We are considering some leafless gutter guards. I've read varying opinions online about them. Some swear by them. Others say they're garbage. One thing I've read is that even with with the guards in place, the gutters still should be cleaned once a year or so. Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of having the guards? Had a local contractor quote a price and they use either the Gutterglove Pro or Xtreme Gutter Guard.
Leafless gutter guards? Worth it?
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What type. Some work, some don't. But a properly specified gutter guard can work like a champ when done right.
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I never saw any that worked long term without cleaning. If they have course openings, dirt and seeds get through and plants grow in the gutters. If they have fine openings, silt, dirt and roof stones sit in top and restrict water. They can reduce how often you clean the gutters but don’t count on never having to do it again. I cut down the trees near my house and now I rarely clean my gutters.
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Personally, I'm not a fan.
If it's raining hard most of the water just flows right over the gutter and onto the ground defeating the whole purpose of the gutters which is to direct water away from your house/foundation in a controlled fashion.
I got to hand it to Leaf Guard and all of the gutter topper companies out there, as they do have some of the most convincing marketing I've ever seen.
And honestly (imo) for the price on some of these systems installed (especially Leaf Guard) you could hire someone to clean your gutters for many, many years and with the added benefit of the gutters working as they were designed to do.
As @Old Thomas mentioned, he cut the trees down close to the house. I know that's not always possible especially if you live in the woods but it's something to think about.
If it's raining hard most of the water just flows right over the gutter and onto the ground defeating the whole purpose of the gutters which is to direct water away from your house/foundation in a controlled fashion.
I got to hand it to Leaf Guard and all of the gutter topper companies out there, as they do have some of the most convincing marketing I've ever seen.
And honestly (imo) for the price on some of these systems installed (especially Leaf Guard) you could hire someone to clean your gutters for many, many years and with the added benefit of the gutters working as they were designed to do.
As @Old Thomas mentioned, he cut the trees down close to the house. I know that's not always possible especially if you live in the woods but it's something to think about.
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I still have plenty of mature trees, but they are at least 40 feet from the house. I took down a maple, two white pines (needle shedders, so glad they are gone) and a catalpa.
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I have the Gutter Helmet guards and in my case with a 3 story town house where I can't get to them with a ladder myself they are definitely worth it. I have had them for over 20 years which has saved me for paying for at least 40 cleanings... and only paid about $275 (I have simple straight 22' gutter runs front and back) to get them installed in the first place. Pretty much paid for themselves in the first 2 years. They are very effective. I ultimately did have one small clog on the side of the house that backs to the woods in 2018 or 2019. I had a ladder savvy friend come over and scrape it out. There really was minimal stuff in there but somehow was causing a clog. GH supposedly has a lifetime warranty and I probably could have got them out here... but I can't find the paperwork or recall from whom I got them. But if it happens again perhaps I'll try to figure that out.
There are a couple other brands now that operate on the GH principle. It might be worth shopping those based on price. I'd probably stay away from the filtering types. There is such a range of stuff that comes off these trees from pollen to twirly seed pods all the way to leaves and branches that eventually the pores will be blocked and will be very hard to clean.
There are a couple other brands now that operate on the GH principle. It might be worth shopping those based on price. I'd probably stay away from the filtering types. There is such a range of stuff that comes off these trees from pollen to twirly seed pods all the way to leaves and branches that eventually the pores will be blocked and will be very hard to clean.
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No. Gutters fill up and run as normal. You might have a very small % that doesn't get caught but I can sit by my kitchen window below during a thunderstorm and not notice anything significant coming down. I suspect that running a cloth along the drip edge periodically to remove any stuck on deposits could be helpful in keeping the water stream from separating and bypassing the gutters but I haven't done that, nor do I believe it is necessary. When I had the little clog it was very obvious. =:O That was a crisis situation when we had a couple of 3" per hour downpours that week.
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We install a bunch of reverse curl and grate style systems. In massively heavy rains, the reverse curl will have a bit of overshoot, but nowhere near as much as being theorized here or way less than a clogged gutter.
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