"Paul Drahn" wrote in message
news:kscui1$8hg$1@dont-

stuff snipped

I wonder about the rolled up screen he put in the top of the downspout
to stop debris going down the downspout. My experience is it's better
for the debris to go down the down spout than the clog up the gutters.
At least the debris is all in one spot!

I think a lot depends on the kind of debris that collects in the gutters.
When it goes into the downspout it's often possible to flush it out without
having to climb a ladder. I've done it both ways in different houses with
different trees near each one and I can make a strong case both for and
against gutter guards and screens. (-: Pine needles sort of lie there and
knit together so I wouldn't use a downspout screen if I had those sorts of
trees nearby.

I went looking for the iRobot company's gutter-cleaning robot the other day
and they seem to have stopped making or even talking about it. I guess too
many of them did a Brody off the roof. Gutters should all be equipped with
motorized augers that chew up the leaves and dead birds and squirrels into a
fine mulch.

--
Bobby G.