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?

Thanks

On Wednesday, October 26, 2016 at 9:47:08 PM UTC-5, Gordon Shumway wrote:

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?

Thanks


I've had these on my house for about 8 years. Very pleased
with the results as in no more gutter clogs or cleaning.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Amerimax-...6670/202091140

On 10/26/2016 11:24 PM, ItsJoanNotJoann wrote:
On Wednesday, October 26, 2016 at 9:47:08 PM UTC-5, Gordon Shumway wrote:

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?

Thanks


I've had these on my house for about 8 years. Very pleased
with the results as in no more gutter clogs or cleaning.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Amerimax-...6670/202091140


Reasonable price too. Thanks

On Wednesday, October 26, 2016 at 10:47:08 PM UTC-4, Gordon Shumway wrote:
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?

Thanks

the screen guards are a waste of money. had them on my moms house. true they keep out large leaves, but small stuff fragments and gets under the screen.

so you have to remove thescreen to clean the debris out.......

On 10/27/2016 6:50 AM, bob haller wrote:
On Wednesday, October 26, 2016 at 10:47:08 PM UTC-4, Gordon Shumway wrote:
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?

Thanks

the screen guards are a waste of money. had them on my moms house. true they keep out large leaves, but small stuff fragments and gets under the screen.

so you have to remove thescreen to clean the debris out.......


That's been my experience. It can be surprising how much little stuff
can accumulate.

On 10/27/2016 6:13 AM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 10/26/2016 11:24 PM, ItsJoanNotJoann wrote:
On Wednesday, October 26, 2016 at 9:47:08 PM UTC-5, Gordon Shumway wrote:

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?

Thanks


I've had these on my house for about 8 years. Very pleased
with the results as in no more gutter clogs or cleaning.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Amerimax-...6670/202091140



Reasonable price too. Thanks
They would be good where I live now ... lots of big leaves. However, in
my previous house, we had lots of Maple trees and the springtime seed
would hook in the opening and line up like little soldiers. I literally
had to pick them out one by one. I now have Gutter Helmets and they
seem to work real well.

On 10/27/2016 6:31 AM, Frank wrote:
On 10/27/2016 6:50 AM, bob haller wrote:
On Wednesday, October 26, 2016 at 10:47:08 PM UTC-4, Gordon Shumway
wrote:
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?

Thanks

the screen guards are a waste of money. had them on my moms house.
true they keep out large leaves, but small stuff fragments and gets
under the screen.

so you have to remove thescreen to clean the debris out.......


That's been my experience. It can be surprising how much little stuff
can accumulate.

True, but it means cleaning the gutters every 3-4 years, instead of
every year. Still an improvement.

There are gutter-cleaning robots on the market now, but reviews are
mixed as to how well they perform. I've watched video - the debris is
flung out in all directions, meaning some of it lands on the roof,
where it will eventually blow/wash back down into the gutter. And the
more crud that's in the gutter, the worse the robot performs. Figures.

I've imagined a hinged gutter system, where one would use a pole to
reach up and unlock the gutter at both ends, let the gutter hang free
on its hinges, hose it clean, then use the pole to push/relock the
gutter back into place. Or maybe gutters with removable bottoms, where
you'd slide the bottom out from one end, let all the crud drop free,
then slid the bottom back into place. I dunno - there's got to be a
better way.

On Wed, 26 Oct 2016 21:46:00 -0500
Gordon Shumway wrote:

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?

Thanks

Use illegals...work cheap.

On 10/27/2016 8:15 AM, Moe DeLoughan wrote:
On 10/27/2016 6:31 AM, Frank wrote:
On 10/27/2016 6:50 AM, bob haller wrote:
On Wednesday, October 26, 2016 at 10:47:08 PM UTC-4, Gordon Shumway
wrote:
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?

Thanks

the screen guards are a waste of money. had them on my moms house.
true they keep out large leaves, but small stuff fragments and gets
under the screen.

so you have to remove thescreen to clean the debris out.......


That's been my experience. It can be surprising how much little stuff
can accumulate.

True, but it means cleaning the gutters every 3-4 years, instead of
every year. Still an improvement.

There are gutter-cleaning robots on the market now, but reviews are
mixed as to how well they perform. I've watched video - the debris is
flung out in all directions, meaning some of it lands on the roof, where
it will eventually blow/wash back down into the gutter. And the more
crud that's in the gutter, the worse the robot performs. Figures.

I've imagined a hinged gutter system, where one would use a pole to
reach up and unlock the gutter at both ends, let the gutter hang free on
its hinges, hose it clean, then use the pole to push/relock the gutter
back into place. Or maybe gutters with removable bottoms, where you'd
slide the bottom out from one end, let all the crud drop free, then slid
the bottom back into place. I dunno - there's got to be a better way.

I've tried various things with mine. I have the HD screens on lower
gutters where most leaves go and when drainage slows down or stops can
climb a short ladder, lift end screen and remove blockage at end.
Sometimes a lot of gunk will accumulate and I have to remove several
screens to clean.

I cannot reach the 2nd floor and when one clogged, I hired the Gutter
Guys just for the 2nd floor. The 2nd floor in back had gutter replaced
that blew off in a storm with one of those lip guard type guards and
they rip those off and leave off to clean.

I figure in a year or so I will need a new roof and intend to get new
gutters at the time. I'll see what roofer recommends.

I heard about the cleaning robots but how do you get them up there?
Also like the Roomba who I find do not actually use suction but just
sweep, all these things do is sweep.

I once made a section of PVC 4 inch pipe with an elbow to try cleaning
with my leaf blower. It was not all that great.

On 10/26/2016 10:46 PM, Gordon Shumway wrote:
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?

Thanks


I've been using the gutter screen which comes on a roll for many years
with good success. I have two huge sugar maples (one front one back)
which drop their seeds annually. Many get in the screen slots and get
their way in the gutter while a few get stuck. Running my hand over the
top usually gets the rest through. Everything else stays out.

Since I haven't had any gutter clogs and the maple seeds are a small
nuisance, I just stuck with using the screens instead of beating my
brains with trial and error of other products.

On 10/27/2016 8:54 AM, Frank wrote:


I once made a section of PVC 4 inch pipe with an elbow to try cleaning
with my leaf blower. It was not all that great.


They make (or you can make your own) a U-shape attachment for a hose
which allows you to water jet debris out of the gutter. Not sure how
well it works, but in theory it appears as if it will do the job, though
could be messy splashing all around.

Meanie writes:

On 10/27/2016 8:54 AM, Frank wrote:


I once made a section of PVC 4 inch pipe with an elbow to try cleaning
with my leaf blower. It was not all that great.


They make (or you can make your own) a U-shape attachment for a hose
which allows you to water jet debris out of the gutter. Not sure how
well it works, but in theory it appears as if it will do the job,
though could be messy splashing all around.

It rains down a mess on the user.
I get up on the roof and use a backpack blower.

Less manly men hire someone to do the job.



--
Dan Espen

On Thu, 27 Oct 2016 10:06:43 -0400, Meanie wrote:

On 10/27/2016 8:54 AM, Frank wrote:


I once made a section of PVC 4 inch pipe with an elbow to try cleaning
with my leaf blower. It was not all that great.


They make (or you can make your own) a U-shape attachment for a hose
which allows you to water jet debris out of the gutter. Not sure how
well it works, but in theory it appears as if it will do the job, though
could be messy splashing all around.


Those jets make a horrible mess. In the past, I've had excellent success using a long, flexible hose attached
to a powerful shop vac. You can buy hoses for shop vacs that are similar to the kind you find at self-service
car washes.

It also helps to have a son, grandson or great grandson to do the ladder work..........

On Thu, 27 Oct 2016 03:50:19 -0700 (PDT), bob haller wrote:

On Wednesday, October 26, 2016 at 10:47:08 PM UTC-4, Gordon Shumway wrote:
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?

Thanks

the screen guards are a waste of money. had them on my moms house. true they keep out large leaves, but small stuff fragments and gets under the screen.

so you have to remove thescreen to clean the debris out.......

Our biggest problem trees are two locust trees that have small leaves and they shed a lot of small twigs. The screen
style sounds like it wouldn't be much of an improvement in that environment.

On Thu, 27 Oct 2016 14:59:48 +0000, Stormin' Norman wrote:

On Thu, 27 Oct 2016 10:06:43 -0400, Meanie wrote:

On 10/27/2016 8:54 AM, Frank wrote:


I once made a section of PVC 4 inch pipe with an elbow to try cleaning
with my leaf blower. It was not all that great.


They make (or you can make your own) a U-shape attachment for a hose
which allows you to water jet debris out of the gutter. Not sure how
well it works, but in theory it appears as if it will do the job, though
could be messy splashing all around.


Those jets make a horrible mess. In the past, I've had excellent success using a long, flexible hose attached
to a powerful shop vac. You can buy hoses for shop vacs that are similar to the kind you find at self-service
car washes.

It also helps to have a son, grandson or great grandson to do the ladder work..........

Our grandson is only five now. Letting him go on the roof is something he isn't ready for... yet.

On Thursday, October 27, 2016 at 6:32:00 AM UTC-5, Frank wrote:

On 10/27/2016 6:50 AM, bob haller wrote:

On Wednesday, October 26, 2016 at 10:47:08 PM UTC-4, Gordon Shumway wrote:

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?

Thanks

the screen guards are a waste of money. had them on my moms house. true they keep out large leaves, but small stuff fragments and gets under the screen.

so you have to remove the screen to clean the debris out.......


That's been my experience. It can be surprising how much little stuff
can accumulate.


Welllllll, maybe it's the product you are using or the type
of trees around your house. But I can say what I've been
using has been fantastic. No junk in gutters and no clogged
downspouts which means no standing on ladders and throwing
rotted leaves and twigs to then be picked up or mulched.

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

In article ,
Stormin' Norman wrote:

Those jets make a horrible mess. In the past, I've had excellent
success using a long, flexible hose attached
to a powerful shop vac. You can buy hoses for shop vacs that are
similar to the kind you find at self-service
car washes.

I attached 2 2" quarter turn electrical PVC elbows to a wand segment and with a couple more wands I use the shop-vac to suck out the gutters from the ground. Two things though. First, it's a 1 story house. Second, the "leaves" were from a juniper tree. These leaves are stringy and break into pieces about the size of sand on contact. The gutter would fill with this stuff at least twice a year. That tree is no longer "available".

m

On 10/27/2016 10:53 AM, Dan Espen wrote:
Meanie writes:

On 10/27/2016 8:54 AM, Frank wrote:


I once made a section of PVC 4 inch pipe with an elbow to try cleaning
with my leaf blower. It was not all that great.


They make (or you can make your own) a U-shape attachment for a hose
which allows you to water jet debris out of the gutter. Not sure how
well it works, but in theory it appears as if it will do the job,
though could be messy splashing all around.

It rains down a mess on the user.
I get up on the roof and use a backpack blower.

Less manly men hire someone to do the job.



Several Halloweens ago wife asked 81 year neighbor about missing teeth
and he said he had fallen off the roof. I'm not a lot younger than
that. My roof climbing days are over. Better a mess coming down on me
than me coming down a mess.

On 10/28/2016 6:45 AM, Frank wrote:
Several Halloweens ago wife asked 81 year neighbor about missing teeth and he said he had fallen off the roof. I'm not a lot younger than that. My roof climbing days are over. Better a mess coming down on me than me coming down a mess.


Best thing I ever did was have my eve troughs removed. Between the fall leaves and the winter snow/ice, they were a maintenance headache.

To replace them, I had a shallow trench ( 12" deep x 6' wide ) dug the along the length of the house (front and back). Next the trenches were lined with rubber pond liner and filled with pea gravel. Both trenches drain off to a dry well about 75' from house.

Frank "frank writes:

On 10/27/2016 10:53 AM, Dan Espen wrote:
Meanie writes:

On 10/27/2016 8:54 AM, Frank wrote:


I once made a section of PVC 4 inch pipe with an elbow to try cleaning
with my leaf blower. It was not all that great.


They make (or you can make your own) a U-shape attachment for a hose
which allows you to water jet debris out of the gutter. Not sure how
well it works, but in theory it appears as if it will do the job,
though could be messy splashing all around.

It rains down a mess on the user.
I get up on the roof and use a backpack blower.

Less manly men hire someone to do the job.



Several Halloweens ago wife asked 81 year neighbor about missing teeth
and he said he had fallen off the roof. I'm not a lot younger than
that. My roof climbing days are over. Better a mess coming down on
me than me coming down a mess.

70 here.
Still feel like a 40 year old, in fact I'm in better shape than I was
at 40. I have a split and I'm pretty sure I'd break more than teeth
if I fell from most parts of the roof.
But I use a back pack blower and have no reason to get closer than
a couple of feet from the edge.

Lots of my neighbors use lawn services and handy men for all the
home maintenance jobs. My feeling is, when I get there, it's time
to move into a rental. I'm going to keep at it until I can't.
If I kill myself falling of the roof, I win. No long slow
painful death in a hospital bed. (Yeah, I know, I could get injured.)

I'm a believer in exercise. I swim a mile or more 3 times a week.
Roofs are easy.

That mess that comes down is leaves and water. That stuff falling
into my face and down my back is just too nasty for me. I get out
the ladder, and get up there and do the job.

--
Dan Espen

In eb.com,
Walter typed:
On 10/28/2016 6:45 AM, Frank wrote:
Several Halloweens ago wife asked 81 year neighbor about missing
teeth and he said he had fallen off the roof. I'm not a lot younger
than that. My roof climbing days are over. Better a mess coming
down on me than me coming down a mess.

Best thing I ever did was have my eve troughs removed. Between the
fall leaves and the winter snow/ice, they were a maintenance
headache.

I did the same thing on two homes that I own. The first one was a one-story
ranch style home. There were some problems and damage to the existing
gutters and downspouts, so before replacing them I decided to just remove
them all and see what happens.

A neighbor said that if I did that I would end up with deep ruts in the
ground along the line where the rain water drops off the roof. He was
somewhat right, but not completely. Along the back of that house, there are
some narrow ruts or pits in the ground but nothing significant. Along the
front of the house, not so much, but the grass grows better in the front
than the back which reduced the amount of "rut effect". And, over the back
door there is the problem of having to walk through a waterfall while going
in and out if it is raining. I may be able to create some type of fix for
that issue by putting up some kind of diverter piece on the roof to divert
the water away from the section over the door, but I haven't bothered to try
that yet.

The second home that I did this on is a 2 1/2 story older style home. That
one has a huge oak tree in front that belongs to the County so I cannot
remove the tree. The tree produces tons of leaves and acorns and always
created a huge mess with the gutters and downspouts. Interestingly, for
that house, the issue of the "ruts" is almost nonexistent. I think that may
be because even though some of the waterfall drops from two floors up, the
amount off roof area receiving rain on each of the 4 sides is less so less
rain water pours down on each side.

To replace them, I had a shallow trench ( 12" deep x 6' wide ) dug
the along the length of the house (front and back). Next the
trenches were lined with rubber pond liner and filled with pea
gravel. Both trenches drain off to a dry well about 75' from house.

Maybe something like that would be a "fix" of some sort for the rut issue
that my no-gutter, no-downspout, solution created.

But, the bottom line for me is that for these two homes -- which are
subjected to tree leaves and acorns etc. -- my no-gutter, no-downspout,
solution seems to work well.

And, for homes where I have no tree issues near those homes, leaving the
gutters and downspouts in place is no problem and works well.

Art Todesco posted for all of us...



On 10/27/2016 6:13 AM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 10/26/2016 11:24 PM, ItsJoanNotJoann wrote:
On Wednesday, October 26, 2016 at 9:47:08 PM UTC-5, Gordon Shumway wrote:

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?

They would be good where I live now ... lots of big leaves. However, in
my previous house, we had lots of Maple trees and the springtime seed
would hook in the opening and line up like little soldiers. I literally
had to pick them out one by one. I now have Gutter Helmets and they
seem to work real well.

+1 I do too.

--
Tekkie