Leaf Guard Success

[Music Lover]

I thought a $4,500 estimate to put gutter guards was expensive.

Then I fell off a ladder and broke two legs cleaning my gutters that Fall. I was in the hospital a week and in bed 8 weeks.

Kind'a makes the gutter guards look reasonable in price.

Of course there are plenty of satisfactory options between the two extremes of $4500 and falling off a ladder.

 

[CountryGal]

Great thread! When we had our gutters redone about 10 years ago, I wanted a gutter guard. The company I was working with said they could do it, but didn't recommend them. They said they caused more issues than they solved. So.. we need to get our gutters cleaned out periodically.

 

[OldShooter]

Regarding "stuff" getting through the gutter guard, the "Gutter Glove" that I mentioned above has a fairly fine mesh stainless screen, so what gets through is small stuff that gets washed to to the downspout. In the six year's we've had them, I have seen no need for cleaning. Same-o on our lake home where I first tested the product, total about 9 years. Obviously the finer the mesh the less stuff gets through.

Re pine needles, we have one area where we do have pine needles and they do love to stick their heads into the screen. They seem to deteriorate and get washed away, but for anyone with major pine needles I would suggest due diligence including inspecting and talking to prior customers for the product.

 

[aaronc879]

Great thread! When we had our gutters redone about 10 years ago, I wanted a gutter guard. The company I was working with said they could do it, but didn't recommend them. They said they caused more issues than they solved. So.. we need to get our gutters cleaned out periodically.

Sounds like you need a second opinion. A lot of people here who have gutter guards with no problems. Mine were installed 6 years ago and have had zero problems. Haven't touched my gutters or paid anyone else to do it for 6 years.

 

[Sunset]

The plastic ones I recommended earlier, don't cause much trouble if a person wanted to remove them for some reason. This year after not touching a gutter for 3 years, I removed a panel to be sure to see clearly inside. It was clean.

Since these plastic ones don't screw on, it was just a matter of pulling it off, and then pushing it back in place when done.
The downside to them, is on another gutter I had one fall down into the gutter, maybe it was branches pushing on it, or a severe wind (also had a soffit pull out which was nailed in and had not moved in 15 years).

Considering the plastic ones would cost ~$166 to do 200 feet of gutters, this will pay for itself in a one or two years compared to cleaning gutters.

I do like the idea of "Gutter Glove" for my gutter where a plastic one fell in, as they use either 3M tape or screws to hold it in place. Since not all gutters need to have the same guard as cannot be seen from the street, I might get "Gutter Guard" or at least I'll borrow the tape/screw idea.

 

[JoeWras]

Sounds like you need a second opinion. A lot of people here who have gutter guards with no problems. Mine were installed 6 years ago and have had zero problems. Haven't touched my gutters or paid anyone else to do it for 6 years.

Yes. Although not perfect, the cheap guards I have save a ton of time and ladder work - or calling someone. Very happy to have them. I also don't have to worry about inopportune overflow events.

I still go up on my roof 1x per year just to inspect it. I bring the blower to knock off any stuck pine needles. That isn't even happening anymore since I cut down a close by pine.

 

[NC 57]

Leaf Guard Brand Gutter

We installed Leaf Guard brand gutters when we built our house 20 years ago. They have performed we with respect to shedding leaves and not clogging. However I would not recommend them.

About 5 years after installation, the paint on the gutters began fading in splotches. My suspicion is the gutters were scratched in the warehouse and repaired with spray paint before being installed. The difference in rate of fade of the base paint and the spray paint resulted in the splotches.

The gutters have a lifetime warranty. We called the local installer. The owner came out, looked at the gutters and accused us of using chemicals to wash the outside of the house. She said the chemicals caused the splotching on the paint. We had never had the brick house exterior or the gutters washed. We gave our point of view. She refused to honor the warranty stating she had purchased the franchise after our job was done and didn't feel any obligation to us, particularly because we had caused the problem.

We appealed to Leaf Guard corporate headquarters and got the run around for months. Phone calls were not returned. People who said they would visit our home to check out the problem never came. After a year of runaround it was clear the company had no intention of standing behind the product. Our attorney told us it was a waste of money to sue. The cost of going to court would be more than we would likely recover.

We are now at 20 years with the product and it looks terrible. When we have a new roof installed in the next few years, we will likely have the Leaf Guard gutters removed and new gutters installed.

 

[Sunset]

We installed Leaf Guard brand gutters when we built our house 20 years ago. They have performed we with respect to shedding leaves and not clogging. However I would not recommend them.

About 5 years after installation, the paint on the gutters began fading in splotches. My suspicion is the gutters were scratched in the warehouse and repaired with spray paint before being installed. The difference in rate of fade of the base paint and the spray paint resulted in the splotches.

The gutters have a lifetime warranty. We called the local installer. The owner came out, looked at the gutters and accused us of using chemicals to wash the outside of the house. She said the chemicals caused the splotching on the paint. We had never had the brick house exterior or the gutters washed. We gave our point of view. She refused to honor the warranty stating she had purchased the franchise after our job was done and didn't feel any obligation to us, particularly because we had caused the problem.

We appealed to Leaf Guard corporate headquarters and got the run around for months. Phone calls were not returned. People who said they would visit our home to check out the problem never came. After a year of runaround it was clear the company had no intention of standing behind the product. Our attorney told us it was a waste of money to sue. The cost of going to court would be more than we would likely recover.

We are now at 20 years with the product and it looks terrible. When we have a new roof installed in the next few years, we will likely have the Leaf Guard gutters removed and new gutters installed.

Couldn't you paint them, as it seems there was a need for these such as leaves. Painting would cost little, could even just do a test section very cheaply to see how it looks.
Only downside would be a need to repaint every 10 years.

Myself I'd be tempted to test 2 ways, one would be to use spray cans of paint. The other would be to use a brush with exterior paint for aluminum. In both cases a quick rubbing with very fine sandpaper first just to rough it up.

 

[MC Rider]

Since our house is one story high, we just use a gutter cleaning attachment for our leaf blower. Works quite well for the pine needles that is our main problem.

I do this. Got some abs pipe that fit my leaf blower. Only get on the ladder to make sure I got it clean.


The leaf guard thing did not stop the seeds from the Shamel Ash, of which there are millions every year. Had to take the gutter guards back off to clean the gutters. Never put them back on. Bought the abs pipes.

 

[NC 57]

We have the trim paint on our house touched up every 5-6 years. Each time we've discussed painting the gutters with the painter. Two different painters have recommended against an overcoat of paint on the existing gutters and downspouts. Both concluded the new paint will peel in 2-3 years unless we remove the gutters, then completely sand and prime them before spraying on a new coat of paint and then reinstalling the gutters. Our house is 2 stories in the front and three in the back (daylight basement) which adds to the labor cost. The cost of removing and refurbishing the gutters is greater than simply replacing them.

 

[rayvt]

FlexxPointPro Gutter Cover Systems, LLC ? Huron, Ohio
I bought: Residential Gutter Guards 204 Feet WHITE $149.00 No tax, no shipping charge.

Paid a local handyman $200 to install them. He said that these were better and cheaper than any of the other brands he had installed.

 

[roh3]

We have the trim paint on our house touched up every 5-6 years. Each time we've discussed painting the gutters with the painter. Two different painters have recommended against an overcoat of paint on the existing gutters and downspouts. Both concluded the new paint will peel in 2-3 years unless we remove the gutters, then completely sand and prime them before spraying on a new coat of paint and then reinstalling the gutters. Our house is 2 stories in the front and three in the back (daylight basement) which adds to the labor cost. The cost of removing and refurbishing the gutters is greater than simply replacing them.

Don’t think I agree with your painters.
My first house (30+ years ago) was an ugly faded yellow aluminum sided fixer-upper. I went to my local Benjamin Moore dealer & asked if I could paint it. He recommended a particular paint & my wife picked out the colors, & I painted the siding, soffits & gutters.

We flipped the house a few years later, but we still drive by the house to this day. The paint held up well, & never peeled. After about 12-15 years you could start to see the yellow showing a little behind the grey parts as the paint wore away as it’s supposed to. Then the house was repainted again & we were happy the current owners chose the same colors. Still looks good & was never re-sided, although I don’t know if it got new gutters when it got a roof.

TLDR: I just quickly power washed the house & the appropriate paint had no trouble adhering to the chalky existing paint on aluminum.

 

[JoeWras]

Thank you very much for your perspective, NC 57.

25 years ago, a lot of homes nearby got the Leaf Guard brand product. I went conventional aluminum. We were all replacing the late 70s galvanized which rotted.

I just wasn't sold on the very high cost. Neighbors who have them say they're ok, but I've never heard anyone get overly excited about them.

Your story confirms my doubts. Thanks.

BTW, someone mentioned painting... Well part of their design is surface tension. Brush painting could muck it up. As NC says, they should be taken off and basically painted as you would an automobile.

 

[Buckeye]

I had Leaf Filter guards installed right after I bought the house 6 years ago and haven't had any problem at all. I over paid pretty bad at a couple grand for a small ranch house but after my hip replacement there is no way i'm getting on a ladder so it was worth it to me.

Climbing a ladder and getting on the roof/cleaning out the gutters was one of the first things DH did as soon as he could after his hip surgery! His surgeon and PT did a great job. He's had no issues!

 

[Rianne]

Climbing a ladder and getting on the roof/cleaning out the gutters was one of the first things DH did as soon as he could after his hip surgery! His surgeon and PT did a great job. He's had no issues!

Yikes! I keep thinking of one unstable rock, one step the wrong way. An older friend of ours fell off, concussion, broken nose, etc. Why risk it? I'd almost pay a young person $100 to clean them twice a year and be done with it.

 

[Sunset]

Thank you very much for your perspective, NC 57.

25 years ago, a lot of homes nearby got the Leaf Guard brand product. I went conventional aluminum. We were all replacing the late 70s galvanized which rotted.

I just wasn't sold on the very high cost. Neighbors who have them say they're ok, but I've never heard anyone get overly excited about them.

Your story confirms my doubts. Thanks.

BTW, someone mentioned painting... Well part of their design is surface tension. Brush painting could muck it up. As NC says, they should be taken off and basically painted as you would an automobile.

Since it's being considered to replace them in a few years , at a large expense, it's worth testing a section (at the back of the house), just use spray paint if one thinks a brush would somehow interfere with the surface tension.

No harm as it's going to be replaced, and already looks bad, unless of course the painting turns out to solve the issue.

 

[JoeWras]

Since it's being considered to replace them in a few years , at a large expense, it's worth testing a section (at the back of the house), just use spray paint if one thinks a brush would somehow interfere with the surface tension.

No harm as it's going to be replaced, and already looks bad, unless of course the painting turns out to solve the issue.

Spray painting may work if the paint levels.

NC 57's house is like mine. 3 stories up in the back (daylight basement). Even testing the theory is difficult, impossible or at least expensive.

 

[OldShooter]

Yikes! I keep thinking of one unstable rock, one step the wrong way. An older friend of ours fell off, concussion, broken nose, etc. Why risk it? ...

I lost a lifetime friend last year. He was on a ladder trimming a tree when the rung on the ladder broke. He ended up hitting the driveway concrete more or less flat, resulting in a huge concussion that affected his hearing and vision. He lasted a year, enduring various complications, before he died. No roofs or ladders for me.

 

[pb4uski]

I installed inexpensive plastic mesh gutter guards that I bought from our local ACE hardware store and they seem to do a credible job.

The debris that gets past the gutter guards is easily flushed out with a leaf blower and/or a garden hose every other year or so. Luckily, most of our gutters are only 1-story high so I can easily and safely access them with a step-ladder and I'm careful and take my time. We have one small section of gutters, about 20 linear feet that is 1-1/2 story high and I attend to those with an extension ladder.

 

[Buckeye]

Yikes! I keep thinking of one unstable rock, one step the wrong way. An older friend of ours fell off, concussion, broken nose, etc. Why risk it? I'd almost pay a young person $100 to clean them twice a year and be done with it.

He cleans the one gutter at least once a week. We have no trees but the neighbor on one side of us has huge oak trees that are always dropping something into the gutter on that side of the house. I just keep him on original Medicare and a supplement plan so we can go to the best around for treatment. I was considering moving him to a HD G supplement plan to save about $80 per month but roof!

 

[Buckeye]

I lost a lifetime friend last year. He was on a ladder trimming a tree when the rung on the ladder broke. He ended up hitting the driveway concrete more or less flat, resulting in a huge concussion that affected his hearing and vision. He lasted a year, enduring various complications, before he died. No roofs or ladders for me.

I tell him he better keep his cell phone in his pocket if he wants an ambulance to come if he falls off the roof because I might be too busy to call one if I'm vacuuming or watching TV.

 

[OldShooter]

I tell him he better keep his cell phone in his pocket if he wants an ambulance to come if he falls off the roof because I might be too busy to call one if I'm vacuuming or watching TV.

Actually friend John was not conscious after his fall. Deep scrapes on his knees and elbows say that he crawled up the driveway and into the house before coming to. He remembered none of it. One of the subsequent problems was that the scrapes got seriously infected.

 

[rayvt]

A guy at our church died last year. He had a handyman install leaf-guards and afterwards he climbed up on a ladder to check the installation.

He fell off the ladder, died the next day.

My wife then informed me that I was NEVER allowed to climb a ladder ever again.

 

[CRLLS]

I never was "comfortable" getting on a roof. I did manage to carry bundles of shingles up a ladder and on to roofs on several roofing jobs. I also would hang over the side while painting siding 1-1/2 stories up. That was my younger years. About 10 years ago, I was about 7 ft off a cement floor, when the bottom of the ladder slipped out. I rode the ladder down. I managed to stay upright but hit the concrete floor with my feet on a rung. OUCH!. It took me several minutes just standing there on the concrete before I even tried to walk afterwards. Fortunately for me nothing was permanently damaged other than my own ego. I learned a new respect for ladders that day and have changed my ways. I still use a ladder but am very, very tentative every time.

 

[JoeWras]

It is best to avoid ladders if you can. I still use them, but have a few rules.
- All A-frame ladders must be in the A shape. No leaning them against walls.
- Don't do a reach that requires changing your body position
- 3 points of contact, always, on an extension ladder
- Extension ladders in dirt are dug in
- Extension ladders on wood have screw or nail backups (avoid slide out)
- Try to avoid extension ladder on concrete, but if so, assure proper angle
- Never, ever, ever, ever cut something from a ladder that is to fall away. This includes parts of buildings or trees. The big reason people fall off ladders with trees is the "bounce back". For example:

This guy also isn't following the three point rule. Most tree-ladder incidents are not this dramatic, usually the tree branch kicks the ladder and causes the fall. A church member had this happen and he's now a severe traumatic brain injury patient for the rest of his life.

If you have a ladder (even a tiny A-frame) and are cutting trees, STOP. Move away. You are doing it wrong. No pro ever cuts a tree using a ladder. Ever.

(BTW: if the repeat of this GIF is driving you crazy, that's good. Makes an impression, eh?)