leaf guards for gutters

tynopik

Diamond Member
Aug 10, 2004
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after landscaping, the gutters are going to run into an underground drainage system so it's very important that NOTHING gets down it to clog it up

with that in mind i was looking a few systems:

LeafFilter, a filter
GutterStuff, a foam insert
Waterloov, a modification of the traditional reverse curve surface adhesion gutter guards (like leafguard)

the house is surrounded by trees, so gets tons of junk in the gutters including leafs, pine needles, oak pollen tassels, acorns, etc.

traditional reverse curve systems do let in some leafs and their 'no clogs or we'll clean the gutter guarantee' is no good when the clog is buried underground :(

most mesh filters are not very sturdy and simply don't work. An exception seems to be the Alcoa Leaf Relief, which is well regarded, but i still fear will let too many pine needles through.

the other problem with typical reverse curve systems is that apparently wasps and bees love to make their nests underneath the top cover where it is always dry

so anyways here are my concerns with the above systems:
LeafFilter- awfully expensive, will it clog? (not the channel underneath, but the surface, so water can't penetrate the filter)
GutterStuff- will it stay wet and cause rust? does all that foam in the channel impede waterflow?
Waterloov- does it actually keep pine needles out as much as it claims?

not having to clean the gutters at all would certainly be a big bonus, but the main concern is to make sure the underground drainage pipe doesn't clog

any thoughts or experiences or other recommendations would be greatly appreciated