The fourth type of gutter cover-the double row louvered systems. Maintenance: When gutters clog, a service man has to schedule an appointment to go up a ladder and clean the downspout and or gutter. Recommendations are for light to medium debris conditions-not high debris conditions. ![]() All of them sell for about $12 to $18/ft. Hybrid between the louvered systems (discussed next), and the recessed Recessed so only about 2% of the debris actually gets into the gutter-a With the Care-Free TM design, the trough is not With the ones having a recessed trough there is still about 8% of theĭebris getting to the trough where in heavy debris conditions it eitherĬlogs the trough or the debris passes through the trough in sufficient They work much the same as the single fin types. There is also one that is a hybrid and instead of a solid top has The third type of gutter guards are: Gutter Topper, Maintenance: When gutters clog a service man must be called to service the system and clean out clogs from downspouts or gutters.īecause of inherent problems with the designs shown above in heavy debris conditions, inventors decided to break up the single fin by either making a louver of determined length or a trough in the product to limit the size of debris getting into the gutter. These basic designs work well for light to moderate tree debris conditions and range in price from around $12 to $20/foot. You can see the reality of how the all-in-one actually works by clicking here (Link to leaf guard page on this site) The theory is now any debris that does get in will be washed down the larger downspouts. The company is the only company that offsets the reality of debris getting into the gutter by installing new and large commercial downspouts with every installation. Leaf Guard, although it is a basic fin design, is an all-in-one device meaning that the gutter and the gutter guard is one unit. In fact with this design full sized leaves can be washed into the gutter. However, practical experience shows that about 8% of the debris that flows over the fin also flows into the gutter. In practice its ideal as any debris flowing with the water is supposed to be separated from the fin and be jettisoned onto the ground. The water and debris flow over the top and to the front fin where the water is directed downward into the gutter. With this basic design the tops of the gutter guards are solid and there's a fin along the front edge. X, Royal Gutter Guard, and Niagara Gutter Guard. Gutter Helmet was the next and since the patent has expired there are many knock-offs-Leaf There are several on the market-Google their names:Įlko Gutter Guard was probably the first. The second type of gutter protector designed was a single fin gutter guard. Recommendation: Only use screens in light debris conditions-trees over 75 feet away.īecause of the inherent problems with screen gutter covers, inventors went to work. Some products have poles and brushes for this task, but how are you going to see if you effectively cleaned the Maintenance: Someone has to climb up a ladder and clean the mesh. After a year or so under heavy debris conditions an impenetrable layer of debris covers the micro mesh and the rain water streams over the gutter onto the ground. ![]() The micro mesh gutter protectors accept the water at which point the debris stays on top of the screen where it accumulates. How they work: Water washes with it leaves and blossoms onto the screen. ![]() Whereas the Englert Micro Guard costs about $6 or $7/ft to install, the other three can be $17 or more per foot.īut if it works, it's worth it, right? The answer to that is how they work and what maintenance is required. You can Google them and notice that the last three are stainless steel mesh guards. Of late there are more sophisticated screen or filter system available:Įnglert Micro Guard gets screwed in and is not flimsy. The screens get dislodged by a large animal or a wind storm and you find them lying on the ground. ![]() Result: the following year you see plants growing from your gutters and have to remove the gutter guards to clean the gutters.Ģ. Great in theory but in a practical sense the lesser expensive flimsy ones have one of two major problems:ġ The openings are large and let in a substantial amount of debris to clog the downspout. A screen is a flat piece of aluminum or plastic with openings in it to let in the water and keep out the tree debris. Initially screens were quite flimsy-and some of them still are today. The first, oldest and most fundamental are the screens. I will be listing the four basic types and how each one works with tree debris and what if any maintenance is required. There are only four basic types or designs. There are probably over one hundred different gutter guards available.Ĭhoosing the right one for the job can be confusing. Don't Have the Foggiest Idea as to How to Choose the Right Gutter Guard?
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