Anyone have any experience with gutter guards? Do they work or are they over-rated?

[snagglepuss]

[northoftheborder]

1. I had some gutter guards installed.

I have since sold that house, but in the year after which I had them installed, I had NO problems with leaf, oak bloom, etc. build up in my gutters. I did not get the expensive kind (can't remember the brand, maybe Rain Guard) because I knew I would be selling the house. Mine consisted of a wire grid which fit into the gutter. Installed by Gutterman (national company). They showed me all of the options before I had the work done. (I also replaced all my gutters at the same time.)

[snagglepuss]

3. Was there a reason you went with the wire grid instead of a PVC grid that pops in?

[northoftheborder]

10. Cost. the Rainguard would have cost more than the gutters.

[snagglepuss]

11. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[jeff47]

2. Depends on what's falling in your gutters

They work great on big leaves.

Very small leaves, such as pine needles, can be a problem for some of the designs - bigger holes let them fall in.

[snagglepuss]

4. From what I've read elsewhere gutters still need to be cleaned though it's hard to know

whether people posting such opinions are people who have gutter cleaning businesses.

[Phentex]

5. We have the wire guards and they work fine...

we get a ton of leaves and acorns. I'm pretty sure husband installed these because they are less expensive than other options.

[snagglepuss]

6. Thanks for the feedback. Wire seems the way to go.

[Stinky The Clown]

7. We have these foam gutter guards and are very satisfied with them

A very different approach to gutter guarding. These are made from some UV protected open cell foam. They fit inside the gutter and keep pretty much everything out. Water has a free and open channel to run thru and the foam allows roof runoff to enter the gutter freely.

We had a big problem from a nearby maple that clogged our front gutters every fall. Since installing these (5 years ago??) we have had no problems whatsoever.

[snagglepuss]

9. Wow they look super easy to install.

[Kolesar]

8. In my dreams, I would remove the gutters and the rain would fall into gravel catchment areas

...that had their own drain to a storm drain or otherwise away from the house.

I would have a diverter over the entry doors to move the water off to the side.

[benld74]

12. I had gutter screens installed, but have large oak in front of house,,,

the oak 'strings', I call the stuff that falls in early spring when the tree is blooming, STILL get caught on top of the screens. I still have to go up and sweep/brush the string away else when it DOES rain, the water runs OVER the screens.