I am planning on having a new roof, gutters, and some type of leaf guard
gutter top installed. I have had several quotes from roofers and gutter
installers, but have not been able to make any decision regarding which
type of gutter cover to have installed. I have seen about 10 different
products and each of them seem to have their drawbacks.

I don't want a product that has holes big enough that the gravel off the
new asphalt shingles will enter the gutter and need to be periodically
removed. The types that have a solid top, but rely on a curved front edge
to direct the water back into the gutter don't meet the requirements of my
insurance company that there be, "a mesh with opening of no more than 1/4
inch". (I live in a high fire risk area in N. California, and are
surrounded by trees.)

I have seen five different products that have a fine stainless steel mesh
on the top. These meet my requirements as far as not allowing the gravel
into the gutter, and having a small mesh size. However one vendor with a
different product, said that pollen, (most of the surrounding trees are
oaks), will gum up the holes. Also he claimed that leaves will sit on top
of the mesh, and because the mesh holes are so small that much of the
water will not flow through the mesh and will just flow over the top of
the leaves, and over the edge of the gutter to the ground.

I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has experience with such
toppers, especially regarding the pollen issue.

Also, I am surprised just how many different topper products there are out
there. Perhaps there is one that meets my primary requirements, (no gravel
going into the gutter, and no openings larger than 1/4"), that I haven't
seen yet. If so I'd appreciate hearing about it.

TIA
Kevin

"Kevin" wrote in message
...
I am planning on having a new roof, gutters, and some type of leaf guard
gutter top installed. I have had several quotes from roofers and gutter
installers, but have not been able to make any decision regarding which
type of gutter cover to have installed. I have seen about 10 different
products and each of them seem to have their drawbacks.

I don't want a product that has holes big enough that the gravel off the
new asphalt shingles will enter the gutter and need to be periodically
removed. The types that have a solid top, but rely on a curved front edge
to direct the water back into the gutter don't meet the requirements of my
insurance company that there be, "a mesh with opening of no more than 1/4
inch". (I live in a high fire risk area in N. California, and are
surrounded by trees.)

I have seen five different products that have a fine stainless steel mesh
on the top. These meet my requirements as far as not allowing the gravel
into the gutter, and having a small mesh size. However one vendor with a
different product, said that pollen, (most of the surrounding trees are
oaks), will gum up the holes. Also he claimed that leaves will sit on top
of the mesh, and because the mesh holes are so small that much of the
water will not flow through the mesh and will just flow over the top of
the leaves, and over the edge of the gutter to the ground.

I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has experience with such
toppers, especially regarding the pollen issue.

Also, I am surprised just how many different topper products there are out
there. Perhaps there is one that meets my primary requirements, (no gravel
going into the gutter, and no openings larger than 1/4"), that I haven't
seen yet. If so I'd appreciate hearing about it.

TIA
Kevin

No matter how you do it, if you have a lot of trees around, gutters are a
hassle. One step can be to rethink if and where you need gutters.
Especially if you have a wide overhang and don't have a basement, if your
ground slopes sufficientlly away from the house you can probably eliminate
gutters from most the roof line - it also helps if you have some foundation
plantings to further break up water coming off the roof. I initiallly had
gutters around the entire house, including a sidewall that ran about 100'.
I removed most of the gutters, only keeping a section over my two central
air conditioners, over the garage doors and at one point where there's a
valley which concentrates the runoff. Even though the gutters had been
screened, by removing them I saved about 3 workdays a year by not having to
worry about the unneeded gutters. I also saved a lot of effort when I
repaint the house.

On Apr 13, 8:01*pm, Kevin wrote:
I am planning on having a new roof, gutters, and some type of leaf guard
gutter top installed. I have had several quotes from roofers and gutter
installers, but have not been able to make any decision regarding which
type of gutter cover to have installed. I have seen about 10 different
products and each of them seem to have their drawbacks.

I don't want a product that has holes big enough that the gravel off the
new asphalt shingles will enter the gutter and need to be periodically
removed. The types that have a solid top, but rely on a curved front edge
to direct the water back into the gutter don't meet the requirements of my
insurance company that there be, "a mesh with opening of no more than 1/4
inch". (I live in a high fire risk area in N. California, and are
surrounded by trees.)

I have seen five different products that have a fine stainless steel mesh
on the top. These meet my requirements as far as not allowing the gravel
into the gutter, and having a small mesh size. However one vendor with a
different product, said that pollen, (most of the surrounding trees are
oaks), will gum up the holes. Also he claimed that leaves will sit on top
of the mesh, and because the mesh holes are so small that much of the
water will not flow through the mesh and will just flow over the top of
the leaves, and over the edge of the gutter to the ground.

I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has experience with such
toppers, especially regarding the pollen issue.

Also, I am surprised just how many different topper products there are out
there. Perhaps there is one that meets my primary requirements, (no gravel
going into the gutter, and no openings larger than 1/4"), that I haven't
seen yet. If so I'd appreciate hearing about it.

TIA
Kevin

Anything with a smalll enough screen to keep out the lose particles
from your new roofing shingles will also clog up with detrius from
surrounding trees. I finally settled (in the chicago suburbs for a
plastic cover over the gutter with 1/4 in (approx) holes. Loose
grains from the roof do hgo into the gutter, but a good rain washes
them into the downspouts. THe little butterfly wings maple seeds do
get stuck in some of the holes, but disintegrate fairly quickly and
also flush out.

"dadiOH" wrote in message
...
snip
http://rainhandler.com/
_______________________


That seems pointless. I could be wrong, but don't most people put in gutters
because they are concerned about pooling and their foundations?

"Kevin" wrote in message
...
I am planning on having a new roof, gutters, and some type of leaf guard
gutter top installed. I have had several quotes from roofers and gutter
installers, but have not been able to make any decision regarding which
type of gutter cover to have installed. I have seen about 10 different
products and each of them seem to have their drawbacks.

I don't want a product that has holes big enough that the gravel off the
new asphalt shingles will enter the gutter and need to be periodically
removed. The types that have a solid top, but rely on a curved front edge
to direct the water back into the gutter don't meet the requirements of my
insurance company that there be, "a mesh with opening of no more than 1/4
inch". (I live in a high fire risk area in N. California, and are
surrounded by trees.)

I have seen five different products that have a fine stainless steel mesh
on the top. These meet my requirements as far as not allowing the gravel
into the gutter, and having a small mesh size. However one vendor with a
different product, said that pollen, (most of the surrounding trees are
oaks), will gum up the holes. Also he claimed that leaves will sit on top
of the mesh, and because the mesh holes are so small that much of the
water will not flow through the mesh and will just flow over the top of
the leaves, and over the edge of the gutter to the ground.

I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has experience with such
toppers, especially regarding the pollen issue.

Also, I am surprised just how many different topper products there are out
there. Perhaps there is one that meets my primary requirements, (no gravel
going into the gutter, and no openings larger than 1/4"), that I haven't
seen yet. If so I'd appreciate hearing about it.

TIA
Kevin


IMHO: You're going to get debris in your gutters regardless. If they are not
angled properly the debris is going to accumulate. As far as expense, and
ease of insulation I like these:

http://www.virtuepro.com/images/arti...ter+guards.jpg

They are at HD. You have to have a certain type of gutter to work. They have
to be installed right or they will warp.

Also, You are going to have to get on your roof and clean it if you have
trees over your house. With or without gutters. Unless you have a severe
pitch. We have live oaks (talk about pollen!) and I get up there about 2 or
3 times a year.

On Apr 13, 9:01*pm, Kevin wrote:
I am planning on having a new roof, gutters, and some type of leaf guard
gutter top installed. I have had several quotes from roofers and gutter
installers, but have not been able to make any decision regarding which
type of gutter cover to have installed. I have seen about 10 different
products and each of them seem to have their drawbacks.

I don't want a product that has holes big enough that the gravel off the
new asphalt shingles will enter the gutter and need to be periodically
removed. The types that have a solid top, but rely on a curved front edge
to direct the water back into the gutter don't meet the requirements of my
insurance company that there be, "a mesh with opening of no more than 1/4
inch". (I live in a high fire risk area in N. California, and are
surrounded by trees.)

I have seen five different products that have a fine stainless steel mesh
on the top. These meet my requirements as far as not allowing the gravel
into the gutter, and having a small mesh size. However one vendor with a
different product, said that pollen, (most of the surrounding trees are
oaks), will gum up the holes. Also he claimed that leaves will sit on top
of the mesh, and because the mesh holes are so small that much of the
water will not flow through the mesh and will just flow over the top of
the leaves, and over the edge of the gutter to the ground.

I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has experience with such
toppers, especially regarding the pollen issue.

Also, I am surprised just how many different topper products there are out
there. Perhaps there is one that meets my primary requirements, (no gravel
going into the gutter, and no openings larger than 1/4"), that I haven't
seen yet. If so I'd appreciate hearing about it.

TIA
Kevin

I'm curious about this statement:

"a mesh with opening of no more than 1/4 inch"

Are they more concerned with the size of the opening than the fact
that it is mesh - or both?

In other words, is it possible that a solid cover would actually be
acceptable and the requirement is just poorly worded?

In other, other words "If it's a mesh, the openings cannot be larger
than 1/4". "

Taking it to the extreme, one could argue that they are not concerned
with how *small* the openings are, just how big.

Perhaps you are allowed to go down as small as the space between the
molecules - obviously I'm being somewhat facitious, but I think you
get my point.

Do they *specifically* not allow solid covers?

Unfortunately I do need the gutters. They are really only on the front and
back of the house. The back of the house has a full length deck on the upper
level and two sliding doors on both levels. I wouldn't want the drainage
just pouring off the roof on that side. The house has a walkout basement
with the portion below the front of the house being fully below grade. I do
all i can to direct water away fron seeping inot the ground in that area.


JimR wrote:

No matter how you do it, if you have a lot of trees around, gutters are a
hassle. One step can be to rethink if and where you need gutters.
Especially if you have a wide overhang and don't have a basement, if your
ground slopes sufficientlly away from the house you can probably eliminate
gutters from most the roof line - it also helps if you have some foundation
plantings to further break up water coming off the roof. I initiallly had
gutters around the entire house, including a sidewall that ran about 100'.
I removed most of the gutters, only keeping a section over my two central
air conditioners, over the garage doors and at one point where there's a
valley which concentrates the runoff. Even though the gutters had been
screened, by removing them I saved about 3 workdays a year by not having to
worry about the unneeded gutters. I also saved a lot of effort when I
repaint the house.

Yeah! That's the crux of the proiblem i'm trying to solve. I have seen one
product that comes very close to meeting my requirements, but it was by far
the most expensive.... outrageously so!

"hr(bob) " wrote:

Anything with a smalll enough screen to keep out the lose particles
from your new roofing shingles will also clog up with detrius from
surrounding trees. I finally settled (in the chicago suburbs for a
plastic cover over the gutter with 1/4 in (approx) holes. Loose
grains from the roof do hgo into the gutter, but a good rain washes
them into the downspouts. THe little butterfly wings maple seeds do
get stuck in some of the holes, but disintegrate fairly quickly and
also flush out.

dadiOH wrote:

Do you want to divert the water or disperse it? If the latter, the
louvered
"gutters" would work. The only drawback I can see is that leaves could
tend
to sit on them, should be easy to remedy with a blower from the ground.
http://rainhandler.com/

Interseting.... but I need to divert the water.


Insurance companies spec gutters??

Yes they can.... and a lot of other things too. Leaf filled gutters are a
primary cause of house fires in fire prone areas. Often you will see a house
some distance from a wildfire, with the attic on fire due to embers landing
in the gutters. Most of the insurance companies in our area are now requiring
enclosed gutters, or they will decline to renew. Those that aren't yet, will
undoubtably be doing so in the future.

Yes, we have live oaks too. The trees surround and are close to the
house, but are not directly over it. I have a 6 in 12 pitch, and except for
one small valley area and the currently uncovered gutters, no leaves
accumulate.

I have samples of several products that do keep all except the finest dust
from entering the gutters. These all use a fine stainless steel mesh. In one
product the mesh is as small as 50 microns. My concern with them is the
possibility of the mesh gumming up with pollen that would be hard to remove.

I hadn't seen the particular product that you
provided the link to, but it doesn't meet my requirements in that all the
gravel will go into the gutters, and pine needles, (We are in an oak to pine
transition zone), will get stuck in the holes.

I have dealt with removing the gravel in the gutters after installin a new
roof in the past. I want to avoid that if I can for the following reasons;

The downspouts all drain into corrugated plastic pipes that trave for some
distance underground. I don't want to simply wash the graves into those
pipes as there may be some low slopes sections that would clog up. therefore
I'd have to disconnect the downspouts whenever i washed the gutters out.

With the covers in place, because the preasure from a hose will only move
the gravel to a certain degree, I'd have to remove probably every other
section of cover in order to be able to move the gravel.

Thanks,
Kevin.

JimT wrote:

IMHO: You're going to get debris in your gutters regardless. If they are
angled properly the debris is going to accumulate. As far as expense, and
ease of insulation I like these:

http://www.virtuepro.com/images/arti...ter+guards.jpg

They are at HD. You have to have a certain type of gutter to work. They
to be installed right or they will warp.

Also, You are going to have to get on your roof and clean it if you have
trees over your house. With or without gutters. Unless you have a severe
pitch. We have live oaks (talk about pollen!) and I get up there about 2
or 3 times a year.

DerbyDad03 wrote:

I'm curious about this statement:

"a mesh with opening of no more than 1/4 inch"

Are they more concerned with the size of the opening than the fact
that it is mesh - or both?

Mesh is ok, as long as it is non-combustible.

In other words, is it possible that a solid cover would actually be
acceptable and the requirement is just poorly worded?

Solid cover would be fine, except all the ones I've seen have a curved lip
that direct the water back into the gutter, (while most leaves and all the
gravel would fall over the edge outside the gutter), through an opening that
is an approx 1/2 inch continous opening or slots that are about 3/8' by
approx 2". My neighbor has the former and after three years of no
maintainence are quite full with debris. Neither style would meet the
insurance requirements.

In other, other words "If it's a mesh, the openings cannot be larger
than 1/4". "

Correct.

Taking it to the extreme, one could argue that they are not concerned
with how *small* the openings are, just how big.

Correct again. It is me that wants, (for maintainence reasons), if I'm going
to go to the trouble and expense of installing covers, to avoid
getting the gravel in gutters. Several of the stainless steel mesh products
would do this, but I'm concerned about the pollen gumming up the works issue
that I've talked about in some of my other replies.

Thanks,
Kevin

Per
molecules - obviously I'm being somewhat facitious, but I think you
get my point.

Do they *specifically* not allow solid covers?

"Kevin" wrote in message
...
Yes, we have live oaks too. The trees surround and are close to the
house, but are not directly over it. I have a 6 in 12 pitch, and except
for
one small valley area and the currently uncovered gutters, no leaves
accumulate.

I have samples of several products that do keep all except the finest dust
from entering the gutters. These all use a fine stainless steel mesh. In
one
product the mesh is as small as 50 microns. My concern with them is the
possibility of the mesh gumming up with pollen that would be hard to
remove.

I hadn't seen the particular product that you
provided the link to, but it doesn't meet my requirements in that all the
gravel will go into the gutters, and pine needles, (We are in an oak to
pine
transition zone), will get stuck in the holes.

I have dealt with removing the gravel in the gutters after installin a new
roof in the past. I want to avoid that if I can for the following reasons;

The downspouts all drain into corrugated plastic pipes that trave for some
distance underground. I don't want to simply wash the graves into those
pipes as there may be some low slopes sections that would clog up.
therefore
I'd have to disconnect the downspouts whenever i washed the gutters out.

With the covers in place, because the preasure from a hose will only move
the gravel to a certain degree, I'd have to remove probably every other
section of cover in order to be able to move the gravel.

Thanks,
Kevin.

JimT wrote:

IMHO: You're going to get debris in your gutters regardless. If they are
angled properly the debris is going to accumulate. As far as expense, and
ease of insulation I like these:

http://www.virtuepro.com/images/arti...ter+guards.jpg

They are at HD. You have to have a certain type of gutter to work. They
to be installed right or they will warp.

Also, You are going to have to get on your roof and clean it if you have
trees over your house. With or without gutters. Unless you have a severe
pitch. We have live oaks (talk about pollen!) and I get up there about 2
or 3 times a year.



The ones they sell at HD have a finer mesh under the plastic. They may have
added that for insurance regulations. Here's the mfg web site with pdf
files.

http://www.amerimax.com/product.asp?cat=14&subCatId=14

We just covered this subject a few weeks ago. Like I said. Your gutters may
not be angled steep enough if debris is collecting. You should have 1/4" to
1/2" drop per 15'. If it's slopped enough the water runs faster and will
clean itself after a heavy rain.