Gutter guards. Good or bad idea?

[Augusto Orosco]

Are gutter guards a good idea? My house, which I bought last year, has the big mesh type of guards (as opposed to the 'better' fine mesh) on the upper floor gutters. The gutter cleaning company is adamant that these guards do not work well and they suggested that I should remove them. Obviously they are not an impartial party, since without guards I should be cleaning the gutters more frequently, so I ask the collective here for their opinions.

FYI, although I have trees around the property, we keep them trimmed so there are not branches hanging over the house. Of course, debris still falls down, but less than if trees were all over the house. I plan on having the gutters clean 3x year regardless, given that the lower level gutters have no guards.

[Prashun Patel]

Watch it as is for a year or two. If you find your gutters are clogging, you can always get guards later.

FWIW, I have the kind that cap the cutter and rely on surface tension for the water to roll over the lip and into the gutter. They've worked well for 11 years and counting. The brand is Gutter Topper. I have a new addition that does not have guards, and it clogs frequently.

[Augusto Orosco]

Watch it as is for a year or two. If you find your gutters are clogging, you can always get guards later.

FWIW, I have the kind that cap the cutter and rely on surface tension for the water to roll over the lip and into the gutter. They've worked well for 11 years and counting. The brand is Gutter Topper. I have a new addition that does not have guards, and it clogs frequently.

The issue is that I have guards already. What I don't want to do is to remove them only to feel I should re-install them later (at great expense!). So far, neither the ones with (2nd/3rd level) or without the guards (1st level) have clogged; both kinds withstood Sandy and other heavy rain events quite well.

[David Weaver]

They would probably like to have them removed so that it's easier for them to clean your gutters. I've had the large mesh gutters for 7 years on my house, with one end under a huge maple tree, and never a clog.

[Chris Padilla]

It depends on your situation. Gutters with guards will clog at some point. All guards do is extend the time when a clog might happen. Stuff does get beyond them. I put a brand new roof on complete with gutters and guards about 4 years ago. A few weekends ago, I removed some guards because my gutters were clogged up. Maybe maple trees or David's guards are better than mine (what kind do you have, David?), but my white oak tree (~100 years old...dumps stuff 24/7/365) gives them a run for their money. My guards are aluminum and fit over the top of the gutter with tabs and perhaps a screw into the roof here and there (that made it fun to remove them) and some of the them were pushed in and therefore didn't do much guarding. Anyway, I'm not looking forward to putting the guards back but come fall/winter, I might do that. :) I may try that Gutter Topper that Prashun has.

[David Weaver]

I think my large mesh predates the big push for brand name gutter solutions. they just look like 1/4" square cut wire mesh attached to the gutters, probably installed by whoever installed the gutters decades ago when soffiting was installed on my 1950s house.

I am too cheap to buy the branded type marketed/franchise solutions, anyway. if the wire mesh wasn't there already, I'd do it myself just the same way.

[Jeff Monson]

I had very frequent clogs in my last home. I installed the plastic mesh guards that Menards sells, I did not purchase the ones with the fine screen on them. They worked very well for me.

[Bruce Page]

I installed the fine mesh guards and they have worked very well for me. However, I was on the roof a few days ago and saw that the vinyl/plastic mesh screen was starting to succumb to the strong UV we have here in NM. I have not needed to clean the gutters since installing the guards several years ago. I'm going to try and find the same type of gutter guard but with a metal screen.

[Charles Wiggins]

When we moved into our house about three years ago there was nothing on the gutters. The gutters had obviously been cleaned out recently, but over time they began to accumulate a lot of debris from all of the oak and pine trees around our house, to the point that they were overflowing and we were getting water in our basement (my shop).

We cleaned them out and installed these screens (http://www.lowes.com/pd_1517-77248-ZSW2000L_0__?productId=3400550) from the Blue BORG. Sometimes when a lot of leaves or oak fronds fall they build up on the screens and we have some minor runoff from the roof, but eventually the debris dries out and blows away and the gutters will be open again. We haven't had anymore water in the basement since we installed them.

[Augusto Orosco]

So for all you guys who have guards; do you ever clean the gutters? If so, how frequently? I can imagine it's a big hassle removing the mesh and putting it back on, particularly when there are screws involved (such as in Chris's case).

[Bruce Page]

I have never needed to clean mine. Mine are just like the ones Charles linked to.

[Mac McQuinn]

I have (17) very large maples on a corner residential lot and typically the gutters would fill with Buds in the spring, "Helicopters" in late May and leaves in the Fall. 12 years ago I had new gutters installed and went to the commercial sized downspouts which went a long way in keeping things clean. Than said, If things are really dry I run into some clogging as the debris just sits in the gutters. A couple years ago I installed the Guards w/ screens from Menards. At first I thought this was great as it prevented the debris from clogging up things although I noticed the rain was going over the gutters due to the small sized screen in place. It was running over the edge, too close to the house. I pulled this screen off and while things were better, this spring with our flood producing rains, I still felt the water had enough surface tension to avoid going through all the holes in the guards themselves. This was keeping my Sump Pump going at a alarming rate.

A week ago , I pulled the Guards completely (20 minutes) and feel with the rains we've been getting the debris will run out which it has. As long as I clear the base of the downspout, I'm having success.

If things get dry, I'll run the hose up there and flush things out before they clog, and re-install the guards just before leaf season and remove them before snow flys.

Mac

[Ben Hatcher]

I spent years cleaning my grandparents' gutters which had the mesh covers. I'd say they work for most of the leaves, but are useless against small stuff like helicopters and oak flowers. The plastic screens degrade after 4-5 years. The mesh falls off and the frames become very brittle. My previous house had the gutter guard brand gutters. They were about 2x the size of regular gutters as were the downspouts. There were 5 or 6 huge maple, oak, and hickory trees within 10' of the foundation. In the 5 years I lived there I didn't have a single clog. However, on heavy downpours, they weren't 100% effective at capturing all of the runoff. This was especially true where an upper level gutter drained onto the shingles of a lower level. I'd say 90% of that ran right over the edge before I modified the guard.

[Charles Wiggins]

So for all you guys who have guards; do you ever clean the gutters? If so, how frequently? I can imagine it's a big hassle removing the mesh and putting it back on, particularly when there are screws involved (such as in Chris's case).

It's been about a year and a half and so far we haven't really needed to. I've considered going up with a broom and sweeping the crap off the guards, but most of the time, by the time I have time to do it the stuff has dried out and blown away in the wind.

[Shawn Siegrist]

Leaf relief is one of the best on the market. They are aluminum and come in 10' sections and attach to the front of the gutter with screws. They have a silicon lip that channels any water on the fascia board into the gutter and helps prevent tiger striping on the fascia board below the gutter. Excellent product, have installed it on dozens of houses and never a call back.

[Jim Matthews]

So far, neither the ones with (2nd/3rd level) or without the guards (1st level) have clogged; both kinds withstood Sandy and other heavy rain events quite well.

That sort of answers the question, you have empirical evidence refuting the claim of an interested party that has a financial stake.

If the gutters stay clear, that's the manufacturer's intent.

I have a fine stainless steel mesh in an aluminum panel in my gutters.
Given the height of the second floor, I'm glad it keeps the gutters clear of pine needles and maple seeds.

If it works - don't fix it.

[Jim Becker]

I'm currently testing a product called "Gutter Brush" that I obtained from Lee Valley in some gutter areas that are prone to clogging and so far, the result has been positive. The cost beats the "Leaf Guard" price by a mile, too, based on a quote I got a year or so ago from the local franchise for that product.

[Greg Peterson]

I too purchased some Gutter Brush to test in a problem area of my house. Think large bottle brush that lays in the gutter. Very passive deterrent system. And very inexpensive by comparison to the alternatives.

[Myk Rian]

I have a stack of guards in the garage. The wide open mesh type, which have a tendency to trap the maple seeds. The guards with the fine screen overlay would be the better choice.
The LAST thing I will consider is the Gutter Helmet system. At least here in the north. Huge icicles form on them.

[Chris Padilla]

http://www.askthebuilder.com/gutterguard/

There are several videos to watch on this...very interesting. And if you want to know which one Tim chose:

http://www.mastershield.com/?Campaign=7873

[David Weaver]

I'm currently testing a product called "Gutter Brush" that I obtained from Lee Valley in some gutter areas that are prone to clogging and so far, the result has been positive. The cost beats the "Leaf Guard" price by a mile, too, based on a quote I got a year or so ago from the local franchise for that product.

Never heard of those before. They look like a much better, and much more econmical solution than paying the highly franchised high cost solutions that usually come in mail flyers.

[Ole Anderson]

About 6 years ago I bit the bullet and bought the (highly franchised high cost solution) Gutter Helmet. They have the rounded lip that carries water back into the gutter, but directs leaves and debris over the front. They come with a lifetime warranty. A few years back I had them out to see why I was getting some overflow. They removed a few sections and found debris that apparently hadn't been removed during installation, which I found hard to believe. But they cleaned them at no charge and they have worked fine ever since. They do require that you keep the lip fairly clean, and they provide a solid stream nozzle for your hose to do that. I get a lot of seeds off the cottonwoods that I felt would just clog a screen type guard.

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[Curt Harms]

We have one section of gutter on a porch roof that was a problem, several trees in close proximity. We got these aluminum guards from the orange borg and got self drilling self tapping stainless screws from fastenal to attach 'em. They completely cover the gutter and slide up under the shingles so I can't see how anything can get under them. I put 'em up last summer so no long term report. We've recently had some pretty good downpours and so far no overflow. I was wondering about stuff sitting on top of them or getting stuck in the openings but so far so good.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/202934176?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=202934176&R=202934176

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/300/fc/fcfb805f-8623-476f-aad0-d25904faf3d3_300.jpg
(http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/202934176?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=202934176&R=202934176)

[Stephen Tashiro]

We have one section of gutter on a porch roof that was a problem, several trees in close proximity. We got these aluminum guards from the orange borg and got self drilling self tapping stainless screws from fastenal to attach 'em. They completely cover the gutter and slide up under the shingles so I can't see how anything can get under them. I put 'em up last summer so no long term report. We've recently had some pretty good downpours and so far no overflow. I was wondering about stuff sitting on top of them or getting stuck in the openings but so far so good.

I wonder if the other types of never-clogging gutter guards just amount to not having gutters at all.

[Brian Elfert]

I fail to understand how the Gutter Brush keeps debris out of the gutters. It seems like tree debris smaller than leaves would be stuck in the bristles and eventually it would plug up. I do like the "Made in the USA" part though.

[Jim O'Dell]

I also have the solid ones where the water clings to a curve to drop into the gutter like Prashun mentioned. These are on my shop. I have Oak and Elm over the shop. These have been on for probably 5 years and never clogged. I got frequent clogs before I put these on. Lots of Oak acorns and leaves. Hope this helps. Jim.

[rogers kevin]

I heard that the company called as Newpro having the best gutter guard solutions, and I am thinking to try them out.

[Jim Becker]

I fail to understand how the Gutter Brush keeps debris out of the gutters. It seems like tree debris smaller than leaves would be stuck in the bristles and eventually it would plug up. I do like the "Made in the USA" part though.

The instructions for the Gutter Brush do indicate that they do not totally eliminate the need for cleaning, but that it's not required with any frequency. To date, I'm not finding any debris stuck in the "test section" of my gutter where I have Gutter Brush...after six months and through the spring "bloom" season. (That section is near a very large flowering weeping plum tree)

I also picked up some of the material that Curt illustrated to cover the very wide gutter along our front porch. I do wish it was available in something other than white...but there is always spray paint. (Gutters are putty colored/roof is dark bronze metal)

[Augusto Orosco]

Thanks for the input to all.

I decided to go with the "if it's not broken, don't fix it" approach and instructed the gutter company not to remove the guards and clean only the lower level gutters (which have no guards). I if start experiencing issues with the guards, I will remove them and have the gutters cleaned; but so far, they are performing quite well.