# Gutter guards



## Tom M (Jan 3, 2007)

Those plastic guards are a nightmare to remove. Certain gutter machines dont complete the hem and you have to go across the entire length all around the house for each gutter and crimp them further with a hand seamer to get the guards to snap in. Then they fight you getting them out which will only cause damage to the high spots of the 1st row of starter. I say if the roof is under 25feet high dont bother.


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## wudbtchr (Oct 6, 2007)

Thanks for all the advice guys. I may just stick with cleaning them a couple times per year, it only takes me about 1/2 hour anyways.


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## fez-head (Mar 15, 2005)

Ed the Roofer said:


> Even if leaves or flowering buds remained on the top of the mesh screen laminated to the plastic gutter guard pieces, the water will still drain through. I know this for a fact, because I did a water test with a garden hose to prove it to an elderly woman. Unsightly for a while, yest, but still funtional.
> 
> When the leaves get dry, a moderate wind will blow them away. The guards without the mesh will allow a portion of the debris to get trapped in the punch outs, especially whirlybirds from maple trees. Eventually, they too will slowly decay, enter the gutter and get washed out.
> 
> Ed



Not to argue Ed but I clean 47+ homes a year under maintenance contracts with and without various types of gutter guards and find the opposite to be true. There is no water pressure to speak of inside the gutter trough so the muck builds up creating a thick soup that is a breeding ground for mosquito's. 

Once the tree dander, seed pods and some types of small leaves get wet on the screens (and drip partway through) the liginin and proteins act like a mild glue and it will not blow off easily and usually pull off in papery sheets when dry. 

I have also done the water test for the "unbelievers" to show how the runoff actually shoots right over the top of the gutter guards (steep roofs are the worst of course) 

Water jumping over the gutters at the valleys is an easy fix and a nice add on. I can't figure out why the installers don't just add the deflector to begin with on all inside corners.

This is just what I have found. I hate cleaning gutters but twice a year maintenance contracts sure are nice money makers.


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## aegisroofing (Nov 3, 2009)

Although I'm not completely sold on any gutter gaurd system. The gutter guards that i'm installing is a screwed down aluminum louvered gutter guard. It has worked well for me.


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## Tom Struble (Mar 2, 2007)

my policy is i dont hang a gutter without leif protection jmo


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## jclem (May 29, 2008)

See my post in the "Alcoa leaf relief system" thread. Summing up what I said there: Stuff falls from the trees all year long, so cleaning 2x a year is no good--the other 363 days in the year the elbows and downspouts and drywells are getting clogged up. I've been using GutterTopper for 9 years with great success. I don't install it, I have a company based in NH come down to do it for my jobs in MA. Expensive but worth every penny.


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## Jake Stevens (Dec 10, 2007)

We only install Gutter Topper and have had real good luck with them. We are in our four year and not one call back.


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## nlgutters (Dec 18, 2007)

Jake Stevens said:


> We only install Gutter Topper and have had real good luck with them. We are in our four year and not one call back.



Yah, i dont understand that bitching. We install Leafproof and have for 4 years too. I have never had one call back. We used to have a problem with the front channel sometimes building up with pine needles. But now have a product for that too.


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## MWExteriors (Jan 28, 2010)

jclem said:


> See my post in the "Alcoa leaf relief system" thread. Summing up what I said there: Stuff falls from the trees all year long, so cleaning 2x a year is no good--the other 363 days in the year the elbows and downspouts and drywells are getting clogged up. I've been using GutterTopper for 9 years with great success. I don't install it, I have a company based in NH come down to do it for my jobs in MA. Expensive but worth every penny.


We have been using their Leaf Relief for a couple of years now and have had good luck with it. It rests against the drip edge, on top of the brackets which solves a lot of the problems others cause. It comes in 10' sections, I can install a couple hundred feet in less than 3 hours. I sell it for as much as the gutter typically. Protects against pine needles and other small leaves that plug the gutter guard crud (small chicken wire type mesh). That stuff is alright but it all depends on the trees.


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## welterweight (Nov 10, 2009)

Leaf Relief ! a great product and you have to charge a premium for it.


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## jimcro55 (May 10, 2010)

I strongly believe that Wire Mesh gutter guards can do the job. If the right grade material is used, and it is used correctly, you can have leaf-free gutters. A lot of people install the mesh wrong or use the wrong material, and then give up too quickly. Not sure if anyone markets any product like this, but if you know what you are doing you can buy the mesh yourself and design your own guard.


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## KevinD (Dec 24, 2009)

We use the gutter pro usa system. Great product, .27 gauge aluminum hood system. Dont have call backs or problems with ice damns


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## jimcro55 (May 10, 2010)

This looks like a great alternative. Very different ideas than the wire mesh concept I had mentioned previously.

JC

http://www.bwire.com/


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## dougger222 (Jan 29, 2004)

I only use the fine wire mesh black painted 4ft gutter screens in 6 inch and rarely 5 inch. 5 inch if the gap from the drip to the gutter is to much, they then lay flat. Off the top of my head they cost less than $1 a foot.

Lately I've been doing a lot of roofs with Gutter Helmets on them. This is the very expensive tall gutter system which has to be installed from a Gutter Helmet company. Some are installed over the second row and screwed into the shingles which I don't like. They use a rubber seal on the bottom this way. The other way is under the second row which is better, imo. This is the way they said is the best.

The past few jobs we did with these helmets so decided to call the company to ask about reinstalling them. They told me that if anybody other than the company removes them the warranty is void. The warranty is also void with hail damage. I have yet to see a system without hail damage.


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## SMA14 (Apr 21, 2010)

Our company has been using Hallett Gutter Cover for going on 7 years. We have not had any problems. It cost like a $1.39 a foot....it has been very profitable. Thought I would put my $.02 in since I am sure you don't want to hear me tell you some other things on this forum....haha


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## PSConsultants (May 11, 2010)

I was never a believer on gutter guards until i went to north carolina and met the guys from gutter pro. Installed it only costs $5 a foot. Wide variety of colors, they have a special fastening system which makes them stand up to the weather , and you can even put a ladder against the gutter when they are installed and you don't damage anything. Great product training and customer service too, they will spend money to help you in any way they can. No. I don't work for them or have stock in them..LOL, anytime I see a great product i will recommend it.


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## Capital Gutters (Jun 10, 2010)

*Way better than nothing*

For gutter guards to be effective, they need to slide under the shingles and securely attach to the gutter with screws. I've installed Gutterglove, LeafSolution, Guttershingle, GutterGuardian, Leafree, and other name brands. For any of them to work, those 2 principles need to hold true-under the shingles and screwed into place. 


So different guards will do different things for different people. But most people will find it much easier to have gutter guards than to not have them. Even an inexpensive screen will make life a lot easier if it is installed properly. With an economy screen some debris still gets through the openings. But it is maybe 3% of what would have gotten into the gutter before. So gutter cleaning is drastically reduced.

Madison Gutter Guards
Madison Roofing


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## Tom Struble (Mar 2, 2007)

what does being under the shingles have to do with how effective gutter gaurds are?and with all those fancy helmet type im always amazed you have to put regular screening in the valley


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## jmiller (May 14, 2010)

Capital Gutters said:


> For gutter guards to be effective, they need to slide under the shingles


The effectiveness of the eave at shedding water trumps the convenience of gutter guards. 

Your prerequisite is actually my biggest gripe, which is that the installer usually damages the starter shingles of the first course if they have to put anything under there, and anything going under the shingles at the eave will cause a flatter spot there.

Like Grumpy was saying, the good thing about having a roofer clean your gutters is you get a free partial roof inspection twice a year. OTOH, someone could just buy half round gutters and get a gutter cleaning robot [ iRobot 12501 Looj ]. Kidding about the robot, but I do love cleaning half rounds- compared to the others.


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## Capital Gutters (Jun 10, 2010)

> the good thing about having a roofer clean your gutters is you get a free partial roof inspection twice a year


I can see that it would be good to have a professional check things out twice a year. 

The problem I have seen is that gutters can be clogged within a couple weeks or even a couple days after the cleaning. A few big leaves and a downspout is clogged and then stays that way until the next cleaning.
Madison Gutters
Madison Gutter Guards


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