Caught your attention didn't I! My daughter has a very large Hickory tree in her front yard and her gutters are always clogged with nuts, leaves etc. The lower level gutters are easily cleaned but the top ones are about 30' high, remembering the recent thread about ladders that is a no go for her or me. The best solution would be to remove the tree but but it provides wonderful afternoon shade to the front of the house.

My query is has anyone here ever used a gutter guard system? There seem to many on the market, Leaf Filter, gutter guard etc. that all claim to be the best so I would appreciate any first hand knowledge. This forum is my Oracle of Delphi to the most esoteric of issues so I eagerly await your advice

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John. SWCA #1586

look at Rain Drop gutter guards. I knew the original owner of the company. He was a roofer who designed the system. Suburbanite of Chicago.

I put gutter guards on the front of my house and removed them the next year. The ads you see never include the minute stuff that washes off your roof, and sticks / gather over the small gutter openings. The later rain flows right OVER the guard and it's the same as having no gutters at all. The best gutter cleaners are paid by the hour.

Some years ago, my Dad had some special gutters installed. Paid a pretty penny. They came with a guaranteed cleaning anytime they failed to do their job. As long as he lived in that house, they cleaned his gutters regularly - for free.

I don't recall the brand, but they had a cover with a narrow slot for the water to enter. Presumably surface tension pulled the water into the gutter and debris went over the edge. Didn't work with a hoot with light rain and conifer needles. Could be a different situation with heavy rain and deciduous trees. If you're looking at a big price tag, you might compare that to the cost of hiring somebody to clean ordinary gutters now and then.

I installed these on my ranch style house about 3 years ago and have had zero problems. I've had 3 friends install the same system after seeing mine. Costco also sells these and was a bit cheaper than Menards.

I installed them by myself (low roof) with only a cordless drill and an 8' step ladder. Easy enough with the included hex head self tapping screws.

https://www.menards.com/main/buildin...8375210815.htm

costco
https://www.costco.com/easyon-gutter...100217319.html

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God spelled backwards is dog.

I would get the gutter guards, trim the tree as much as you can, then plan on paying someone to go up 30 feet when they get clogged. They should clog less frequently and be easier to clean with the mesh type guards.

John:

http://smith-wessonforum.com/140769140-post2.html

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Possum—The other white meat!

Most work, but be advised-- they ALSO hold snow and ice and therefore when it melts it is like having no gutters at all. Just a thought,

My HOA, four buildings, 13 townhouse units, installed them some years before I got here. Removed them, too, before I got here, because they did not work as expected. FWIW.

No direct experience myself.

I owned a rain gutter Co. for a few years. Don't care what anyone
says, you can't stop composite roof stuff from getting into the gutters.
If they do, then you don't have any gutters at all.....
Some things you just have to clean or have cleaned...
I'm too old to clean my rain gutters now. Let some young guy
get up there with a hose and it is worth it.

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Only difference Fool/Mule-ears

My neighbor installed gutters that dump. He has a long fiberglas pole he screws together in sections, like a pool cue, that unlatches and turns the gutters upside down to dump them, and while they are upside down, he hoses them out to get sticky stuff. They've been there ~20 years and still work well.

ive had gutter screens on my gutters for years...they work well.....

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There's nowt so queer as folk

If my overhang was significant I'd consider removing the 2nd story gutters. Sometimes it's not worth having them up there.

My folks installed simple mesh screens that clipped on. Not even a maple helicopter got in. That hadn’t been cleaned in years so I got up there a few weeks ago and the only thing in them were roof granulates. Sometimes the simplest thing is the best.

My basement was never wet until the gutter guards went on.

Took them off after 2 years ..... no more water in basement cause now all the rain actually goes in the gutters again and out through the downspout where it belongs.

Based on different experiences here, maybe their efficacy depends on what kind and how much of leaves and tree debris get into the gutters...?

I like that concept in ameridaddy’s post 11 of gutters that dump. That sounds like a great idea.

I have screens similar to vytoland's in post #12 although mine screw in and they've been pretty good.

My next-door neighbour put in Leaf Guard gutters about 20 years ago. He says they've never needed to be cleaned out, which would be handy if the gutter is 30' off the ground.

The design allows leaves to slip over the edge and onto the ground but water clings to the rounded edge and goes into the gutter. Presumably some pollen and small needles may get into the gutter but he hasn't had a problem.

Another detail is that instead of using the traditional plastic downpipe insert that screws into a hole in the gutter and sticks up (and can get clogged) the installers cut an "X" into the bottom the gutter and folded the four leaves down so the downspout can be screwed on, thus leaving a clean hole for detritus to flow into the downspot. Plus, he had a leaf-catcher box ("Drain Guard" brand) installed onto the downspout so any small leaves etc. can easily be cleaned out.

Sounds like this would work for the OP.

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	Leaf guard gutter.jpg (122.3 KB, 45 views)

I live with trees. Put cheap plastic stuff on years ago, and it clogged on top, so ripped it off. Cleaned semi-annually, until I got old. Put oversized gutters on back, yeah 30 feet, with slat covers. Work well. Not gonna mention home maker Starling or home wrecker squirrel exceptions.
Later, getting older, had installed those fine mesh screens over existing gutters.
That works too. Aim old gutter blower at them now and then to get little stuff off. Both, as earlier poster suggested, just direct heavy rain right on past the gutter. Not much of a problem for me, but might be for you.

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It's what I do, not what I am.

I installed these a couple of years ago, I really like them. Made in the USA, Vet owned company. Junk still accumulates on top, but nothing gets through to clog up anything. And I think with a decent occasional wind the junk gets blown away...anyway that's my story and I'm sticking o it.

FlexxPoint Gutter Cover Systems, LLC • Huron, Ohio

Here in NC, pine needles abound. If theres a hole for that peg they will find it, they stick in everything. I don’t use any gutter guards, going au naturale, but mine are only 11 feet up.

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Sure you did

I installed Leaf Guards. Rain goes in the slot, leaves and debris falls off. They have adopted the leaf trap referred to above. It is built in.


I really like them, but they are pricey.

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Eccentric old coot

Thanks for all the great advice and replies!!

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John. SWCA #1586