Where are you? What is your roof pitch?

 

My gutter company offers a brand that is supposed to guarrantee to keep gutters clean but they cost 3 times the cost of the gutter themselves. I will look for that info and brand then post it. Other than that I tell people not do any cause whatever gets in doesnt get out. Then the maintence creates a problem by people lifting and breaking fragile shingle edges trying to clear them out of ice or leaves.

 

I'm in Michigan, and the roof pitch is 4/12

 

From my web site www.midmoguttercleaning.com

Gutter Guards

All gutter guards stop large leaves from entering gutters, but they also allow small organic debris to sit on top and slowly deteriorate into the gutter system. If this organic debris that enters the gutter is not cleaned out on a regular basis, you end up with a layer of thick goo and muck in your gutters. On steep roofs gutter guards also may keep water from entering the gutters by skipping over the top, essentially negating the effectiveness of your drainage system.

If you must install gutter guards, then absolutely make sure you buy ones that allow you to easily see through them to the bottom of the entire gutter. DO NOT BUY PLASTIC GUTTER GUARDS which are not suitable for use in our hot Missouri Summers. We have removed and disposed of thousands of feet of gutter guards and the cheap plastic variety are by far the worst. They actually sag into the gutters during the hot summer months and become a leaf and debris trap rather than a barrier.

Avoid gutter guards that have solid tops and small slits near the front edge. Look for gutter guards that have a larger mesh-type open structure that resembles a fishnet or even a chain link fence. These systems allow you to aim a garden hose nozzle through the guard so that water can flush away the thick organic goo that will collect in the gutter. This will make a mess on the front of your gutters – but your gutter system must be cleaned regularly to operate properly.

Remember, even with gutter guards you will still have to clean and more importantly inspect your gutters regularly.

 

From my web site www.midmoguttercleaning.com

Gutter Guards



DO NOT BUY PLASTIC GUTTER GUARDS which are not suitable for use in our hot Missouri Summers. We have removed and disposed of thousands of feet of gutter guards and the cheap plastic variety are by far the worst. They actually sag into the gutters during the hot summer months and become a leaf and debris trap rather than a barrier.

Avoid gutter guards that have solid tops and small slits near the front edge. Look for gutter guards that have a larger mesh-type open structure that resembles a fishnet or even a chain link fence. These systems allow you to aim a garden hose nozzle through the guard so that water can flush away the thick organic goo that will collect in the gutter. This will make a mess on the front of your gutters – but your gutter system must be cleaned regularly to operate properly.

Remember, even with gutter guards you will still have to clean and more importantly inspect your gutters regularly.

By this comment, I presume you mean the roll out versions, right?

I have had very good experiences with the ones I described above,.

Ed

 

It all depends on the types of leaves that you have or pine needles or flowering buds or whirlybirds.

Read some of these gutter guard related testing articles and see what this man's opinion is.

None work for all situations.

Cheaper vinyl with small punch outs and a mesh screen laminated work just as well as the ones that cost 4 times as much as the actual gutters themselves.

A larger 3" x 4" downspout will remove the congeastion quicker and will not clog at the orifice asa readily as the smaller 2" x 3" drop outlets and downspouts.

Ed

 

I found that bees/wasps tend to enjoy them very much also. Seem to always find this out the hard way on roof jobs. I specifically tell clients I charge extra to deal with them on roof replacements.

 

I do not know about improper installations, but when the 3 footers with the diamond or circular punch outs with the screen mesh laminated to it are properly clipped to the front hem of the gutter trough and properly inserted under the bottom row of shingles, they have not sunken down.

I have seen the same brands and styles installed without being properly clipped or inserted under the bottom row of shingle sag quite significantly though.

They work very well for the cost and I am not one to usually push for the cheaper product if the better one offer a greateer long term value.

Just my personal experiences.

Ed

 

For Ed the Roofer



Ed,

About the vinyl with the diamonds. I have them on my own house and have done well now for 7 yrs. Just cleaned the gutters out 1 time of some minimal debris last year.

Question ? The ones I have do not have the screen mesh over the diamond punch out. I thought the screen would eventually clog up with debris / cause water to run over top of them, not into the gutter.

I'm replacing some wood trim / rot on the exterior of a house in a couple of weeks. They also accepted my bid to install 90 LF the vinyl diamond leaf protectors.

Use them with or without the screening ? Your thoughts ?

Thanks

Greensboro, NC

 

Around here they tend to aid in forming ice dams, especially on steep roofs. I'd think it would be worse in Mich. $.02

 

I think that if the water in the guttters are freezing, it already is going to happen anyways.

Ice dams really occur where the divide between the heated section of the house and the unheated soffit overhang begins.

Better cooler air ventilation assists in reducing that effect.

Ed

 

I know the theory, but in In we get wide variation in temps, day to night? And it seems that with dark roofs even well ventilated (which most are not) a little sun makes a lot of run off and...
I'm not arguing, just know what I see, and I wouldn't have them. Maybe Chevys and Fords.

 

I don't have them on my house either, but some consumers feel they MUST have them, or else, God Forbid, they may have to clean out their gutters ocassionally.

Ed

 

Never let reality get in the way of a good idea!
I've always thought that it was a Fla. deal that infiltrated.:whistling

 

You want to go with the metal ones your roofing supply house offers. Also wait until winter time they will put them on sale. Thats the time to buy. When i had my exterior redone the GC sub out the gutters. He said the leaf guards are to expensive at the moment. But he would keep a eye on his roofing supply this winter. The minute that went on sale he came back and got the money from me to buy them. Stored in his garage then came back in the summer to install them. So i got them for half price.

 

Gutter guards are rubbish in my opinion. I've seen more residential roofs that have been destroyed at the point where the screen/guard meets the first corse of shingles then I care to remember. They make the home owner think they no longer need to maintain their gutters becuase there's no need to clean the gutters out.

But what happens is the debris gets stuck right at the point where the screens/guards meet the shingles. After two or three years the organic material begins to decay and breaks down the roofing material. In some cases I've seen it completely destory the exposed shingle, the starter, and begin to rot the decking and fascia boards.

 

Not all guards work for everything but For a basic screen, we like EZ lock or Diamond Back. Leaf Relief is OK if you are installing it on straight runs..There is a tendency for rain to overshoot the gutters in the valleys.
We have had a lot of great feedback from Homeowners on Leaf Shelter made by US Aluminum.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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

 

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.

 

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.

 

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

 

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.

 

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

 

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

JC

http://www.bwire.com/