How do you keep fir needles out of gutters?

jimhorn1

Does anyone information on the MasterShield gutter guards. How do they perform over time? Can they be pressure washed without damage? Does water still run thru the stainless screen after a few months or does it start running over the edge of the gutter?

I would appreciate any information on the product or any product to reduce gutter maintenance with fir needles.

Ed the Roofer

Here is a good article about all of those high priced gutter guard style products.

Ed

http://www.askthebuilder.com/541_Gut...rd_Truth.shtml

5.0roofer

you dont keep needles out of gutters... thats why you have spring cleaning. Or you can hire someone to clean them for you. I'm a roofer and when ppl put things on their gutters it just becomes a bigger hassle.

A trick to gutter cleaning is to get a piece of wood the width of the bottom of the gutter. you can use it to push all the needles/granules to one side so you only have to clean from one spot.

Ed the Roofer

The 3 best defences to alleviating the potential for a clogged gutter scenario are:

1) Design the gutter system to have a significant and substantial pitch and making allowances for additional downspout leader pipe locations.

2) Trim back as many overhanging tree limbs as feasable to prevent the volume of debris free falling onto the roof in the first place.

3) Provide the larger downspout pipes, such as a 3" X 4" instead of the standard 2" X 3" nominal dimensions. This will allow twice the volume of debris expulsion from the gutter troughs and the clearance from the downspout attechment, which is usually a zip screw, will now have a more open clearance to allow debris to pass through without getting snagged on the tip of the screw. Once one article gets hung up, the rest have no orifice to pass through anymore.

Secret tip #4, free of charge. You can by an umbrella shaped hose attachment, which will allow you to remain on the ground to spray a steady stream of water into the highest points of the gutter down to the lowest spots by the downspouts.

But, there really is no replacing the on the roof scooping the debris out method.

I'm sorry folks. There really is no Santa Claus, when it comes to clog free gutter protection that is univrsally applicable to all situations.

Did I actually say orifice?

Ed

slakker

I have 2 huge trees (I think hemlock and spruce) that over hang my house... the worst part is that their the neighbours' But I like my neighbours and the trees are very pretty and supply shade. But they also shed worse than a cat, almost year round... To top it off, I have a high roof and metal roofing... So I don't want to walk on it much and it's hard to reach with a ladder...

I ended up spending the bucks and got a Leaf Guard gutter system... It's been 2 years and I'm very impressed with it... I see my neighbour tried to put a perforated sheild on her gutter, but they're pretty useless... especially with the spruce needles, it actually makes it worse...

Ed the Roofer

Having a metal roof and a steeper pitch is much more conducive to allowing enough water to flow downhill at the sufficient speed to allow the molecular cohesion function of the curved lip of the gutter guard product to have a better fighting chance in your particular situation.

The faster and more freely the water flows downwards, the quicker the opportunity to purge the leafy and other organic debris from the top of the system.

Ed

jimhorn1

I live in the Pacific Northwest and have many fir trees over 100 ft tall surrounding my home. We love the beauty of the trees but they do constantly rain needles on the roof. My roof is relatively low pitch and I can't change that. I do have a concrete tile roof that looks like shake shingles. It can be washed with a pressure washer. I usually do it twice a year. I am looking for solutions that make living with the problem the easiest.

5.0roofer

how long have you had the concrete tiles on? were starting to do conversions because these types of roofing systems are too heavy for buildings that aren't engineered to carry the weight.

Docfletcher

I looked at Mastershield but did not purchase it. Here is a link to Bob Villa site so you can see how people like it that have purchased it.

http://www.bobvila.com/Search/?q=mas...23&search.y=31

Ed check your email please.

Don

Ed the Roofer

Doc,

I responded to your e-mail.

That link showed off several people with good support, but their was also a very significant amount of complaints with the BBB. NO gutter guard product will work for all cluttering problems!

Do you realize how easy it is to NOT have any complaints with the BBB. Most dissatisfied consumers will not take the effort to go that far and even if they do, all the company has to do is give their "Reasonable" version or side of the story. The BBB is a toothless entity, whose only claim to fame is the BBB slogan which they charge about $ 500 to $ 750 per year to be able to list you as a member.

Ed

Docfletcher

Yes, I was aware of the toothless part, but was not aware of $750.00 membership fee.

Big Bob

poster ? was how do you keep fir needles out of gutters.

Cut all the fir trees down 450 feet arround the house.

Ed the Roofer

Pour about 1-2 gallons of Clorox Bleach at the base of each of the trees and by the next year, you will have no leaves to worry about.

Just kidding.....Don't take that advice seriously, PLEASE!

Ed

jimhorn1

Bob,

I assume that you do not live in the Pacific Northwest. Where I live, you cannot cut a tree down without a permit. If I cut all the trees down within 450 feet of my house, I not only would be cutting down 40 of my own fir trees that are over 100 feet tall, some of which have 5 foot diameter trunks, but also some of my neighbors trees. I do not believe one could get a permit to do such a thing nor would I want to.

Jim Horn

jimhorn1

I have had the concrete tiles for several years. I had a structural analysis done before installing the roof. These concrete tile are much lighter that a full tile roof but do weigh more per square foot than shake shingles. You are correct that one should have a structural analysis done before installing any roofing that increases the load on the rafters.

Jim