Discussion Gutter Guards

[GodisanAtheist]

Alright so we've gotten more rain than I ever throught we'd get here in California over the last couple months and its dawned on me that I need to actually clean the gutters on my house thanks to a couple trees near the property close enough that shed into the gutters. It just hasn't rained enough in the last couple years to overwhelm the detritus that's in there. Two story "Shoebox" house also means I'm not terribly inclined to get on or up to the roof on a regular basis (20ft straight down basically everywhere).

So once this latest batch of storms pass, I'm going to head up, clean out the gutters, and I'd like to put in some gutter guards that will buy me a few years and there are just all sorts of options out there and I'd like to know what the experience is around the forums.

My gut tells me to go for one of the "area denial" options like the big spikey pipe-cleaner that sits in the gutter and prevents leaves from getting in deep, or the mesh tube that accomplishes the same thing.

I've also seen the foam option.

Then the options start getting more complex, difficult to install, and pricey like the screens and meshes that have to be installed into the roof.

There are the options that only sit on top of the downspout, mesh filters and the like, but I can see those getting quickly overwhelmed and not solving the core issue of crap getting into the gutter in the first place.

Lastly is the "get someone else to come clean your gutters" option that my wife is insisting on since she's not terribly interested in caring for a paraplegic husband.

TL;DR Hapless Californian who is not used to rain at all needs recommendations on best course of action for gutter guards.

 

[scorpmatt]

Step 1: buy a power sprayer
Step 2: ???
Step 3: Have clean gutters year round, along with other places that the power sprayer can clean.

 

[lxskllr]

What about do nothing? Your rain this year seems unusual, and guards wouldn't be that useful most of the time. I've had various cheapies, and I'm not crazy about any of them. Mall(remember those?!) displays of GutterGuard always looked cool, but everything works well in a carefully engineered display. They're expensive, and I suspect they don't work as well in the real world.

 

[pete6032]

Just buy something like this.

Amazon.com

 

[purbeast0]

I just get up on my roof with a leaf blower and clean all of my gutters in about 3 minutes total.

 

[nakedfrog]

The mesh filters don't seem particularly helpful. I did have a house that had some mesh/screen fixed to the gutter itself (not the roof, as far as I recall), it seemed fairly effective, and I'm considering installing something like that over the one corner of my house that has a deciduous tree growing over it.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Just buy something like this.

Amazon.com

- See I knew you guys would have some solid insight on this. With a 6 step ladder and the extensions I could reach my gutters with this and get them cleaned out without having to go on top of the roof.

Certainly seems like a better way of going about it than climbing on the roof, doing a starfish and then trying to scoop crap out of there with my hands.

What about do nothing? Your rain this year seems unusual, and guards wouldn't be that useful most of the time. I've had various cheapies, and I'm not crazy about any of them. Mall(remember those?!) displays of GutterGuard always looked cool, but everything works well in a carefully engineered display. They're expensive, and I suspect they don't work as well in the real world.

- Eh, I've lived in California long enough to know that we'll get another 2-3 winters that aren't this heavy, but will still be solid winters. Everyone will declare "The Drought" over, and then we'll head into the next 20 year drought.

 

[Captante]

The only "right" way to do this job is screens attached to the roof installed by a professional with his own insurance. (and ladder!)

Listen to your wife! (gravity is a bitch!)


"Each year in the U.S., more than 100 people die and thousands more are injured from ladder-related falls."

(CDC)


"Most ladder deaths are from falls of 10 feet or less."

(Nachi.org)

 

[Red Squirrel]

I have a feeling the guards would just get covered with leaves and gunk and the water would just bypass all of it, defeating the purpose of the gutters.

I went from having lot of trees around my house to none as I had to cut 2 of mine and my neighbour had to cut some too.

I used to go with a gardening trowel and just clear them that way twice a year but now I hardly have to do much. If you neglect it long enough it really starts to form an ecosystem in there. Even had a small tree start to grow out of them once.

 

[sdifox]

I have a feeling the guards would just get covered with leaves and gunk and the water would just bypass all of it, defeating the purpose of the gutters.

I went from having lot of trees around my house to none as I had to cut 2 of mine and my neighbour had to cut some too.

I used to go with a gardening trowel and just clear them that way twice a year but now I hardly have to do much. If you neglect it long enough it really starts to form an ecosystem in there. Even had a small tree start to grow out of them once.

Gutter guards do work. The leaves sitting on them will eventually dry and fall off.

 

[lxskllr]

Gutter guards do work. The leaves sitting on them will eventually dry and fall off.

Either that, or the channels get plugged, or in the case of screens, they get plugged and covered. I've had three different kinds, and compared them to having nothing at all. Covered is a little better than nothing at all, but when weighed against the hassle of installing them, and reduced rain capture, I'm not sure it's worth it.

 

[sdifox]

Either that, or the channels get plugged, or in the case of screens, they get plugged and covered. I've had three different kinds, and compared them to having nothing at all. Covered is a little better than nothing at all, but when weighed against the hassle of installing them, and reduced rain capture, I'm not sure it's worth it.

Mine worked fine and I had big trees over my roof.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Just buy something like this.

Amazon.com

My wife would be cleaning her gutter nightly with that if the water was warm.

 

[Braznor]

I thought the thread was about this.

 

[allisolm]

Mine worked fine and I had big trees over my roof.

Same here. I've had the cheap ($1.xx for 3 ft) ones for years with lots of overhanging trees and they worked and still work fine.

 

[techenjoyer]

I do not recommend them, they will make your gutter block easier and faster. My cleaning guy absolutely hates them as it makes his job harder, he uses one of those gutter vacuum things like from here https://wfp.co.uk/collections/gutter-vacuums I was going to buy one to clean the gutters myself but they cost way too much for it to be worth it for me

 

[sdifox]

I do not recommend them, they will make your gutter block easier and faster. My cleaning guy absolutely hates them as it makes his job harder.

why do you need someone to clean your gutters if you have gutter guard?

 

[GodisanAtheist]

I've been using the sprayer option for the last year (This thing https://a.co/d/aPmAvCU) and it works alright.

It usually keeps the gutters clean and free of waterfalls for about 2/3 storms, then more crap flows into the downspouts and clogs them again.

Honestly gutters themselves just feel like a whole lot more work than they're worth. The gutter falls only sound loud because it's a lot of water coming off of one spot, I figure with no gutters the water falling more or less evenly off the roof everywhere would just blend in with the general patter of the rain.