| All gutter guards clog. But hold on. Whereas all of them | | | | existing gutters. Patents have expired and the field has |
| clog requiring maintenance, one is easy with which to | | | | exploded with many variations of this style. The rain |
| maintain. | | | | water sticks to the rounded surface and flows |
| First, the terms gutter covers, gutter guards, gutter | | | | downward into the gutter. Years of experience shows |
| protectors, and leaf guards are basically | | | | that in addition to water, sufficient tree debris adheres |
| interchangeable. Some companies advertise screens | | | | to the surface in mild-to-heavy debris conditions to clog |
| as gutter guards and that's just a misnomer as leaf | | | | the gutter. |
| guards all characteristically all have a solid top surface. | | | | Maintenance can only be done by ascending a ladder, |
| Basically there are six different types of devices: | | | | removing sections of the leaf guard and cleaning the |
| 1. Screens. There are many different types-flat with all | | | | gutter and downspout--not a pleasant task for the |
| types of openings (round, square, louvers...) made of | | | | homeowner who is often at the mercy of the installing |
| plastic, wire, and metal. Some disguise themselves with | | | | company to render service. Because some of these |
| steps in the screening and one even has troughs in it. | | | | protectors are nailed into the roofing, the roof is in |
| 2. Filters, membranes, and brushes installed on or in | | | | double jeopardy of developing a leak when they are |
| existing gutters--they call themselves leaf guards. | | | | replaced from being cleaned. In the case of the |
| 3. Flat solid top with rounded front nose--fin type leaf | | | | all-in-one leaf guard, the gutter must be flushed. Larger |
| guards. And there's one in which in addition to the fin | | | | than life downspouts are used to accommodate this |
| also has small openings on the top--basically a screen | | | | flushing, but it still requires someone to ascend a ladder |
| in conjunction with a fin) | | | | to do the dirty dangerous job. |
| 4. Flat solid top with rounded front nose and a | | | | To rectify the design deficiency in the fin type, two |
| trough--fin type with trough. | | | | types of hybrid covers have been developed: |
| 5. Rain dispersal and the flipping type of gutters. One | | | | 1. A fin type with small openings on the top solid |
| (not yet on the market) that makes a larger than life | | | | surface--basically a screen in combination with fin. It |
| opening in the gutter for larger than life downspout | | | | too is subject to the same problems screens face plus |
| attachment. The homeowner has to remove | | | | the fin type which eventually clogs the gutter. |
| downspouts from house to clean--more joy for the | | | | 2. The fourth type (which in addition to having a fin) |
| homeowner (a gutter full of muck coming down upon | | | | contains a trough with sieve openings. It doesn't take |
| him. | | | | an MIT graduate to see that the same amount of |
| 6. Flat solid top with rounded front nose and a double | | | | debris that flows over the fin will also enter the trough |
| row louvered front vertical surface to collect water. | | | | where either the sieve openings in the trough clogs or |
| Of approximately 100 different gutter cover/screen | | | | enough debris passes the sieve openings to clog the |
| filter products to choose from all but one fit in the first | | | | gutter. Again, servicing is a big problem. |
| five categories. | | | | The fifth category has nothing to do with protecting |
| For the record, all screens (the first type) clog. To | | | | existing gutters but instead replacing them with a |
| maintain them, one has to ascend a ladder to clean the | | | | dispersal system which clogs with debris on top and |
| screen and the gutter beneath the screen because | | | | doesn't work in light-to-medium rain fall conditions and |
| dried debris on top of the screen is often pummeled | | | | replacement gutters that are cleaned by flipping them |
| into the gutter by rain water. This maintenance is often | | | | or using telescopic pressure system to clean |
| more work than just cleaning the gutters would have | | | | gutters--messy and dirty chores for the homeowner. |
| been. One screen clamps to the front gutter lip, is | | | | The third and fourth type of guards are in the right |
| made of vinyl, disguises itself with steps and troughs, | | | | direction but they don't limit the size of the debris that |
| but basically it's a screen and is nearly impossible to | | | | the fin collects. Wouldn't it be nice to limit the size of |
| remove without destroying the gutter when if fails. | | | | debris? Wouldn't it be great to have two rows of |
| The second type (filters) is either a filter installed in | | | | interspersed louvers that deliver the water into the |
| what is otherwise a solid top surface or some kind of | | | | gutter and limit the size of debris that enters the |
| filter or filament or brush installed inside the gutter. | | | | gutter? |
| Again it doesn't take an MIT graduate to look into the | | | | While all leaf guards clog would it not also be great if |
| future and see what will happen--debris will gradually | | | | the gutter inside never clogged even after twenty plus |
| accumulate on the filter, filament or brush. Experience | | | | years; and louvers that might clog in heavy debris |
| shows that after two years at most, this debris | | | | conditions be visible from the ground and be easily |
| solidifies resulting in clogging the gutter. The brush-in-the | | | | maintained from the ground by using a telescopic pole |
| gutter system recognizes this and suggests removing | | | | and brush? And wouldn't it be great if this were not a |
| the brush from the gutter periodically to clean | | | | dirty job but one that could be referred to as "suit and |
| them--can you imagine the fun in that--slop all over the | | | | tie" maintenance if it every had to be done? The sixth |
| roofing, siding and windows? | | | | type of gutter protector is the answer. |
| There are a dozen or so of the fin type leaf guards | | | | In reality, to tell anyone who has to clean his gutters |
| (the third type). They are either covers installed on top | | | | more than twice in the Fall that a guard will never need |
| of gutters or the all-in-one leaf guards to replace | | | | servicing is like asking him to believe in Santa Claus. |