Gutter Covers
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How steep is the roof? What kind of debris do you get? How hard are the rains?
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I have been watching how gutter covers work for 50 years and I conclude that none work for very long. Some fall in the gutters, some get covered with wet leaves, some are fine and roof stones/dirt cover them and some blow off.
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The only DIY, retro fit, ones I've seen work are the "water fall" type.
Only thing that must be done is remove the sticker on the back side before installing or it will fall off once wet and plug up the down spout.
Yes in a heavy rain some water will flow over them, but installed correctly anything but pine needles will not plug them up.
I get stuck every year having to clean out my customers gutters and have seen some of the products they have tried, most are a total joke.
From foam, to what looked like a Fuller brush that catches everything, the flat stainless steel mesh that sits recessed into the gutter just forming a tray to build up all the trash.
Only thing that must be done is remove the sticker on the back side before installing or it will fall off once wet and plug up the down spout.
Yes in a heavy rain some water will flow over them, but installed correctly anything but pine needles will not plug them up.
I get stuck every year having to clean out my customers gutters and have seen some of the products they have tried, most are a total joke.
From foam, to what looked like a Fuller brush that catches everything, the flat stainless steel mesh that sits recessed into the gutter just forming a tray to build up all the trash.
I live in east Texas and it POURS. Roof is very steep. I get mostly leaves but also dirt . The gutters are always blocked by all the leaves and water just pours over like a waterfall. The worst part is a few of the downspouts drain into a drain underground but the leaves end up washing down into the PVC pipe and that gets blocked up
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If it rains that hard gutter covers will probably make more water overflow. After all, they have to cover at least part of the gutter. You can put a screen over the gutter outlet, but that is restrictive, too.
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I would like to know which one. Perhaps I haven’t seen it.
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Based on what the poster said, I would recommend RainDrop.
Steep pitch + heavy rains = overshoot with a reverse curl type system.
The grate style of that system will keep out a majority of the bigger stuff and still allow for maximum catch volume which will flush out the dirt.
Steep pitch + heavy rains = overshoot with a reverse curl type system.
The grate style of that system will keep out a majority of the bigger stuff and still allow for maximum catch volume which will flush out the dirt.
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The new mesh type shown on TV get wet leaves stuck to them where they sit and rot. In marginally freezing weather they ice over and water runs over. They all suck. I cut down a couple of trees and my gutters stay clean.
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754 Posts
Just had the micro-mesh Leaf Filter units installed on our gutters. Only been on for about 2 months, but we've had some horrendous downpours with absolutely no over-shoot, and our roof pitch is pretty steep with large surface area.
The Leaf Filters are NOT cheap, and are not available for DIY installs, but they effectively accept heavy rain loading. I know for a fact that the water flow through them is extremely high. We also just had dedicated solid discharge lines installed as well to take 100% of the downspouts to the street, and with the heavy rains, I now have to enlarge the discharge boxes because the flow velocity and volume is high enough to keep popping the grate covers off the discharge boxes.
Will they shed the leaves this coming fall? Have to wait and see. At least the mesh is tight enough that leaf stems and pine needles won't get stuck in them.
The Leaf Filters are NOT cheap, and are not available for DIY installs, but they effectively accept heavy rain loading. I know for a fact that the water flow through them is extremely high. We also just had dedicated solid discharge lines installed as well to take 100% of the downspouts to the street, and with the heavy rains, I now have to enlarge the discharge boxes because the flow velocity and volume is high enough to keep popping the grate covers off the discharge boxes.
Will they shed the leaves this coming fall? Have to wait and see. At least the mesh is tight enough that leaf stems and pine needles won't get stuck in them.
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I am interested in how they work over time. Roof stones and dirt might sit on the tight mesh. Time will tell about wet leaves. It only takes a little dirt and organic stuff to start moss growth. Please let us know over time.
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Leaf filter is a good brand, but if they grow any mildew on the screens, they will not flow as well.
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The idea that all gutter covers don't work is simply not true. I assure that I have customers that will call for ANYTHING if they think is is covered, and I have gutter covers that are 15 years old with ZERO calls.
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The tool I use is a flexible young guy from up the street.
2 cleanings per year @ $20 gets it done.
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I read BBB reviews for Leaf Filter. It seems that they have a pattern of trying to get a high price, lowering the price until it is accepted, and they use high pressure tactics. Then they hire cheap labor for $1 per foot and they butcher the jobs and leave shards of metal and fasteners all over the place. Customer service is almost nonexistent. They charge $10 to $40 per foot, whatever they can get. Read the lifetime guarantee, if they cannot or don't want to fix a problem, they will refund the material cost of the job. The material cost is a tiny fraction of the job cost.
I have no experience with them. I am relating what I read on a BBB site as customer reviews.
I have no experience with them. I am relating what I read on a BBB site as customer reviews.
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Yes, Leaf Filter starts at $40/foot, and we got ours down to $8/foot.
They do use drama tactics, but if you do your research and counter their $40 with $6, they quickly come down to $20, then $16, then $12, and then you just hold firm at $8-$10 and you'll get it. You simply have to be completely willing to let them leave without a purchase if they don't meet what you decide before hand is affordable for YOU. They will buckle, and if you're adequately prepared, their drama show can be entertaining.
Installation by cheap local labor, yes, that is true. Here, you just need to know what you got in your agreement/purchase (i.e. they haul away and clean up ALL junk removed from the existing gutters), and make sure that you do nto agree to only verbal items... get it all in writing, and review all of those details with the installer before they start the install.
Warranty... I've had one callout, and the guy who came was responsible, but not creative enough to figure out the solution to one of my problems, so I instructed him on the work, he did it, and everything is pretty much great now.
Super heavy rainfalls on a steep roof like ours, and there will be some gutter overshoot, but that is not a typical scenario where we live, and I can live with it.
After a number of super heavy rains and regular rains, I'm still happy, but have not yet navigated my first fall season with the Leaf Filters in place.
They do use drama tactics, but if you do your research and counter their $40 with $6, they quickly come down to $20, then $16, then $12, and then you just hold firm at $8-$10 and you'll get it. You simply have to be completely willing to let them leave without a purchase if they don't meet what you decide before hand is affordable for YOU. They will buckle, and if you're adequately prepared, their drama show can be entertaining.
Installation by cheap local labor, yes, that is true. Here, you just need to know what you got in your agreement/purchase (i.e. they haul away and clean up ALL junk removed from the existing gutters), and make sure that you do nto agree to only verbal items... get it all in writing, and review all of those details with the installer before they start the install.
Warranty... I've had one callout, and the guy who came was responsible, but not creative enough to figure out the solution to one of my problems, so I instructed him on the work, he did it, and everything is pretty much great now.
Super heavy rainfalls on a steep roof like ours, and there will be some gutter overshoot, but that is not a typical scenario where we live, and I can live with it.
After a number of super heavy rains and regular rains, I'm still happy, but have not yet navigated my first fall season with the Leaf Filters in place.
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I have spent a little time researching this topic; by research I mean watching a dozen or so videos by different youtubers who work with gutters and reading articles that I could find. While there was no absolute consensus on which type works best, the two types that almost always came out on top were: A) Micro Mesh and B) Aluminum Perforated.
My interpretation of what I have learned is that the best covers for most homeowners are aluminum perforated. Reason #1 is that they work better in heavy downpours, when your gutters really need to work. The bigger holes allow more water to enter the gutter and exit through the downspouts. In contrast the micro mesh has a harder time accepting a heavy flow, the water will tend to run right over the top of the gutter. If one had a large gutter and had proper drop from the edge of the roof down into the gutter then the micro mesh might also work well (as opposed to installing the gutter guard under the shingle like a drip edge which is especially bad for capturing flow). Reason #2 is cost, the perforated guards are one of the more inexpensive options, much less than most of the micro mesh options.
Regarding maintenance, both options do require some periodic cleaning, which will depend on your home's environment. It may take some years, but for most home owners the micromesh will start to hold enough shingle grit or have moss or other things starting to grow that the system will be totally clogged. A perforated guard will also need some periodic cleaning, probably more often that micromesh, but not excessively like an open gutter, and overall easier to clean. The big take away for me, was do not think of gutter guards as way to totally eliminate maintenance, think of them as a way to make your gutters work better at capturing rain.
My interpretation of what I have learned is that the best covers for most homeowners are aluminum perforated. Reason #1 is that they work better in heavy downpours, when your gutters really need to work. The bigger holes allow more water to enter the gutter and exit through the downspouts. In contrast the micro mesh has a harder time accepting a heavy flow, the water will tend to run right over the top of the gutter. If one had a large gutter and had proper drop from the edge of the roof down into the gutter then the micro mesh might also work well (as opposed to installing the gutter guard under the shingle like a drip edge which is especially bad for capturing flow). Reason #2 is cost, the perforated guards are one of the more inexpensive options, much less than most of the micro mesh options.
Regarding maintenance, both options do require some periodic cleaning, which will depend on your home's environment. It may take some years, but for most home owners the micromesh will start to hold enough shingle grit or have moss or other things starting to grow that the system will be totally clogged. A perforated guard will also need some periodic cleaning, probably more often that micromesh, but not excessively like an open gutter, and overall easier to clean. The big take away for me, was do not think of gutter guards as way to totally eliminate maintenance, think of them as a way to make your gutters work better at capturing rain.
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