Gutter Guards

[spotco2]

The other post about gutters got me to thinking that I really need to add them to my building but also need to replace the ones on my house.

The building is simple, but the house has several large oaks around it and the gutters tend to fill up fast with leaves and debris. I've got the cheap, screen wire covers on them but a lot of stuff either gets trapped on top and blocks the gutter or stuff gets under them and they are a PITA to flip over a clean out.

Teach me about gutter guards and if any are as good as they sound like. What about cleaning out the gutters if they get clogged with guards?

Also there are several places on the house that the decking and shingles stick out over half way across the current small gutters. What size could I step up to without it looking commercial and out of place?

 

[mrrooG8]

Here is my take. My previous house did not have gutter guards. Lots of big maples. I usually got up on the roof about 3-4 times a year to clean out the gutters and downspouts. Always plugged it seemed. My new house we just moved into has gutter toppers. The Good: No acorns or anything from all the huge oaks on my property. Seems I will not have to so much cleaning. The bad: Rain seems to go over the guards and just run off right onto the area below the gutters. This is causing dirt and grass to wash out. I have heard of my issue before from other with gutter toppers. I'm not sure what to do with them yet..

 

[58Yeoman]

I had a new roof installed last year, due to a hail storm. They removed all the junk guards that I had on there, and this year I'm going with the ones from Costco http://tinyurl.com/gutter-guard this year. I've tried the plastic 3' long from Menards, but I need brown, and the sun warped them all to hell.

Next was the rolls of black plastic and rolls of aluminum. Again, no good. Those were the ones the roofers removed last year. A few years ago, I tried the generic helmet guards from Lowe's, and the rain just rolled right over them. My roof is a 4/12, so the water couldn't have been going too fast.

 

[406Rich]

we just bought an older home that had the stainless expanded wire on the gutters, no leaves, but the PO never cleaned the mud out in twenty years...
http://diamondbackguttercovers.com/portfolio/product-2

 

[venturesomerite]

I just use those cheap expanded metal style plastic ones with the screen material on the back.

The foam insert type, I don't have any experience with.


Every home I have ever worked on that has those metal ones where the rain runs over the front rounded edge have the same problems A) in heavy rain it just runs OVER the guard, works well in light rain though B) BEES, always bees, hornets, wasps, you name it. They love that long dry home that you have created for them.

 

[JimVonBaden]

I put these in two years ago: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Amerimax-Home-Products-3-ft-Snap-In-White-Gutter-Guard-85270/100009044

Good price, easy to install and work great. No water over the guard, and no leaves. The only small issue is that my neighbor's pin needles sometimes stick on the holes. But the was off in a rain or two.

 

[Stuart in MN]

I have LeafGuard brand gutters on my house: https://www.leafguard.com/ The guard part is integral with the gutter. They work great for me - absolutely no debris collecting in them (and I have a lot of trees), and no problems with water shooting over the edge in hard rains.

 

[jhelrey]

I made my own gutter guards out of .25 x .25 square metal fabric material. Tuck them under the shingles and self tapers through the gutters. Can't see them from the ground. They don't clog. The most annoying thing that gets into them is the helicopter seeds. The tails will stick out of the guards until they dry up, then the seeds make their way through the system.

 

[930dreamer]

I'd get these.

 

[Kevin54]

I have the same type as JVB has and I like them. I now have to install them on the garage. I bought them late last year and didn't get them on. I did luck out as our local ReStore had them for $1.00 each in both white and brown.

 

[Matt M PA]

Do the ones JVB listed have some sort of fine mesh screen as well as the diamond shaped holes? I too need to do something like this on our house and have been hoping for a good review on these.

 

[venturesomerite]

Do the ones JVB listed have some sort of fine mesh screen as well as the diamond shaped holes? I too need to do something like this on our house and have been hoping for a good review on these.

Yes, those are the only one I personally use. It's like a window screen type material. Cheap too.

 

[32vsnake]

I used some gutter guards from costco and they worked pretty well. Much cleaner appearance and the gutters are still clean under the guard after 2 years

http://www.costco.ca/Alu-Rex-Clip-N-Guard-%E2%80%93-Gutter-System-36.58-m-(120-ft.)-.product.100203740.html

 

[PWC Repair]

I've been thinking about trying this http://www.homedepot.com/p/GUTTERSTUFF-5-in-x-48-in-K-Style-Foam-Gutter-Filter-GS-K5-SPAN/203318223

I've got a few large ash trees by the house with those damn helicopter seeds twice a year.

 

[JimVonBaden]

I've been thinking about trying this http://www.homedepot.com/p/GUTTERSTUFF-5-in-x-48-in-K-Style-Foam-Gutter-Filter-GS-K5-SPAN/203318223

I've got a few large ash trees by the house with those damn helicopter seeds twice a year.

Those make me nervous. They could easily get a layer of leaves stuck to them that turns nearly solid. I could be wrong though.

 

[smalltown]

JimVonVBAden, and Kevin54 how do those gutter guard work in the winter with all the snow and ice?

 

[Kevin54]

JimVonVBAden, and Kevin54 how do those gutter guard work in the winter with all the snow and ice?

This has been one of the mildest winters on record around here, so I really can't say. I never even had to use the snow shovel this winter.

 

[redmondjp]

Yes, those are the only one I personally use. It's like a window screen type material. Cheap too.

I have these as well and they have been working fine for the past six years. I blow them off with a leaf blower, or use a standard household broom, a few times a year.

In the areas underneath the valleys, I do get a buildup of grit from the shingles that has to be cleaned off of the fine mesh.

There is no perfect gutter guard system - they all require some sort of maintenance.

 

[Racer_X]

I switched to these foam gutter fillers 3 or 4 years ago. The rain water goes right through, but no solids get in. As a bonus, they are made in the U.S.A.

http://www.menards.com/main/buildin...4430783374-c-5812.htm?tid=7354962089534128956

 

[landlord30]

I've been thinking about trying this http://www.homedepot.com/p/GUTTERSTUFF-5-in-x-48-in-K-Style-Foam-Gutter-Filter-GS-K5-SPAN/203318223

I've got a few large ash trees by the house with those damn helicopter seeds twice a year.

These work well except if you have needles around. I've had them for 2 years now and the leaves blow off but the needles clog them up something terrible.

 

[JimVonBaden]

JimVonVBAden, and Kevin54 how do those gutter guard work in the winter with all the snow and ice?

Not one issue for me. We had a heavier than usual winter here, with 22" of snow in one day, then several thaw and freeze cycles.

 

[cory43]

Are gutter guards worth the money?

 

[jkeyser14]

Are gutter guards worth the money?

In my opinion, hell no. I had them on my last house and they sucked. They either clogged up or water ran right over the top during heavy storms. In the winter they piled up with ice.

My current house (in the woods) we put on oversized 6" gutters and downspouts. I have only had to clean the gutters once in 3 years. Most of the debris is small enough to pass straight through the large downspouts without accumulating.

 

[My Old Tools]

This is my gutter guy and his take on gutter guards. Only one that he guarantees not to clog in our area.
https://thegutterguy.com/Products.html

 

[Showkey]

Link to another recent discussion on gutter covers........

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=454215&highlight=Gutter

Really depends on where you live.........do you have trees ????

Leaves, nuts, seeds, trigs can be a real issue. If live in area where the closest tree is 100 yards away or nonexistent.........gutter covers are not needed.

Clogged gutters can cause problems........ so cover or clean or both might be required maintenance. Leave the gutters off.......that has been discussed at length in the GJ many times. Usually with my basement in wet, leak or seeps. Water management is also critical in many locations.

 

[Copymutt]

Adding gutter guards is like fixing a cracked block w/ JB weld. Gutters are an attempt to mitigate poor design of a home or shop. Proper overhang and slope are nada, zip, no maintenance.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

I can't say it enough times. Gutter Glove. Hands down the best product on the market. I've had the Ice Breaker version for around 15 years and have never touched my gutters. Blue Spruce, Maple, Oak tree directly over the house. Available in Pro install and DIY at Home Depot, Lowe's, etc. BTW, Leaf Filter is a less expensive copycat brand and a lawsuit is supposed to be pending...

https://www.gutterglove.com/

Tommy

 

[redmondjp]

Adding gutter guards is like fixing a cracked block w/ JB weld. Gutters are an attempt to mitigate poor design of a home or shop. Proper overhang and slope are nada, zip, no maintenance.

What in the world are you talking about? Oh, how much annual rainfall do you get? Most of us on here are stuck with our so-called poor design and cannot change it. My house is in a pit - all the water in our cul-de-sac eventually ends up in my crawlspace (including downspouts, which were purposefully designed to discharge underneath the house when it was built in 1977), where I have to pump it out to a nearby storm drain.

I have gutter guards on my house and it was the best thing that I ever did. Now I never clean the gutters. Are they zero maintenance? No. I still go up and either blow or sweep them off 2-3 times a year, during dry daylight hours. This beats the heck out of getting drenched during a downpour while balancing on a ladder trying to unclog the top of the downspout.

In your perfect, arid-environment world where you build your new house on the top of a hill and you have no nearby trees, sure, your scenario might work. But most of us are stuck with what somebody else built, and I can do nothing about my terrain - everything drains toward the house.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Adding gutter guards is like fixing a cracked block w/ JB weld. Gutters are an attempt to mitigate poor design of a home or shop. Proper overhang and slope are nada, zip, no maintenance.

Except for the flooded basement, foundation damage and eroded soil around the building...

Tommy

 

[Showkey]

Colorado rain fall:

https://www.currentresults.com/Weather/Colorado/average-yearly-precipitation.php

Many areas get an average an inch a month..........


About 20% the totals I get .............We average an inch a week.

 

[olytdi]

LS6Tommy is entirely correct. I've had them all (except the Leaf Guard which I think is ridiculous unless you have ZERO leaves and if that's the case, you don't need anything) and the only one I can really advocate for is the Gutter Glove stainless steel panels.

I live in the PNW with HUGE and MANY Big-leaf Maples over the house and these are the ticket. Sure, you need to brush-off the screens when there's a load of leaves falling but it's easy from the ground on a one-story and they even give you the brush to do it.

Proper installation is key but they're robust, easy to install (use the screws NOT the adhesive), effective, affordable, and easily replaced in 3 ft sections should a branch or something seriously damage one.

 

[BearsFan315]

i have a large 100'+ canopy water oak in my back yard, and every fall when it dumps leaves had to clean out the gutters several times to keep the water flowing down !! i bought some cheap screens from lowes and installed, they were teh open wire flip type, supposed to be easy to clean out if needed. but same issue, they blocked about 25% of the leaves but debris still got in. was more of a pain to clean since i had to flip open a small section clean out, then move to the next.
few years ago i did some reading and bought the DIY stuff from Costco https://www.gutterglove.com/diy-products/ and installed. i was skeptical, but have to say they work great. no shingle rocks get in no leaves, acorns, debris, etc !! love these things. have NOT gotten up on roof to clean out gutters since i installed. But i have climbed up there just to look and see !! just know that IF you get a torrential downpour rain water will blow across the screen mesh and over the gutter. i am very happy with them.

as for the rain guards they work on surface tension, so if it rains hard yes water will blow right the gutter and on the ground below. gotta love physics !!

 

[CraigStu]

On a previous house I did a hybrid gutter. The existing gutters were the smaller standard size. I made downspouts from the larger standard size. Put the new larger flanges onto the gutters by turning them 90 degrees. I also got rid of all the S curve downspouts. I took the 8ft length of spout and ran it from the gutter to the corner of the house w/ NO curves. I fudged the joint to the 2-4ft lower spout and had a standard 90 deg bend at the bottom. Yep, it looked a little different, but I rarely had to clean the gutters because all the **** run right down the over sized straight spout. The few cleanouts I had to do were at the very bottom 90 deg bend which I could usually clean w/ a bent coat hanger so no ladder needed.