Experience with Gutter Guard systems

[Vancat]

Hey gang. I'm tired of the gutter cleaning thing. Anyone have any experience/comments/comparisons/praise/complaints about gutter guard systems?
Are they worth it? Are they really maintenance-free? I know some involve entire gutter replacement, some don't. I just want something that works good. I tried the cheapy things you put on yourself and they were more of a pain than keeping the gutters open.

 

[jibsey]

Have had screen for many years which work well but now and then they need a minor tweak. Not expensive.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Gutter guards are good. Make sure you get the kind that have aluminum frames and stainless steel screens. They won't sag from the weight of leaves, etc. and they won't rust.

There are other companies, but Leaf Guard is one well known national brand. I got estimates from two other companies with comparable quality gutters and guards and then worked the Leaf Guard sales guy to get their price down. If you don't like dealing with car salesmen you won't like them because the guy started 40% higher than the others but touted their special internet discount which brought it down to about 20% over the best of the other two. When I told him he was still too high he went into all the quality BS and I told him I knew the quality of the other one and he took out his calculator and said he'd cut some other costs and got his down to about 10% over the best one I had and I thanked him but said with all the other projects I had going on I couldn't go with him. He wasn't happy but was civil about it. It was $500 so it wasn't hard to say no to him. That'll buy some of the shrubs we'll be adding around our patio.

We're also doing some grading to get water away from the foundation. In heavy rains it was pooling near the house and caused some settling of the golf cart garage that had to be fixed by jacking it up. All it needed was a few inches of top soil added to the area within four feet of the garage and then graded away from the foundation.

For the grading, is it as simple as adding soil/mulch/rocks higher next to the foundation and gradually sloping away from the home and kind of eyeballing that it does in fact slope that way?

 

[August_West]

 

[Vancat]

LeafGuard seems to be ok too but expensive (what isn’t?)

 

[CONN78SEJ]

I'm out of my element with regards to handy man advice but this just happened to me so relaying my experience.

Apparently the previous owner didn't have a roof drip edge installed (think behind the gutter) and when I had my roof done all the roof sheathing was rotted, which also caused some damage on the interior sheetrock.

So while during heavy rain some water hit the sheathing, some went into the home, the rest all hit the mulch close to homes foundation. That pooling of water exacerbated a (vertical) crack in my foundation.

A new roof, gutters, and a passing review from a structural engineer of the crack and i think I'm all set for now.

That's my roundabout way of saying keep an eye on the sheathing and also any foundation issues that additional water could be causing.

Probably a long winded post giving you some unsolicited comments but figured I'd share...id wager your situation isn't likely as bad as mine was.

Who ever did your roof should have put down Owens Corning water proof underlayment, it comes in 36 inch rolls. Some cheapo builders even use that as the drip edge. It’s also designed to self seal around roofing nails.

 

[sledog]

The fmexh in Gutter Topper may let particles from roof shingles into gutter and eventually get into any thank used for gutter drainage,

I used Gutter Topper w a grey color to match the house trim paint color. Amazed to find that the color faded and turned white after 3-4 yrears. Apparently no warantee.

oopps. That's Leaf Guard that has the mesh on top

 

[Vancat]

oopps. That's Leaf Guard that has the mesh on top

No that’s Leaf Filter. Leaf guard is a one piece thing, no mesh.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Before buying, look up. Important to consider geographic location and type(s) of tree foliage in own yards and any nearby neighbors' yards. For example, which deciduous trees, leaf sizes, seeds; which coniferous needles, sizes, seeds, etc.? One type of gutter guard may not be best for all purposes, even on each side of a house, etc.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Who ever did your roof should have put down Owens Corning water proof underlayment, it comes in 36 inch rolls. Some cheapo builders even use that as the drip edge. It’s also designed to self seal around roofing nails.

For the new roof I just put on, they did. Very reputable place.

My nextdoor neighbor said that old roof that was done by a total fly by night operation - he knows because he has his done by the same company and had issues but ultimately built an addition up and junked the roof in the process.

 

[CL82]

I watch the gutter helmet video and they claim that the system can handle 22 inches an hour or something ridiculous like that. For those of you who have had it in a downpour this rain just overrun the gutter system or does it actually still dump into the gutters?

 

[Kathy]

I watch the gutter helmet video and they claim that the system can handle 22 inches an hour or something ridiculous like that. For those of you who have had it in a downpour this rain just overrun the gutter system or does it actually still dump into the gutters?

Mine has never overrun

 

[billybud]

I put up Leaf filter gutter guards two years back...expensive but have worked superbly.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

The drip guard was improperly hammered in and I’m getting it replaced for 350