Hi Gordon,

I am really tired of cleaning out our gutters every year. Over the
years I have seen various commercials for gutter guards, leaf guards,
gutter screens and whatever.
Has anyone got any recommendations or warnings on the variety of
"solutions" currently on the market?

We live in the Pacific Northwest and deal with a combination of fir
needles and alder leaves. I quickly learned that I needed some kind of
gutter protection or I was going to be unclogging gutters every couple of
months.

We have vinyl gutters so I initially used the vinyl screens that were
made by the same manufacturer. They kept out the larger alder leaves, but
the fir needles went right through. They also warped and shifted over
time, which let debris between each panel and looked unsightly.

I have since replaced most of the gutter screens with a foam insert
called the "gutter filter". I ordered mine online, but I've seen them at
Home Depot lately too. They fit down in the gutter and are not visible
from the ground. They fit tightly together so debris can't fall between
sections. As far as keeping the gutters free flowing, they work great. I
haven't had a single gutter clog since I installed them.

The problem with both the screen and the filter is debris still builds up
on top. It doesn't seem to affect the operation of either system, but if
left in place the debris breaks down and becomes a growing medium for
weeds. So even though the gutters don't clog, I still have to clear off
the top of the gutters once or twice a year. Better than nothing, but
it's certainly not maintenance free.

For the roofs I can walk on, I use a grass rake to knock off the majority
of the debris. Then I follow that up with a cordless leaf blower to blow
off the little bits that remain.

For the steeper roofs, I just climb up with a ladder and clear the debris
with my hand. It's usually quite dry since the moisture drains through
the gutter filter. Then I clean up the mess on the ground with my leaf
blower and a mower.

I did use my shop vac with an extension hose once. It did a great job
cleaning out the gutter filter, but on a hot summer day all that debris
passing through the hose caused numerous static electricity shocks while
I was on the ladder.

Anthony Watson
www.watsondiy.com
www.mountainsoftware.com