'm back to cleaning the old way for now.

 

[BobRip]

I have "Flip Clean" gutters. The gutters are on hinges and you reach up with a pole and flip the gutters to dump them. It takes about 10 minutes to dump 400 feet of gutters. I am very pleased with them.

 

[LD1]

I tried the foam (Gutter Filter) and I must admit I was happy for a while then very disappointed. As others have mentioned my roof pitch was just too steep for the caps. The foam seemed like a great option. The product worked fine for about 3 years. After that, it started getting clogged with debris or shingle grit. When I would remove it to clean it, pieces of the product would break-off or crumble (even in locations without direct sun). After 5 years, I completely removed it. I'm back to cleaning the old way for now.

Unfortunatally I think that is what I am going to have to do. Nothing like blasting leaves out of the gutter with 3200psi of pressure washer power. But it is a messy job that I dread. I only have a 50' hose on the PW and need to get down and move the PW 3 times to complete.

Thank god it's not a metal roof @ 6/12 pitch like the barn. Which doesnt have gutters. A little erosion around it doesnt bother me cause there is no basement under it.

 

[beppington]

I made a little gadget:

(1) 2.5" PVC pipe from Home Depot
(3) 2.5" PVC 90's

I attached the pipe to my blower (removed my blower's factory tube), & the 90's to the other end, oriented so the wind goes up the pipe & does a 180 down into the gutter, & then a 90 to the left to blow lenghtwise along the gutter. Rather than gluing the joints, I used one short wood screw at each joint to 1) keep them together, & 2) give me the option of tweaking the orientation if I need to.

I can walk along the ground & blow the gutters out. Works best when the gutters are dry. May not get them spotless, but good enough.

This is a 1-story. PVC pipe for a 2-story would be too heavy for most I think.

 

[k0ua]

The solid type with the rolled edge that the water is suposed to follow, etc. What works best for the money??

the rolled edge metal caps have worked well for me., havent cleaned gutters for about 5 years now. They were cheap do-it-yourself sort of thing. Some of the clips have worked loose, and fell in the gutter, but doesnt seem to make any difference, they still stay on and work ok. Unless you get a "toad strangler" rain, then the rain shoots over the gutter so hard that it lands way out in the yard.. so doesnt really hurt anything.
James K0UA

GuttaGard: Affordable Gutter Protection - Gutter Guards - Gutter Covers

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Shop Amerimax White Snap-in Gutter Filter at Lowes.com

Since they are still in the box I am not sure how they are going to work but i hope to know in a week or two.

 

[rekees4300]

From Consumer Reports Sept. 2010

 

[beenthere]

What works for me is no gutters at all. Have 3' overhang, and been here 43 years with no gutters. Do some ground guttering along the drip line to get water away from the foundation and just put up with some inconvenience of water dripping over the entryway.

But don't have any problem with cleaning gutters or ice dams building up behind them. :cool2:

 

[Pirate]

Shop Amerimax White Snap-in Gutter Filter at Lowes.com

Since they are still in the box I am not sure how they are going to work but i hope to know in a week or two.

I went with these because of the window type screen over the larger holes in the plastic, brown not white. I wanted to keep the granules from the shingles from collecting in the gutters. I'll report next spring how they work. I won't mind some water collection. If it rains too hard, I don't really care if the water runs right over these gutter guards. It's easier to put up with a bit of water every now and then instead of cleaning out those dang gutters. My next step is to just remove the gutters all together. I don't think I get enough rain to cause problems and I am literally on top of a ridge. Little to no yard because of steep slopes off the front and back. Not sure why the builder put gutters on this place to begin with. A bit more rant: They knuckleheads used those giant spikes to put up the gutters with. This is only 14 years old. Surely they could have used a more modern attachment system instead of that?

 

[LD1]

From Consumer Reports Sept. 2010

Kinda suprises me on this chart that all but a few score higher than jsut an open gutter under the heavy folw and severe flow categories.

The idea is to reduce buildup. But I dont see how any product on the market could possibly work better than just an open gutter in heavy and severe rains. Kinda makes me wonder???

But I may have to look into the two amerimax ones on there that are checked as best buys. They score fairly well both are cheap.