How to keep pine needles out of the gutters?

[ForceFed70]

Is there a way to keep pine needles out of your rain gutters?

Don't want to cut the trees down.

I know they make gutter guards for leaves, do they work for pine needles as well?

It's only been 6 months and already the new gutters on the garage are full of pine needles.

 

[Steevo]

Add-on gutter guards are mostly useless.
The "Leaf-Guard" gutters work pretty well at keeping debris out of them, but they are very pricey gutters.

 

[brownbagg]

cut the trees down

 

[5lima30]

All the gutter guards I have seen don't work well for pine needles. Back to cut the tree down. JMHO.

 

[DocRocket]

I don't know if they work well, or if it would answer your needs, but I have seen the open foam gutter inserts that should at least keep them from clogging the downspouts...

Haven't used them, cannot speak to their effectiveness with pine needles, I could see the needles getting stuck in vertically, but probably not clogging the gutters.

 

[JimVonBaden]

I don't know if they work well, or if it would answer your needs, but I have seen the open foam gutter inserts that should at least keep them from clogging the downspouts...

Haven't used them, cannot speak to their effectiveness with pine needles, I could see the needles getting stuck in vertically, but probably not clogging the gutters.

This is what I was thinking. Anyone with experience? I have a similar issue with pine needles.

Jim

 

[darkk]

We use these cheap plastic gutter screen things from Home Depot or Lowes for $2.10 a 3 foot section. We have several BIG pine trees at the other end of our house. It's been through a season and they DO work very good. The first year we had pine needles overflowing the gutters, after the screens, none.

 

[olytdi]

You will still have to clean the needles off of the gutter guard.

There is NO FREE LUNCH!

 

[ForceFed70]

We use these cheap plastic gutter screen things from Home Depot or Lowes for $2.10 a 3 foot section. We have several BIG pine trees at the other end of our house. It's been through a season and they DO work very good. The first year we had pine needles overflowing the gutters, after the screens, none.

Well that sounds promising. Nice to get feedback from someone who's tried the gutter guards.

Can you better explain the style that you got? What was the screen pattern/type/shape, etc. Thanks!

 

[ME87]

Take off the rain gutters? The joys of living in the desert.

 

[OldracerJones]

I tried them all. In the end, I cut the three pines down.

 

[zuk123]

I don't know if they work well, or if it would answer your needs, but I have seen the open foam gutter inserts that should at least keep them from clogging the downspouts...

Haven't used them, cannot speak to their effectiveness with pine needles, I could see the needles getting stuck in vertically, but probably not clogging the gutters.

This is what I use. I tried them on 10 ft over the porch and was so pleased I went back to Costco and got enough for the rest of the house.

They're not perfect, as they do still catch the tiny bits off my oak, and that looks like it's clogging the mesh a little. They still work great 2 years later.

Piece of cake to install too.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11642197&search=gutter&topnav=&Mo=0&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&N=5000043&whse=BC&Dx=mode%20matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=gutter&Ntt=gutter&No=0&Nty=1&Ntx=mode%20matchallpartial

zuk

 

[zuk123]

You do still need to occasionally pull down a buildup of needles on the roof itself, but this is easy with a rake or push broom. They sweep right over the gutter, and not into it.

zuk

 

[ForceFed70]

I don't know if they work well, or if it would answer your needs, but I have seen the open foam gutter inserts that should at least keep them from clogging the downspouts...

Haven't used them, cannot speak to their effectiveness with pine needles, I could see the needles getting stuck in vertically, but probably not clogging the gutters.

Hmmm, yeah that might just work.

 

[JimVonBaden]

I tried them all. In the end, I cut the three pines down.

In my case the pine trees are in my neighbor's yard.

Jim

 

[darkk]

Well that sounds promising. Nice to get feedback from someone who's tried the gutter guards.

Can you better explain the style that you got? What was the screen pattern/type/shape, etc. Thanks!

here is a link to the exact ones I used. I don't have to clean them. Pine needles fall and rinse off, some remain on top of the gutter guards. The next time it rains they get washed off. I have not had to clean them yet.
Use the zoom feature to see them up close. There are diamond cut holes with a vinyl screen over it all. just tuck them under the edge of the shingle and the other end has a groove that snaps onto the gutter for a solid fit. At $2.10 each 3 footer you can't go wrong. We installed almost 200 foot of it one afternoon.
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...tter+gards&storeId=10051&superSkuId=202938895

 

[djjsr]

I installed the foam stuff. Works great for leaves and seed pods but I can't say for pine needles.