I expect that the efficiency and efficacy of the various gutter / leaf
guards depends upon where you are and hat kind of tree debris you get.

I'm in Portland, OR. We get big leaf maple leaves, alder leaves, some
oak leaves, but more d@*N
Douglas fir needles than you'd believe.

Over 30 years in this house I've used at least four different gutter
guard type
products, all of which were utter failures with the Doug fir needles,
which filled
the gutters in no more than 60 days. I could have been cleaning the
gutters 6
times a year if I was that ambitious, and I wasn't. Three times a year was
more than enough for me.

Last year (Spring 2006) I found something that worked. No, I don't
manufacture
the stuff; I don't distribute it, I don't retail it, and other than on
my own house, I
don't install it.


I did test it for about 16 months by installing it on the back of the
garage, to see how
it worked. It worked very well. Its not absolutely perfect. Some
stuff still gets into
the gutters, but I believe its less than 5% of what used to
accumulate. I've only had
to clean that gutter once in the 16 months, and it was no where near
full.
It used to fill up to the top of the gutter with the Doug fir stuff, and
made a great
growing medium for dandelions and other cute stuff.

Its a white 3 foot long PVC product about 6 inches wide with a cross
hatched PVC
base with 3/8 - 1/2 holes in the base. Over it, and heres the key for
the fir needles,
is a white PVC screen that has maybe 1/8" holes. Water drops through,
and drains
through the gutter. The crud collects on top of the screen, dries, and
the wind blows
most of it off.

It installs by sliding one flat end under the lowest shingle row and
snapping a
flange kind of thing over the front lip of the gutter.

The first batch I bought were at a local Lowes for $ 1.97 a three foot
section. First
batch had a label on it identifying it as a "Snap In Gutter Filter",
made by a company
called "Gutter World", no web site or street / city/ address on it. I
used white,
but they had them in brown, too. "Made in U.S.A." on the label. The
product
UPC on the first batch was: 0 17857 00461 7. No patent number on the
label or
the product.

After last weekend's check of the test batch at the back of the garage
decided to do
the garage front and the front of the house. Went back to Lowe's, they
still had the
things. but with a slightly different label, but still identical art
work, indicating the
manufacturer to be Amerimax Home Products, Inc.; still no website
listed, still no
city, street address or state. Still "Made in the U.S.A." Does have a
different
product UPC, now being 0 49821 86270 1. Still called "Snap In Gutter
Filter".
Again, no patent number on the label or the product.

And best of all, the 3 foot strip is now $ 1.47. Less than $ 15.00 bucks
for the
garage front is a real good number in my book. The 60' front of the house,
which is tomorrow's project after I empty the damn gutter this
afternoon, will
run less than $ 45.00.

I noticed no deterioration in the PVC on the test batch. Apparently no
ultraviolet
effect in the 16 months those have been up. Then again, this is the west
side of
the Cascades, so we only get sun on July 17, except when its raining, as it
was this year. (G)

I did the install on the 30' foot width of the front of the garage in
about 10 minutes
this morning. It took a lot longer than that to clean the damn gutter.

Just my $ 0.02.
YMMV.
No guarantees.
Might be worth trying a test strip on one gutter if you are plagued with
fir or
pine needles.



Jim L wrote:
Investigate "Leaf Filter" . Had mine done this Summer and after doing a lot
of research on the web, etc....can't find anybody to complain. Totally
different system that puts a stainless microscreen over the gutters that
only lets water through. The leaves, etc. tend to blow or wash over the
side and disappear. This is not one of those metal hoods that never
work....

Jim, Seattle

"C & E" wrote in message
...

"DaveR" wrote in message
...

On Mon, 21 May 2007 16:55:01 -0500, aezael wrote:


I am getting too old to climb ladders and clean the gutters so I am
asking for any input about how to protect the gutters from being
filled with leaves and debris.
Thanks for any help.

I just installed a new roof and my roofer installs Leaf Guard.

However, he told me not to bother. No "clean gutter" system really
works well. They may prevent big, dry leaves from getting in, but wet
"gunk" will always find its way in there, and with most of them, you
can't really clean it out.

He suggested I save the money you would spend on such a system and use
it to pay a landscaper to clean the gutters a few times a year.


My sentiments exactly. After my buddy told me the contractor's estimate
for installing Gutter Guards on his home I pointed out that he could hire
a handyman to clean his gutters twice a year for 30 years. By that time
he and I will either be plant food or drooling on our shirts.