Okay, I have been waiting for this post for some time now. It is a follow up to my previous post, “Cleaning Gutters & Installing Amerimax Gutter Covers.” If you visit that post, you can see some comments going back and forth concerning these gutter covers and other gutter covers in general.
I had these gutter covers installed in June of 2008. When I had them put on, the installer really didn’t want to do it. He said that he hated these things and was always taking them off of people’s gutters. I believed him because when I looked in the back of his truck, there were piles of old wire leaf guards. Also, he is a gutter cleaner, so if everyone got gutter covers, he would be out of business.
There are some issues that drive people away from gutter covers. I would say the two main issues are ice buildup and pine needles getting stuck in the covers. Some of the comments in my other post describe six foot icicles. I will tell you about my experience with these gutter covers and then I’ll talk about icicles.
Do you want the verdict? Okay, here it is….SUCCESS.
We went through the summer, autumn and winter and all that we have to show for it is one oak tree leaf stuck in the gutter cover. That’s right, one leaf stuck in the whole gutter system. During the winter, we had a few six inch icicles over the front door. That’s it. These gutter covers didn’t cause ice buildup in the least and handled the heaviest of rainfall. Also, leaves slid off with ease. We have many oak trees around the house and I watched the leaves come down on many occasions. We don’t have any nearby pine trees, so I can’t comment on the pine needle issue.
Let’s talk about icicles. Please read this short article on what causes ice dams and icicles found here.
As I said above, I had some comments describing huge icicles that were allegedly caused by gutters or gutter covers. The truth of the matter is, if a house is properly insulated, you won’t have an ice problem. Ice dams and icicles are caused by warm air leaking through the ceiling of your home and warming the roof. When that happens, the snow melts and water runs down the roof to hit a cold gutter or gutter cover. The water freezes and causes an ice problem. Ice dams and icicles are a symptom of the problem, not the problem itself. The real problem, is heat loss.
Since the house we live in is properly insulated, we didn’t have any ice problems. I will tell you that we live in Connecticut and had about five or six nice snow falls. A few of them were about 12″ in depth. This is valuable information when trying to compare locations with ice issues.
So there you have it. My conclusion is…if your house is properly insulated, go for it and get some gutter covers. It will save you money on gutter cleanings and will make life easier. If you have an insulation problem, get the problem fixed before you install gutters or gutter covers. If not, you may find yourself outside one snowy night tearing them off your house in a frenzy.
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Much appreciate this post. Gutter cleaning were on my to-do list for this Spring. I was thinking of putting gutter covers on while I was up on the roof anyway, now thanks to this post, no longer thinking about it, just going to do it. Thanks.
Refer back to my comment in the previous post, “Cleaning Gutters & Installing Amerimax Gutter Covers.” I’ve run a family-owned exterior remodeling business for years here in Ohio and stand by everything stated in that comment. These “helmet” type guards simply DO NOT work as well as they’re supposed to…. but I’ll add one thing to that… “in this particular part of the country”.
Obviously the performance of any gutter guard will vary based on several factors, and the fact that this product may or may not have performed okay on your particular home in your particular area with your particular tree types could mean absolutely nothing to someone down the street from you, let alone across the country. I have no idea how many trees you have around your home or how tall they are or what the typical Connecticut foliage is, or how steep your roof is for that matter, but I can tell you that with the decent amount of foliage and seed pod droppage experienced during the Fall season here in the Midwest, these guards simply DO NOT seem to perform well. The abundant seed pods or “helicopters” (from Maples and other trees) in this area are a major contributing factor, and the slots do indeed clog up and cause water to flow right over the front of the guard onto the ground below. My business has replaced this type of product on many, many homes here in Ohio because of this problem, and from what I’ve seen here time and time again, I would not recommend this type of guard.
I’m having an issue with birds accessing the side of the gutters. The installation guide offers some sort of a diagram about this, but it’s not super clear how this is done or if it is effective. Any pictures/help appreciated!
Point taken. Well, let me clarify too. For the property we live on and with mainly Oaks and Birches fairly close to the house, these gutter guards work very well. We had no issues with ice dams because the house is insulated properly and the gutter slots didn’t clog because we don’t have “helicopters” or pine needles. I have witnessed time and time again the leaves just slide over these guards and fall to the ground.
To stop birds from entering under your gutter guards, snip the side of the guard with a pair of tin snips so the flat side of the guard folds down. Then, you tuck that fold inside the side of the gutter.
This should be done before the guards are installed.
If the guards are already installed, I am sure you can go up there and drill a few holes in the gutter guard to anchor down some screening from the hardware store over the corners.
I am looking for gutter guard cover that will handle 8 to 9 inch wide galvanized gutter.
LeafSolution is the pioneer of the micro mesh industry. In 2003, Leaf Solution began manufacturing the first gutter guard to use a stainless steel mesh. The real secret behind Leaf Solution is not just the perfectly designed stainless steel mesh, but the 3 seams that run horizontally across the product. These 3 dips are essential in allowing Leaf Solution to be installed at a slope, because the seams actually change the direction of the water and force water into the seams.
Stainless Steel Mesh + 3 Downward Seams + Sloped Install = The Best Gutter Protection System on the Market!
If you want a gutter guard that nothing but water can get into and can take the heaviest of rains, you must get a free estimate for Leaf Solution. There is no product on today’s market that can outperform the Leaf Solution system.
I am a remodeler and I have installed these on about 6 houses within the last 5 years with good results. The first few installations i had call backs for 2 things bird nesting and blowing off. if you make sure the ends are covered and secure it down (not just snapped in) you’re taken care of. if the snap in fits well, I just add 2-3 drips of silicon to “glue” it onto the gutter. Lastly, the old ones seems to trap maple “helicopters” but the new profile seem to do better. I think if you have too much small debris, you might have to clear out the slots once every 2-3 years. this is still way better than twice a year! this probably is the best in its price range and more if you take care of the two issues i mentioned.
If you don’t have gutter helmets yet, a cheap and easy alternative to preventing ice dams from your gutters would be the salt and pantyhose trick. Does it work? want to know how?
I have many tress around my house so I need a good gutter guard I made the mistake of installing Amerimax 3′ snap in gutter filter, brown. The problem is the tool that they stamped the diamond shape holes in the PVC was dull and left a burr on the part, the dull tool stretched the PVC which when installed looks like it is white from the road. COOL, SO now I have a brown house, brown roof and what looks like white gutter guard.
Has anyone used them where there are pine needles? Are they effective?
I had a quote of $1500 to cover my gutters with a cover using small holes. They said it’s going to need maintenance every few years and no gutter cover is 100% maintenance free. Annual cleaning for my gutters would run about $200 and $1500 would cover me for the next 7+ years so it might be better to just maintain them instead of using a cover.
I have no idea why gutter covers cost more to install than gutters themselves. I have installed many types of gutter covers and they are a hundred times easier to install than gutters. They are either screw on or clip on and a monkey can do it. If you can, purchase the gutter guards and do the project yourself. That is, if your gutters are low enough to the ground.