Advice: Gutter Protection / Gutter Guards

[dgold]

Hello all,
I'm in the process of getting quotes to have all new gutters installed around my house. The existing ones do not appear to be sloped properly and all the spikes are pulling out of the fascia boards. While I'm at it, I'll upgrade from 5" gutters w/ 2x3 downspouts to 6" gutters w/ 3x4 downspouts and also considering having gutter guards installed.

Does anyone here have any experience with any of the so called "micro-mesh" gutter guards? I can't use the traditional gutter guards since I have pine trees and a maple tree that loves to dump all the nasty helicopters on my roof.

Looking at these products at the moment:

• Gutterglove (current favorite)
• LeafFilter
• Mastershield

Thanks in advance,
David

[SteveW]

Great home repair website, and he has done reviews of gutter guards. Most are not effective (but are expensive!).


I personally have tried the cheap plastic ones, with mesh and without, from the big box stores, and hated them (didn't stay in, looked cheap).

My personal favorite is Gutter Brush. It is what it sounds like - like a giant bottle brush, that sits permanently in the gutter and fills the space with the radial bristles. I used this system for years and never had leaves, or maple seeds, get in my gutters. Not too expensive, either. Only problem is they may be a little visible (black bristles sticking up above the gutter a half-inch). Not a big deal to me, but my wife didn't like the look so we pulled 'em.

[Lakee911]

Great home repair website, and he has done reviews of gutter guards. Most are not effective (but are expensive!).


I personally have tried the cheap plastic ones, with mesh and without, from the big box stores, and hated them (didn't stay in, looked cheap).

My personal favorite is Gutter Brush. It is what it sounds like - like a giant bottle brush, that sits permanently in the gutter and fills the space with the radial bristles. I used this system for years and never had leaves, or maple seeds, get in my gutters. Not too expensive, either. Only problem is they may be a little visible (black bristles sticking up above the gutter a half-inch). Not a big deal to me, but my wife didn't like the look so we pulled 'em.

My neighbor has them. Kind of looks like a big pipe cleaner stuffed in there.

I see gunk getting down in there that would be hard to clean. They've been in for two years now. I can see her windows from my house. I'm not sure how well they do though with lots of flow from a huge rain. Do they impede the flow much?

[SteveW]

Good question - they didn't seem to slow down the flow, to me.

The company that makes 'em says that yes, they will get some small leaves, maple "helicopters", etc. stuck in the bristles, but eventually they dry up and blow away or disintegrate. They do say that you may, every few years, need to just pull up the gutter brushes and shake them out, but I never did.

[dgold]

Steve,
Thanks for the site recommendation. Exactly what I was looking for. He has some really good video - this one sold me. Now I just need to figure out which is which - or at least get mine mounted at the same pitch as my roof. Looking at the manufacturers sites, they look pretty much the same, but from the video, it appears that the pitch of the installation is pretty critical.

http://www.askthebuilder.com/Gutter_...ts_Video.shtml

Thanks again.

[SteveW]

My pleasure - glad it was helpful. It's hard to find good, unbiased info out there, and I think Tim does a good job of that on his site.

[Tom1957]

Leaf filter and gutter glove both lay flat on top of your gutters. While it is absolutly true that neither will allow debris into your gutters, the problem is the debris sits ON your gutters and doesn't come off. It can lead to problems in the winter as well as its a platform for ice and snow to build up.
MasterShield installs following the pitch of your roof, meaning it is on a angle that doesn't stop the natural flow of the leaves and oak tassels, or pine needles. They all work at stopping your gutters from clogging, but Leaf Filter and Gutter Glove need to be brushed off and you have to be the one to do it. I found there warranty and here is what it says. "It is the owners responsibility to unclog the mesh in the event it gets clogged." Ask the Builder is a great site because he reviewed and tried them all. If you are in Maryland the Mastershield guy is at www.mastershieldvamd.com
Cheers