I just had a new roof installed using owens-Corning glass shingles. Roof company had to remove my aluminum gutter guards because they were the under shingle design. OC will void the warranty if this design is used. Great video! Thanks
Had tried these same gutters plastic screens , they last maybe 2-3years, sun exposure breaks them down they become very brittle ,crack, split, and are blown off by strong winds. I replaced them with stainless steel mesh gutter guards, which are installed the same way except they are screwed to top of gutter lip. Sold at Home Depot, they cost more but will last the life of your house. Had a hail storm, had to replace entire roof, but not the stainless steel gutter guards. Garage still has plastic screened gutter guards,(2yrs old), they were shredded. Replaced with stainless steel mesh gutter guards.
As much as I want to have a "maintenance free" house, especially the roof (inaccessible for me), we have a neighborhood handyman who charges $40 to clean gutters. 2x per year: $80.... not too bad and you KNOW the gutters are clean, AND he tells you if there's a problem up there.
That was my go-to move but the rooftop services will be getting their calendars filled for months this Sunday. The first strong winds of October blow all the dead needles out of the pines. The cost for our 350 feet of gutters is about $200 but not everybody gets their gutter cleaned before the freeze sets in. I had to do it myself the last five years or so before getting gutter guards professionally installed. A lot more expensive, and truly dangerous, but a lot less frustrating. People who are good with lotteries are able to time their call to be put on the list (no appointment dates, just "next!") but I failed on the last 3 years before I had gutter guards installed.
My husband went with Leaf Filter. I disagreed and over 8000. later, theyve had to come back 3 times and have yet to fix the problem. Long story short warranty is only if anything gets under guard and you cant see through to check without moving the guard which voids warranty. The salesman lied about everything from price to product. Glad you are educating people on gutter guards. A lot of good advice. Thanks!! Wish id see it earlier. 😢
Don't waste your money or time with the Huxley plastic gutter snap-in screens... They do not work ... After a few hours if you manage to get one or two installed, the plastic will crack and fall apart from the sun rays in just a few years ... (Oakland Home Inspections LLC) Metal gutter guards are the only ones that work and actually fit, and do not crack or fall apart ...
You better have a nail puller if you expect to slide those plastic snap-ins under the nailed-down shingles... Be prepared to replace several dozen shingles or more during the installation. Don't waste your money, or time with the Huxley or Amerimax plastic gutter snap-in screens... They do not work ... After a few hours if you manage to get one or two installed, the plastic will crack and fall apart from the sun rays in just a few years ... (Oakland Home Inspections LLC) Metal gutter guards are the only ones that work and actually fit, and do not crack or fall apart ...
Love your content! Great solutions! Only thing I would recommend here is when you mention your new channel, link it in the comments so I can easily get to your expanded content. Thanks for all you do!
One of the downsides of the plastic ones you recommend is that if you have a steep pitched roof and a hard downpour rain, the water will run so fast that it runs over the guard past the gutter. That's why they didn't work for me.
Possible answer might be to tilt the gutter up toward the roof to catch the rain better yet that then may create other problems..another thought might be to extend the edge of the roof more like a Frank Lloyd Wright design to do better creating ideas that would work in your neck of the woods. Me ditto of creating improvements for my home on a semi-off-grid terrain. Good luck
Same scenario with my house. I switched them out with the the black metal mesh ones. After a few years, so far so good. I live in the Midwest, with four season weather, and they hold up well. Armor guard is the product name. The are three foot sections like what the host of this channel put in (not like the first piece he took out). They are a heavy weight tringular mesh, no screen. I have a very large Silver Maple Tree that hangs over the roof, and have very little issues with leaves and seedlings getting stuck. The wind usually takes care of them.
This is exactly what I was wondering. I live in Southwest Florida and the rain gets brutal in season. Seems like it would just spill right over with these guards which is what I'm trying to avoid so it doesn't spill over onto my Lanai
That broom hack was worth the watch. Thanks for that tip. The mesh version are the gutter guards I have used for years. My first install lasted almost ten years.
As a professional gutter cleaner in the uk I would advise people to use these, they cause more problems than they solve.. just get your gutters cleaned regularly, once / twice a year
@@simonwild428 Did you mean NOT use these? Btw, I have family in the UK. I have always been proud of my grandparents and English roots. My great-great grandfather was killed in the London bombings during WWII. He was 94 at the time. I wished I could have known and talked with him and many other relatives.
Don't waste your money or time with the Huxley plastic gutter snap-in screens... They do not work ... After a few hours if you manage to get one or two installed, the plastic will crack and fall apart from the sun rays in just a few years ... (Oakland Home Inspections LLC) Metal gutter guards are the only ones that work and actually fit, and do not crack or fall apart ...
Costco makes a 6” metal version that I like, for about $2 a foot. I don’t trust my balance enough to install myself, so I’m looking for a handyman to do it for me. P.S. the Menards description for the product you used says to install with screen side up.
That is correct. If you have the screens on the bottom debris, granules fill the little circle and the debris starts to form a clogs. With the screen on the topside, the debris washes off better from rains. No 1005 perfect as it will also eventually fill with dirt and debris. I clean gutters and see this issue often here in SW Michigan.
I had the plastic gutter guards installed. Installed easily. Pretty easy to keep cleaned off. The problem I found is that anything more than a light rain and the rain can’t make it into the gutter even on a brand new gutter guard. The water just flows right over the gutter and straight down to about three feet from the house. On a hard rain the water turns into a waterfall that shoots out 5-6 feet from the gutter. Basically the gutter is doing very little collecting and taking the water to the downspout.
Same Took them off and into the trash Gutters work best without guards ez to clean without guards and junk stuck to or dropped inside like roof granules or dirt getting thicker
Two of my neighbors installed the plastic gutter guards, but they both had terrible trouble with Maple tree seeds sticking in all the holes. The holes are too big to prevent this. I’ve tried some options, but finally decided that standing on my roof (not a steep slope) and running with a leaf blower around the gutters every fall after the leaves have fallen and possibly again in the late spring works best. It only takes ten minutes to blow out the debris.
If you have a one story house, you can operate a back-pack, or hand held leaf blower on the ground to clean out the gutters. Simply extend the blower outlets with some straight PVC pipe, so that when you hold either blower on the ground, the PVC points straight up to the gutters. Extend the PVC about 1 to 2 feet above the gutter and then add one 90 degree fitting and one 45 degree fitting, so that your angle approaching the gutter when you clean it out will be approximately 45 degrees. You are basically walking underneath and along the gutters while you clean them out. Depending on what schedule (wall thickness) of PVC you use, will determine how heavy the unit will be to operate. Now you can safely do on the ground what you risked doing on top of your roof.
Scott, Sorry to break the bad news to you but you installed the gutter guards upside down. I know because I made the same mistake. It doesn't look like it (because it looks unfinished) but the mesh actually goes on TOP when it's installed and not on the under side like you have it. I noticed after installing mine that leaves and seeds from a tree would get caught between the hole and the mesh under it. When you put the mesh on top that can't happen. You can check with the description on that product on home depot's website. You will see that it says "The mesh design helps to catch debris; install with the filter facing the sky". You can also see an install video from the manufacturer that explains it here: ua-cam.com/video/kib8InPKmKo/v-deo.html
Thanks for the feedback, I will be interested to see how they perform upside down. I had these same models on a rental over the past 10 years (also installed upside down) with no issues 🤞
@@EverydayHomeRepairs Another issue when it's upside down is that when sticks and granules get stuck between the hole and the mesh they eventually push down on the mesh and it separates from the rest of the plastic. It eventually leaves you with just the holes and the sheet of mesh is sitting in the gutter. Unfortunately on the ones I got they didn't fuse the two together very well. Another flaw in the way you installed them is that the front edge of the guard actually sits lower than the lip of gutter. So small things rolling off the gutter tend to sit in that low part. If you compare the 2 plastic ones in the video that you installed, you will see when you installed the one without the mesh you did it properly and things should roll off.
Just clean your gutters. Leaf guards cause way more problems than they prevent. Any with mesh will eventually get clogged with dirt and debris. Your valleys just continue to pile up more and more from there. Trust and believe. Just clean your gutters.
The plastic cover will begin to sag in the middle, causing a valley to form, where the debris will collect and stay, making this product useless. Not sure why a homeowner would want to spend 300k + on a home and then spend $35 to protect it. Doesn't make much sense, don't you agree? The question is not how much a product cost, but how much value it provides. None of the four products you demonstrated provides much value to the homeowner. Additionally, why would you want to give out advice on Gutter Protection when you obviously don't know much about it? For example, it looks like you installed the guard screen side down, which is the WRONG way. Debris can now get trapped between the screen and the plastic on the solid sections surrounding the holes. You're going to cost the homeowner more than you're trying to save them, not to mention the possibility of them falling off a ladder and ending up in the emergency room. You should really take this video down.
I bought the black metal gutter guards from Lowes and installed them on my two story house and my garage gutters.I also used small aluminum screws to secure the gutter guards to the gutters. They have been installed now for over 4 years and not problem with clogged gutters or down spouts. Thanks for the video
Those are the same ones I bought and use. I find them to be the best for my conditions. Overall they have been troublefree and do not warp from the sun nor easily get blown off.
I installed the vinyl mesh a couple of years ago (Southern California) and they lasted through one winter. When summer hit, and I'm in a moderate temperature zone (90°F), they softened enough to droop, and many fell into the gutter. I have 6" gutters, so maybe the 5" is not as susceptible...
I use a gas powered leaf blower to clean out the gutter. A leaf blower gets the gutters squeaky clean and is fast (about 20 minutes). The only drawback is you have to go on the roof but if you're careful it's not a big deal.
It is not an irrational fear. I have stayed off the roof for about ten years now (since I turned 60) and got so uneasy about the ladder method I had gutter guards installed. Our home is on a hillside so one wall is barely ten feet while the other end of the house is almost 20 feet, and uneven, sloping to the left. A major reason for shelling out for the guards (warranted for the lifetime of the structure and performance with pine needles guaranteed) was that I knew if I did this much longer I would probably have a serious, possibly fatal, fall. In the US, OSHA requires all professionals on the roof to have approved fall protection - prevention (like railing) or arrest (approved harnesses and shock lanyards). Mooks like us can bet our lives legally.
Something I've used to help clean my gutters is a small gardening shovel that fits inside the gutter. If you have a metal one that's great but a cheap plastic one will work too. Very helpful if the material being removed is damp or soaking wet. Also, if there's a large build up of granules or dirt it makes it easier to remove it and not clog the downspout
I have one that was accidentally run over with the lawn mower a couple decades back. Bent it perfectly to hold at a comfortable angle while scooping out gutters! (I do not recommend running over gardening shovels or any other tool with a lawnmower - it's hazardous and I was extremely lucky!)
I installed this type of gutter guards in 2013 and they're still there working fine. But some of the mesh is gone from the element and i need to replace them this summer. Thank you for all the info.
In Florida, the starter shingle edge is required to be embedded in mastic to prevent lifting during high winds. I personally would not want to weaken the edge by inserting the guard. I'm looking for other options. Nice presentation!
@@Keifsanderson Sorry, no. I've been preoccupied with other activities. I suppose one could lift the shingles, then apply roofing mastic over the guard to reseal. It might take heat to loosen the shingle edge.
A problem I've had with these types of gutter guards is that they simply do not accept as much water as an uncovered gutter. A significant amount of water rolling off the roof, rolls right off the gutter guard, landing near the foundation. The model you installed at least had a lip that might help prevent this. How have these fared during heavy rains in this respect?
Over time the metal ones will resist the elements better, especially if you get a lot of storms. Not to mention regular sunlight exposure over time will degrade the plastic guards, and they will become brittle and crack/break. You may save a few bucks now, but you will have to replace those cheaper ones eventually
Agree 100%. I installed cheap plastic ones (no fine mesh). Over a couple years, the plastic decayed (broke, collapsed). I replaced them with metal ones recently. These should last a decade at least.
@@1776Based Yeah, I hear this a lot Kimberly. "It's so cheap, when they break I will just buy new ones." Hummm, but you aren't the one climbing the ladder every year. Re-Doing the work, over and over again. Replacing the inferior sun-damaged junk every year. So, who in your home is the sucker risking their life every 12 months?
Great video and perfect timing- I am just in the process of installing new gutters all around my house so this information is especially appreciated. It would have been good for you to clarify how the guards attached to the front edge of the gutters but near the end I could see how they snap on.
Great video. 2 follow-up questions though. 1) How well do these kinds of guards work with pine needles, which are more common than leaves at my Colorado home? 2) How do gutter guards effect ice damns? I have heat tape in my gutters to keep the water flowing in the winter, and I'd be worried that there would be an ice layer on top of the gutter guard that would never fully melt.
Gutter guards work for the leaves and sticks, but unfortunately my spouts still get clogged with Pine needles and mapleseed helicopters. And we have plenty of downpours that would overrun the mesh-style. Other than regular cleaning, I keep a long pole with hooked wire at the end handy so if a spout is plugged up during a storm I can chop up the sludge and wash it down the spout.
I just installed the same gutter guards you recommended. I used them on my last home and they really worked great and a good value too. The only problem was it is sometimes hard to clip them to the gutter but I usually overlap them, so there's enough connected to hold them in place. Good tip about the warranty. I bought my house with a five year old roof, so I don't know if the warranty stays with the house or is only with the old owner.
I just had some installed. Didn't want to bother doing it myself. Cost was $1,200 and they used PlyGem Leaf Relief Gutter Cover System. It's very hard to get to some of my gutters so I just bit the bullet and got it done.
I have Leaf Relief (not Leaf Filter) gutter guards installed on one home. They are aluminum, screwed in, professionally installed with a transferable warranty. Most things that land on them are either blown or washed away. I have 3 valleys on the roof, which is usually a problem, but hasn't been for the last 5 years with these gutter guards.
I installed the plastic ones also here in California. They warped a bit, but worse they have become very brittle from the sun and we’re falling apart after only one year.
The plastic ones he recommended are not good for neighborhoods with lots of trees. Mine were overwhelmed with leaves and I had to clean them off regularly. Eventually they collapsed into the gutters. I replaced them
That broom hack is so good it should be illegal, lol. I live in a 3-street subdivision, in a really small town in Georgia, and I've noticed none of the houses have gutters at all. I've never seen that before. The houses in the area all have really steep pitches to account for the amount of rain we get, so maybe that's why. It could also be the fact that our area is loaded with pine trees, and with pine trees comes pine needles that love to clog everything they touch. The truth is I'd only have to setup two runs in order to keep water away. One for the front, and one for the back with downspouts on either end. All I'd have to do is make sure there's gutters under the gables because we got rain the other night, and witnessed a literal fountain coming off the roof where the gables, and roof met. Doing the entire area of the house wouldn't make sense though, because the pitch is steep enough to cause such a flow that the gutters would essentially overfill at the bottoms of the runs.
Any chance you could do a quick test regarding how well the gutter guard allows water to flow in (i.e. how much does it restrict water or will the water just over flow)? Nothing fancy, maybe as simple as placing a hose on the roof and seeing if there's any overflow. That's one thing I always wondered about w/the fine mesh screen.
Hardware cloth, Aluminum pop rivets and a bit of care when installing for the win. Been using the system for years, very cheap and looks just as good if you use common sense when installing.
the problem i have with the ones i put on my house is that i own a cape cod with a good pitched roof. The plastic ones were cheap and easy but the water rolls right off my one side of house and both sides of the connected garage in which totally defeats the purpost of having gutters to push the water away from your foundation. The barrier just cant handle the water flow. Not sure what the answer is with a steep pitched roof.
We bought high-end gutter guards and quickly wished we'd just left things alone, because instead of having open tops to the gutters, there were now millions of tiny perforations, the things that kept out leaves and other trash, and in freezing weather they would ice up way before anything else did. The result was that whatever ran off the roof went straight over the iced-over gutter guards and straight down over the edge to the pavement below. When the ground was below 32 degrees F, this produced sheets of ice where we'd never had any before. So instead of having to clean gutters once a year, we now had to salt our sidewalks and front stoop every few days during the winter, and the runoff when that stuff melted was murder to our grass and flower beds adjacent to the sidewalks. No way we'd every do the gutter guards again. In a hot climate this might not be a problem, but for us it's been a dangerous and expensive nightmare.
This. All the recommendations for gutter guards overlook many of the pitfalls -- and for those with colder winters, ice damming is a big problem with gutter guards.
You mentioned wiping down the gutters to get them cleaner. Just to add on to that, if your gutters have the grey “tiger stripes” I learned that Totally Awesome gets rid of those really well. Got my gutters nice and white again. Great stuff….
"Awesome" is Awesome!! Pick it up at the Dollar store. Great for cleaning everything, including under the cars hood. Best ever for hardwood/veneer floors, tile, etc.
You've reduced the catch capacity of your gutter. It's 5" wide for a reason. Heavy rain will wash across the top. I gave up on the commercial products years ago and use hardware cloth. The important thing is it catches the water and doesn't build up snow and ice across its top.
One thing anyone installing gutter guards should keep in mind. Regardless of what design in moderate to heavy rainfall a lot of water is going to flow over the gutter guards and onto the ground. Not into the gutters and down the downspout. Something that might be a concern if there are drainage issues or problems with moisture in basements or crawlspaces. Good video but having used plastic gutter guards previously I would not go back to them. Prefer the stainless steel and aluminum ones like Gutterglove. The plastic ones are very thin. After a couple of seasons of exposure to the sun they become very brittle and crack easily. Since we live in the northeast we also have to deal with ice and icicles. The plastic doesn't handle either well. They needed to be replaced after a couple of years.
I have used all the type of guards you show over the years. The wire type are a real pain, they catch everything... the plastic guards will sag, forming a slight dip that will clog up more. The plastic with netting are no good either, still sag and the net comes loose clogging the gutter even more. I am now going to the metal (high price) type guards. They keep out the shingle gravel and very small items. The problem is see with this type is a heavy rain overrun them. The good is once and done! The cheap options are not the best.
Will they hold up in the SE Texas summer? We also do not get 'nice' rain down here either. 5-21/4" gutter when perfectly clean and uncovered overflow in seconds when you get 2 inches and hour or more.....
Have had one that is very similar (diamond shaped openings) but minus the wire mesh. Has worked very well and I'm probably into the tenth year, but not a lot of sun beating directly down on it. Good job on the video.
Bucket on a hook so not dumping the mess on the sidewalk. Great idea! The broom trick is good but I've got a 2 story bldg. I use the foam, and it keeps me off the ladders for 4 years w/o doing any cleaning. They are great also because of the black color which keeps the ice/snow melted. My area gets a LOT of freezing rain/sleet during winter. The foam will fill up with dirt, get heavy, and not pass water very well. The foam can be removed and knock the dirt out
You better have a nail puller if you expect to slide those plastic snap-ins under the nailed-down shingles... Be prepared to replace several dozen shingles or more during the installation. Don't waste your money or time with the Huxley or Americax plastic gutter snap-in screens... They do not work ... After a few hours if you manage to get one or two installed, the plastic will crack and fall apart from the sun rays in just a few years ... (Oakland Home Inspections LLC) Metal gutter guards are the only ones that work and actually fit, and do not crack or fall apart ...
I bought the white vinyl guards with mesh for my garage. It took me about an hour to clean the gutters and install the guards. The total cost was about $32.00. Now for the rest of the story: We called a gutter leaf g guard company that advertised on TV a couple weeks back to install leaf guards on our house and garage. Their estimate was $11,000 for the cleaning and guards with the garage costing $3,000. When they called to ask if we were ready to install the guards I couldn’t stop laughing cause next spring I will install the guards myself by renting a cherry picker since the house is two stories tall. Total cost to me will be less then $600. This leaf guard is a game changer.
I've had similar experiences with trades work. Like $10,000 quote for a pergola which ended up costing &3,000. How is this any better than criminal theft?
I agree (Ha, Ha, Ha on the price from Professional Installers.) I think that if you already do a little "around the house" maintenance, the DIY approach should be pretty much a piece of cake. Especially with the tutorial from this Great Video!!
@@trackdustyIt is theft. It’s also theft when corporations raise prices just to gouge people. We need new laws that throw executives in prison when they raise prices like the monopolized oil companies do.
I needed some minor repairs to some gutters as well as some repairs to some fascia boards. Called a company that specializes in gutters and they wanted $2k. Yeah no. My handyman (who charges $75 an hour) knocked it out for $400 including materials.
This past summer I installed Raptor gutter guards bought off Amazon... no where as easy to install as the slip on plastic stuff, but I'm sure they'll far outlast them. Cost ran around $80 for 48 feet (more expensive now), but for me they're worth it.
I just got a quote from LF. 5x more expensive than what I was willing to pay 25%, even 50% more than my budget and I may have considered but 500% more than my budget is crazy. I guess back to cleaning the gutters a few times per year myself. Leaf blower works and relatively safe as my roof is not too sloped. Glad I did not get talked into making a purchase from LF because the whole experience having to listen to the salesperson give me his sales pitch for 30min+ was giving me a headache. The guy was friendly but the whole process was a waste of my time.
I put a link in the description to the ones I used that I purchased from Menards. www.menards.com/main/building-materials/gutters-accessories/gutter-accessories/lb-plastics-3-filtered-vinyl-gutter-cover/1585123/p-1539325725571-c-5812.htm?tid=-6663144797136747387&ipos=11
No gutter guards are good. All are a nightmare waiting to happen, some sooner than later. Much better off paying someone to clean the gutters annually.
I installed gutter guards for a major company. I removed lots of these plastic guards. They work good for a while. Over time the screen starts to separate from the plastic. Often times they were so overloaded with leaves they had fallen into the gutter and allowed debris in. Try out different guards. The commercial ones I installed are stupid expensive, I cannot believe the price some people paid was over $25 per foot. Maintenance is the biggest tip I can give. Keep them cleaned out. Hire someone if you need to.
@@krisannekey3218 either the mesh covered with leaves ( they don't tell you that you have to clean them off), or your filters are not sized properly. I've seen a metal roof with old screens that was running over. I had to replace them with the new style that was more efficient.
@@sixfourlonley there are no leaves or debris on them. I literally just put them up earlier this morning. Should I just go back and take them all down?
I've tried many different types of guards and all failed miserably. I have gutters on two floors on my house, and although I can easily reach the first floor, the second floor back gutter is about 40 feet long and 25 feet, straight down to the ground. Very dangerous for this 70 y/o man. I have 40 foot maple trees near that 40 foot gutter, and this year it was clogged for the first time. I had a company give me an estimate of $830. to clean it out and install "cheap" guards, so that was a hard NO. A friend went up there and the entire gutter was clear except for the drain hole areas. They had clogged because of the elbow crimping on the downspouts, and a plastic piece from a fireworks rocket lodged in the other end. It took about an hour to fix the downspouts, and I went with no guards, as one clog in 25 years is acceptable to me. I caution everyone that can't actually go up that high, to get several estimates, and pictures of what they see.
Scott, first off put a standoff on your ladder. Guards should never go underneath your shingle because it will void your roofs warranty. Anyone that says that isn't true is lying to you. Those plastic guards you installed are junk and are a total waste of money. I've installed gutters and guards for 14 years now. Do yourself a favor and get Flexxpoint Gutter Guards and enjoy maintenance free gutters.
I have a huge oak tree right next to my house. I had to clean my gutters a minimum four times a year. I put the steel mesh gutter guards in and never had any problems with them. Now I only clean my gutters out every 3 years by removing one 3 ft section gutter guard and flushing it out. Plastic works fine but they degrade over time. But I do see the added benefit of having those built-in screens.
They didn’t work for me since they started warping in the sun, and the mesh screen started detaching as well. Also any large debris will bend them and the end that clips into the gutter edge will just simple fall into the gutter, render it completely useless. They will last 1-3 years max, not much of a bargain given the wasted time. I replaced them with the stainless steel mesh ones from Costco. You can get those for $50 for 35ft when on sale.
Yea but plastic does not seem the way to go, not sure if this is an outdated video, but seems like the plastic guards have to be replaced every couple of years , any advice on the shur Flo guards ? Since I see more roofing companies are going with this product these days in 2024 ?
Is it okay to lean a ladder directly on the gutters like that? I want to try to clean my own to save money but everything I watch recommends expensive leaning gizmos to keep the weight of the ladder off the gutters. But it looks like you are leaning directly on it and there's no bending happening. Am I seeing this right? Thanks!
I worried a bit about that (this is the first house we have had with gutters). Never had any problem though, probably because the angle does not put much pressure against the gutter. Our original gutter on the house was plastic - yuck! - but even those didn't deflect much when I climbed up.
I mistakenly got the aluminum installed with the big round holes (contractor picked them). Now I have an inch of green slime debris inside the gutters. Whole thing will have to be cleared out.
You must live in a warm climate. No way any of those would make it through a winter in Michigan where I live…especially the cheap plastic ones with the round holes. I just use 1/4” hardware cloth for my gutter guards. One side goes under the shingles and the other gets secured to the outer edge of the gutter with screws.
Hi I live in Canada and just checked Home Depot and couldn't find this item Would you be able to provide me with the sku number or the actual name of it? Much appreciate it
The guard at the 3:45 mark you state go between the shingle and the drip edge. That is WRONG. A guard should go under the drip edge to all the water to flow into the gutter if any capillary action occurs, which it will.
Plastic crisis out and fails. No plastic gutter guards, that I tried lasted more than three years. I had the aluminum gutter guards five years ago, just like new so far.
These things are such a waste of money. The short length of the product means that you will end up with a considerable amount of seams all along the gutter, and the leaves and other debris will find their way into those seams. And if you’re thinking that they’re serviceable after 2 years of temperature changes and elements, etc..😏
I've found that gutter guards with that fine mesh restricts the water from going into the gutters on really heavy rain fall especially if the roof has a steep pitch..the water is so much coming down it just shoots over the gutter guard and it falls on the perimeter of your foundation and you could get water in your basement...let me know what you think..
The plastic gutter guards with and without the screen tend to warp in hot weather states and no longer lay flat or lay next to each other and you end up with large gaps. I got 2 seasons out of them. Bu thanks for the inverted broom handle idea... Any other ideas for gutter guards that are suitable for us down here in warm states?
Perhaps overlap them slightly and then attach them to each other with short self-tapping screws, or leave them next to each other and put a small piece of pressure treated wood beneath where they meet and screw into that.
@@northbridge2298 Overlapping would prevent "clipping" the front edge of the guard to the lip of the gutter. And screwing them onto each other or anything else prevents easy routine maintenance of the gutter. I've tried everything with those gutter guards and advise that if you have trees or asphalt shingles be prepared to do constant maintenance to the guards themselves, even if they do keep out most of the fresh leaves in Autumn. If you have a tall expensive house then invest in some of the better quality professionally installed systems. If you're a one-story budget DIYer then just commit to clearing the gutters every 3 months - no big deal. I'm just not seeing a magic solution in this video - sorry!
6:41 - true on the spot "testimonial"!😆 That's an awesome "hack" with the broom. 🤦♂️ 50 yrs in, never seen that...probably woulda never thought of it. This'll help me narrow down selection.👌
Just a friendly comment. The tree branches hanging over the house….trim off. Eliminates direct falling leaves into gutters and branches from rubbing on asphalt roof shingles.
Great content Scott. Two drawbacks: 01. Here in southern California our sun will degrade the plastic in a few years. 02. The joints between the panels do not seem snug enough and over time due to the elements the plastic will warp at which point the joints will become little gutters holding twigs, leaves, dirt etc. Thanks for a great video.
I have the recommended ones with the screens. The screens peeled off and now maple tree seeds (helicopters) get thru the holes and fill the gutters. Now it's harder to clean on the spring because I have to peal back the guards to clean. They still work well for the big leaves in the fall.
I've had the ones you chose on my gutters for over 10 years and never had to do any maintenance. However, the birds pulled off about 10 feet of one gutter in the last year, and I've replaced them. I assume I will replace all of them eventually, but at that price I can do it every 10 years and be ahead of the other types in cost.
i recently installed them on my gutter and I love them. Only problem I've run into is when I had to replace one recently I couldn't remove it without completely destroying it! Were you able to remove your old ones easily?
@@dcccaldyou987 It was fairly easy. My original set were all four feet long, and the new ones that I bought as replacements were three feet. So I replaced 3 of the four footers with 4 of the three footers. I was planning to throw out the old ones, so I didn't worry about how they came off. I got underneath the end of one of them with a small tool and flexed it in the middle until the upper edge came off. Then I pulled backward and upward on the front of the cover which locked onto the front of the gutter. The rest were easy since the first one was gone and I could just maneuver the cover with my hand.
I just had a new roof installed using owens-Corning glass shingles. Roof company had to remove my aluminum gutter guards because they were the under shingle design. OC will void the warranty if this design is used.
Great video! Thanks
Had tried these same gutters plastic screens , they last maybe 2-3years, sun exposure breaks them down they become very brittle ,crack, split, and are blown off by strong winds. I replaced them with stainless steel mesh gutter guards, which are installed the same way except they are screwed to top of gutter lip. Sold at Home Depot, they cost more but will last the life of your house. Had a hail storm, had to replace entire roof, but not the stainless steel gutter guards. Garage still has plastic screened gutter guards,(2yrs old), they were shredded. Replaced with stainless steel mesh gutter guards.
As much as I want to have a "maintenance free" house, especially the roof (inaccessible for me), we have a neighborhood handyman who charges $40 to clean gutters. 2x per year: $80.... not too bad and you KNOW the gutters are clean, AND he tells you if there's a problem up there.
Oh man, that is a great rate. Keep that guy happy 😁
That was my go-to move but the rooftop services will be getting their calendars filled for months this Sunday. The first strong winds of October blow all the dead needles out of the pines. The cost for our 350 feet of gutters is about $200 but not everybody gets their gutter cleaned before the freeze sets in. I had to do it myself the last five years or so before getting gutter guards professionally installed. A lot more expensive, and truly dangerous, but a lot less frustrating.
People who are good with lotteries are able to time their call to be put on the list (no appointment dates, just "next!") but I failed on the last 3 years before I had gutter guards installed.
Thank you so much. an absolute perfect video for info on gutter guards.
My husband went with Leaf Filter. I disagreed and over 8000. later, theyve had to come back 3 times and have yet to fix the problem. Long story short warranty is only if anything gets under guard and you cant see through to check without moving the guard which voids warranty. The salesman lied about everything from price to product. Glad you are educating people on gutter guards. A lot of good advice. Thanks!! Wish id see it earlier. 😢
LF is the worst company. Same story!
Wow that’s terrible…thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much!
Don't waste your money or time with the Huxley plastic gutter snap-in screens... They do not work ... After a few hours if you manage to get one or two installed, the plastic will crack and fall apart from the sun rays in just a few years ... (Oakland Home Inspections LLC) Metal gutter guards are the only ones that work and actually fit, and do not crack or fall apart ...
You better have a nail puller if you expect to slide those plastic snap-ins under the nailed-down shingles... Be prepared to replace several dozen shingles or more during the installation.
Don't waste your money, or time with the Huxley or Amerimax plastic gutter snap-in screens... They do not work ... After a few hours if you manage to get one or two installed, the plastic will crack and fall apart from the sun rays in just a few years ... (Oakland Home Inspections LLC) Metal gutter guards are the only ones that work and actually fit, and do not crack or fall apart ...
Very helpful advices
🙏👍👷♀️❤
Thanks!
Love your content! Great solutions! Only thing I would recommend here is when you mention your new channel, link it in the comments so I can easily get to your expanded content. Thanks for all you do!
Done 👊 thanks for the support!
Very nice video. Thanks for sharing
One of the downsides of the plastic ones you recommend is that if you have a steep pitched roof and a hard downpour rain, the water will run so fast that it runs over the guard past the gutter. That's why they didn't work for me.
I'm wondering how the high end aluminum guards would work in those conditions?
Possible answer might be to tilt the gutter up toward the roof to catch the rain better yet that then may create other problems..another thought might be to extend the edge of the roof more like a Frank Lloyd Wright design to do better creating ideas that would work in your neck of the woods. Me ditto of creating improvements for my home on a semi-off-grid terrain. Good luck
Same scenario with my house. I switched them out with the the black metal mesh ones. After a few years, so far so good. I live in the Midwest, with four season weather, and they hold up well. Armor guard is the product name. The are three foot sections like what the host of this channel put in (not like the first piece he took out). They are a heavy weight tringular mesh, no screen. I have a very large Silver Maple Tree that hangs over the roof, and have very little issues with leaves and seedlings getting stuck. The wind usually takes care of them.
Same thing happened to me. Not happy.
This is exactly what I was wondering. I live in Southwest Florida and the rain gets brutal in season. Seems like it would just spill right over with these guards which is what I'm trying to avoid so it doesn't spill over onto my Lanai
That broom hack was worth the watch. Thanks for that tip. The mesh version are the gutter guards I have used for years. My first install lasted almost ten years.
Why aren’t gutters made with screens? Duh.
As a professional gutter cleaner in the uk I would advise people to use these, they cause more problems than they solve.. just get your gutters cleaned regularly, once / twice a year
@@simonwild428 Did you mean NOT use these? Btw, I have family in the UK. I have always been proud of my grandparents and English roots. My great-great grandfather was killed in the London bombings during WWII. He was 94 at the time. I wished I could have known and talked with him and many other relatives.
That broom hack is brilliant!
🤓👍
Yeah, I nvr thought about putting the handle through the bottom. Awesome.
@@EverydayHomeRepairs If you were to do this as a business, what would you charge per house?
Don't waste your money or time with the Huxley plastic gutter snap-in screens... They do not work ... After a few hours if you manage to get one or two installed, the plastic will crack and fall apart from the sun rays in just a few years ... (Oakland Home Inspections LLC) Metal gutter guards are the only ones that work and actually fit, and do not crack or fall apart ...
Costco makes a 6” metal version that I like, for about $2 a foot. I don’t trust my balance enough to install myself, so I’m looking for a handyman to do it for me. P.S. the Menards description for the product you used says to install with screen side up.
Yes I also noticed that too, about the install position of the screen on the Menards website.
That's a big Tip!!
That is correct. If you have the screens on the bottom debris, granules fill the little circle and the debris starts to form a clogs. With the screen on the topside, the debris washes off better from rains. No 1005 perfect as it will also eventually fill with dirt and debris. I clean gutters and see this issue often here in SW Michigan.
I had the plastic gutter guards installed. Installed easily. Pretty easy to keep cleaned off. The problem I found is that anything more than a light rain and the rain can’t make it into the gutter even on a brand new gutter guard. The water just flows right over the gutter and straight down to about three feet from the house. On a hard rain the water turns into a waterfall that shoots out 5-6 feet from the gutter. Basically the gutter is doing very little collecting and taking the water to the downspout.
5 or 6 feet water shed from house is probably more than most homes have for downspout run off pipe ...least of my concerns with gutters
Did you find a way to fix this. I am having this issue as well
Did you find a solution for this. This is what is happening with mine
@@krisannekey3218 I removed mine.
Same
Took them off and into the trash
Gutters work best without guards ez to clean without guards and junk stuck to or dropped inside like roof granules or dirt getting thicker
Two of my neighbors installed the plastic gutter guards, but they both had terrible trouble with Maple tree seeds sticking in all the holes. The holes are too big to prevent this. I’ve tried some options, but finally decided that standing on my roof (not a steep slope) and running with a leaf blower around the gutters every fall after the leaves have fallen and possibly again in the late spring works best. It only takes ten minutes to blow out the debris.
As the owner of two silver maples that were planted way too close to the house, I agree. An electric blower's even better.
Did you know peoples are injured a lot going on to roofs.. read see data..
If you have a one story house, you can operate a back-pack, or hand held leaf blower on the ground to clean out the gutters. Simply extend the blower outlets with some straight PVC pipe, so that when you hold either blower on the ground, the PVC points straight up to the gutters. Extend the PVC about 1 to 2 feet above the gutter and then add one 90 degree fitting and one 45 degree fitting, so that your angle approaching the gutter when you clean it out will be approximately 45 degrees. You are basically walking underneath and along the gutters while you clean them out. Depending on what schedule (wall thickness) of PVC you use, will determine how heavy the unit will be to operate. Now you can safely do on the ground what you risked doing on top of your roof.
I have had problems with the plastic gutters warping from the sun's heat. I live in St. Louis.
@@Peter-td3yk yep, lots of people are terribly injured driving cars too. We all stop doing that as well. C’mon man. 😏
Scott, Sorry to break the bad news to you but you installed the gutter guards upside down. I know because I made the same mistake. It doesn't look like it (because it looks unfinished) but the mesh actually goes on TOP when it's installed and not on the under side like you have it. I noticed after installing mine that leaves and seeds from a tree would get caught between the hole and the mesh under it. When you put the mesh on top that can't happen. You can check with the description on that product on home depot's website. You will see that it says "The mesh design helps to catch debris; install with the filter facing the sky". You can also see an install video from the manufacturer that explains it here: ua-cam.com/video/kib8InPKmKo/v-deo.html
Thanks for the feedback, I will be interested to see how they perform upside down. I had these same models on a rental over the past 10 years (also installed upside down) with no issues 🤞
It still works well.. any extras are swept off like he did or use a leaf blower. Either way the actual gutters stay clean
@@EverydayHomeRepairs Another issue when it's upside down is that when sticks and granules get stuck between the hole and the mesh they eventually push down on the mesh and it separates from the rest of the plastic. It eventually leaves you with just the holes and the sheet of mesh is sitting in the gutter. Unfortunately on the ones I got they didn't fuse the two together very well. Another flaw in the way you installed them is that the front edge of the guard actually sits lower than the lip of gutter. So small things rolling off the gutter tend to sit in that low part. If you compare the 2 plastic ones in the video that you installed, you will see when you installed the one without the mesh you did it properly and things should roll off.
Just clean your gutters. Leaf guards cause way more problems than they prevent. Any with mesh will eventually get clogged with dirt and debris. Your valleys just continue to pile up more and more from there. Trust and believe. Just clean your gutters.
So How does the guards handle snow. Snow will build up on guards and then when it does thaw and refreeze you will get ice build up
White vinegar cleans the gutters really nice good job it does
The plastic cover will begin to sag in the middle, causing a valley to form, where the debris will collect and stay, making this product useless. Not sure why a homeowner would want to spend 300k + on a home and then spend $35 to protect it. Doesn't make much sense, don't you agree? The question is not how much a product cost, but how much value it provides. None of the four products you demonstrated provides much value to the homeowner.
Additionally, why would you want to give out advice on Gutter Protection when you obviously don't know much about it? For example, it looks like you installed the guard screen side down, which is the WRONG way. Debris can now get trapped between the screen and the plastic on the solid sections surrounding the holes. You're going to cost the homeowner more than you're trying to save them, not to mention the possibility of them falling off a ladder and ending up in the emergency room. You should really take this video down.
Thanks, Scott. FYI, the link to the site where you bought the guards no longer works. Great video and demo!
I bought the black metal gutter guards from Lowes and installed them on my two story house and my garage gutters.I also used small aluminum screws to secure the gutter guards to the gutters. They have been installed now for over 4 years and not problem with clogged gutters or down spouts. Thanks for the video
Those are the same ones I bought and use. I find them to be the best for my conditions. Overall they have been troublefree and do not warp from the sun nor easily get blown off.
I installed the vinyl mesh a couple of years ago (Southern California) and they lasted through one winter. When summer hit, and I'm in a moderate temperature zone (90°F), they softened enough to droop, and many fell into the gutter. I have 6" gutters, so maybe the 5" is not as susceptible...
I use a gas powered leaf blower to clean out the gutter. A leaf blower gets the gutters squeaky clean and is fast (about 20 minutes). The only drawback is you have to go on the roof but if you're careful it's not a big deal.
I agree. I can clean my gutters in minutes with my leaf blower and do not ever have to deal with the problems of gutter guards.
This really triggers my fear of heighths.
And the ladder ratio looks off
Brother in law died falling off a ladder cleaning gutters
Lol, I thought I was the only one having anxiety watching him wave his arms around while up that high, lol.
It is not an irrational fear. I have stayed off the roof for about ten years now (since I turned 60) and got so uneasy about the ladder method I had gutter guards installed. Our home is on a hillside so one wall is barely ten feet while the other end of the house is almost 20 feet, and uneven, sloping to the left. A major reason for shelling out for the guards (warranted for the lifetime of the structure and performance with pine needles guaranteed) was that I knew if I did this much longer I would probably have a serious, possibly fatal, fall.
In the US, OSHA requires all professionals on the roof to have approved fall protection - prevention (like railing) or arrest (approved harnesses and shock lanyards). Mooks like us can bet our lives legally.
These look great. Your link is broken. Where can I find these or what is the name? Thanks
Something I've used to help clean my gutters is a small gardening shovel that fits inside the gutter. If you have a metal one that's great but a cheap plastic one will work too. Very helpful if the material being removed is damp or soaking wet. Also, if there's a large build up of granules or dirt it makes it easier to remove it and not clog the downspout
I have one that was accidentally run over with the lawn mower a couple decades back. Bent it perfectly to hold at a comfortable angle while scooping out gutters! (I do not recommend running over gardening shovels or any other tool with a lawnmower - it's hazardous and I was extremely lucky!)
I installed this type of gutter guards in 2013 and they're still there working fine. But some of the mesh is gone from the element and i need to replace them this summer. Thank you for all the info.
In Florida, the starter shingle edge is required to be embedded in mastic to prevent lifting during high winds. I personally would not want to weaken the edge by inserting the guard. I'm looking for other options. Nice presentation!
I just moved to Florida. Thanks for the info. Have you found any products that won't compromise the first row of shingles?
@@Keifsanderson Sorry, no. I've been preoccupied with other activities. I suppose one could lift the shingles, then apply roofing mastic over the guard to reseal. It might take heat to loosen the shingle edge.
@@justdon5378 Thanks for the reply.
Can you show how you did the corners? Did you cut the gutter guards or overlap them? I did not see corner pieces for sale.
There are two kinds of people. Those that fall for gutter cover scams and those that don't.
Remember when you've finished and your on the ladder don't step back to admire your work.
...or if you do, be sure somebody is recording it.
*You're
A problem I've had with these types of gutter guards is that they simply do not accept as much water as an uncovered gutter. A significant amount of water rolling off the roof, rolls right off the gutter guard, landing near the foundation. The model you installed at least had a lip that might help prevent this. How have these fared during heavy rains in this respect?
Over time the metal ones will resist the elements better, especially if you get a lot of storms. Not to mention regular sunlight exposure over time will degrade the plastic guards, and they will become brittle and crack/break. You may save a few bucks now, but you will have to replace those cheaper ones eventually
Agree 100%. I installed cheap plastic ones (no fine mesh). Over a couple years, the plastic decayed (broke, collapsed). I replaced them with metal ones recently. These should last a decade at least.
It's pretty much a guarantee that the plastic ones will degrade over time. Sunlight will weaken it.
I've installed professional gutter guards. You don't want to install plastic gutter guards, they do not work.
So what, they're a buck fifty!
@@1776Based Yeah, I hear this a lot Kimberly. "It's so cheap, when they break I will just buy new ones."
Hummm, but you aren't the one climbing the ladder every year. Re-Doing the work, over and over again. Replacing the inferior sun-damaged junk every year. So, who in your home is the sucker risking their life every 12 months?
Great video and perfect timing- I am just in the process of installing new gutters all around my house so this information is especially appreciated. It would have been good for you to clarify how the guards attached to the front edge of the gutters but near the end I could see how they snap on.
Great video. 2 follow-up questions though. 1) How well do these kinds of guards work with pine needles, which are more common than leaves at my Colorado home? 2) How do gutter guards effect ice damns? I have heat tape in my gutters to keep the water flowing in the winter, and I'd be worried that there would be an ice layer on top of the gutter guard that would never fully melt.
Most of those won’t stop cedar needles.
Gutter guards work for the leaves and sticks, but unfortunately my spouts still get clogged with Pine needles and mapleseed helicopters. And we have plenty of downpours that would overrun the mesh-style. Other than regular cleaning, I keep a long pole with hooked wire at the end handy so if a spout is plugged up during a storm I can chop up the sludge and wash it down the spout.
at the 5:20 mark of the video plastic with mesh what is the brand name
I just installed the same gutter guards you recommended. I used them on my last home and they really worked great and a good value too. The only problem was it is sometimes hard to clip them to the gutter but I usually overlap them, so there's enough connected to hold them in place. Good tip about the warranty. I bought my house with a five year old roof, so I don't know if the warranty stays with the house or is only with the old owner.
Where do i buy the gutter guard you went with?
I just had some installed. Didn't want to bother doing it myself. Cost was $1,200 and they used PlyGem Leaf Relief Gutter Cover System. It's very hard to get to some of my gutters so I just bit the bullet and got it done.
The plastic ones will break and warp. Aluminum ones that you screw in will last the life of the gutter system.
I have Leaf Relief (not Leaf Filter) gutter guards installed on one home. They are aluminum, screwed in, professionally installed with a transferable warranty. Most things that land on them are either blown or washed away. I have 3 valleys on the roof, which is usually a problem, but hasn't been for the last 5 years with these gutter guards.
I installed the plastic ones also here in California. They warped a bit, but worse they have become very brittle from the sun and we’re falling apart after only one year.
The plastic ones he recommended are not good for neighborhoods with lots of trees. Mine were overwhelmed with leaves and I had to clean them off regularly. Eventually they collapsed into the gutters. I replaced them
Thanks for the feedback 👍
That broom hack is so good it should be illegal, lol. I live in a 3-street subdivision, in a really small town in Georgia, and I've noticed none of the houses have gutters at all. I've never seen that before. The houses in the area all have really steep pitches to account for the amount of rain we get, so maybe that's why. It could also be the fact that our area is loaded with pine trees, and with pine trees comes pine needles that love to clog everything they touch. The truth is I'd only have to setup two runs in order to keep water away. One for the front, and one for the back with downspouts on either end.
All I'd have to do is make sure there's gutters under the gables because we got rain the other night, and witnessed a literal fountain coming off the roof where the gables, and roof met. Doing the entire area of the house wouldn't make sense though, because the pitch is steep enough to cause such a flow that the gutters would essentially overfill at the bottoms of the runs.
Any chance you could do a quick test regarding how well the gutter guard allows water to flow in (i.e. how much does it restrict water or will the water just over flow)? Nothing fancy, maybe as simple as placing a hose on the roof and seeing if there's any overflow. That's one thing I always wondered about w/the fine mesh screen.
Hardware cloth, Aluminum pop rivets and a bit of care when installing for the win. Been using the system for years, very cheap and looks just as good if you use common sense when installing.
the problem i have with the ones i put on my house is that i own a cape cod with a good pitched roof. The plastic ones were cheap and easy but the water rolls right off my one side of house and both sides of the connected garage in which totally defeats the purpost of having gutters to push the water away from your foundation. The barrier just cant handle the water flow. Not sure what the answer is with a steep pitched roof.
We bought high-end gutter guards and quickly wished we'd just left things alone, because instead of having open tops to the gutters, there were now millions of tiny perforations, the things that kept out leaves and other trash, and in freezing weather they would ice up way before anything else did. The result was that whatever ran off the roof went straight over the iced-over gutter guards and straight down over the edge to the pavement below. When the ground was below 32 degrees F, this produced sheets of ice where we'd never had any before. So instead of having to clean gutters once a year, we now had to salt our sidewalks and front stoop every few days during the winter, and the runoff when that stuff melted was murder to our grass and flower beds adjacent to the sidewalks. No way we'd every do the gutter guards again. In a hot climate this might not be a problem, but for us it's been a dangerous and expensive nightmare.
This. All the recommendations for gutter guards overlook many of the pitfalls -- and for those with colder winters, ice damming is a big problem with gutter guards.
You mentioned wiping down the gutters to get them cleaner. Just to add on to that, if your gutters have the grey “tiger stripes” I learned that Totally Awesome gets rid of those really well. Got my gutters nice and white again. Great stuff….
"Awesome" is Awesome!! Pick it up at the Dollar store. Great for cleaning everything, including under the cars hood. Best ever for hardwood/veneer floors, tile, etc.
I have that plastic with mesh one, the glue holding the mesh fails after about a year.
Sounds like I installed them upside down. Was your mesh on bottom (like my install) or top?
You've reduced the catch capacity of your gutter. It's 5" wide for a reason. Heavy rain will wash across the top. I gave up on the commercial products years ago and use hardware cloth. The important thing is it catches the water and doesn't build up snow and ice across its top.
I don't believe that it would void your warranty just be sure to get underneath the starter strip not between the shingle and the starter
One thing anyone installing gutter guards should keep in mind. Regardless of what design in moderate to heavy rainfall a lot of water is going to flow over the gutter guards and onto the ground. Not into the gutters and down the downspout. Something that might be a concern if there are drainage issues or problems with moisture in basements or crawlspaces.
Good video but having used plastic gutter guards previously I would not go back to them. Prefer the stainless steel and aluminum ones like Gutterglove.
The plastic ones are very thin. After a couple of seasons of exposure to the sun they become very brittle and crack easily. Since we live in the northeast we also have to deal with ice and icicles. The plastic doesn't handle either well. They needed to be replaced after a couple of years.
What if holiday decoration hangers need to be used on the gutters? :D
I have used all the type of guards you show over the years. The wire type are a real pain, they catch everything... the plastic guards will sag, forming a slight dip that will clog up more. The plastic with netting are no good either, still sag and the net comes loose clogging the gutter even more. I am now going to the metal (high price) type guards. They keep out the shingle gravel and very small items. The problem is see with this type is a heavy rain overrun them. The good is once and done! The cheap options are not the best.
Will they hold up in the SE Texas summer? We also do not get 'nice' rain down here either. 5-21/4" gutter when perfectly clean and uncovered overflow in seconds when you get 2 inches and hour or more.....
Have had one that is very similar (diamond shaped openings) but minus the wire mesh. Has worked very well and I'm probably into the tenth year, but not a lot of sun beating directly down on it. Good job on the video.
Boy,!! am i glad I found your webpage"!! your saving me money and I for one am very grateful"!! thank you, Patrick.p
No Menards in North Carolina so it looks like a close option is some made by Amerimax and sold at lowes and home depot.
Bucket on a hook so not dumping the mess on the sidewalk. Great idea! The broom trick is good but I've got a 2 story bldg.
I use the foam, and it keeps me off the ladders for 4 years w/o doing any cleaning. They are great also because of the black color which keeps the ice/snow melted. My area gets a LOT of freezing rain/sleet during winter. The foam will fill up with dirt, get heavy, and not pass water very well. The foam can be removed and knock the dirt out
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Clean the gutters
You better have a nail puller if you expect to slide those plastic snap-ins under the nailed-down shingles... Be prepared to replace several dozen shingles or more during the installation.
Don't waste your money or time with the Huxley or Americax plastic gutter snap-in screens... They do not work ... After a few hours if you manage to get one or two installed, the plastic will crack and fall apart from the sun rays in just a few years ... (Oakland Home Inspections LLC) Metal gutter guards are the only ones that work and actually fit, and do not crack or fall apart ...
Leaf blowers work really well to clean first, though they are messy down below.
VERY messy
Thanks for sharing very informative
I bought the white vinyl guards with mesh for my garage. It took me about an hour to clean the gutters and install the guards. The total cost was about $32.00. Now for the rest of the story:
We called a gutter leaf g guard company that advertised on TV a couple weeks back to install leaf guards on our house and garage. Their estimate was $11,000 for the cleaning and guards with the garage costing $3,000.
When they called to ask if we were ready to install the guards I couldn’t stop laughing cause next spring I will install the guards myself by renting a cherry picker since the house is two stories tall. Total cost to me will be less then $600. This leaf guard is a game changer.
I've had similar experiences with trades work. Like $10,000 quote for a pergola which ended up costing &3,000. How is this any better than criminal theft?
I agree (Ha, Ha, Ha on the price from Professional Installers.) I think that if you already do a little "around the house" maintenance, the DIY approach should be pretty much a piece of cake. Especially with the tutorial from this Great Video!!
@@trackdustyIt is theft. It’s also theft when corporations raise prices just to gouge people. We need new laws that throw executives in prison when they raise prices like the monopolized oil companies do.
@@trackdusty ,
I needed some minor repairs to some gutters as well as some repairs to some fascia boards. Called a company that specializes in gutters and they wanted $2k. Yeah no. My handyman (who charges $75 an hour) knocked it out for $400 including materials.
What about for a metal, standing seam room? Same installation process?
This past summer I installed Raptor gutter guards bought off Amazon... no where as easy to install as the slip on plastic stuff, but I'm sure they'll far outlast them. Cost ran around $80 for 48 feet (more expensive now), but for me they're worth it.
I just got a quote from LF. 5x more expensive than what I was willing to pay 25%, even 50% more than my budget and I may have considered but 500% more than my budget is crazy. I guess back to cleaning the gutters a few times per year myself. Leaf blower works and relatively safe as my roof is not too sloped. Glad I did not get talked into making a purchase from LF because the whole experience having to listen to the salesperson give me his sales pitch for 30min+ was giving me a headache. The guy was friendly but the whole process was a waste of my time.
You never mentioned the make or where to buy?? Why??
I put a link in the description to the ones I used that I purchased from Menards. www.menards.com/main/building-materials/gutters-accessories/gutter-accessories/lb-plastics-3-filtered-vinyl-gutter-cover/1585123/p-1539325725571-c-5812.htm?tid=-6663144797136747387&ipos=11
No gutter guards are good. All are a nightmare waiting to happen, some sooner than later. Much better off paying someone to clean the gutters annually.
I installed gutter guards for a major company. I removed lots of these plastic guards. They work good for a while. Over time the screen starts to separate from the plastic. Often times they were so overloaded with leaves they had fallen into the gutter and allowed debris in. Try out different guards. The commercial ones I installed are stupid expensive, I cannot believe the price some people paid was over $25 per foot. Maintenance is the biggest tip I can give. Keep them cleaned out. Hire someone if you need to.
Do you have any tips on what to do if the water runs over the mesh and drips from the bottom of the gutter?
@@krisannekey3218 either the mesh covered with leaves ( they don't tell you that you have to clean them off), or your filters are not sized properly. I've seen a metal roof with old screens that was running over. I had to replace them with the new style that was more efficient.
@@sixfourlonley there are no leaves or debris on them. I literally just put them up earlier this morning. Should I just go back and take them all down?
I've tried many different types of guards and all failed miserably. I have gutters on two floors on my house, and although I can easily reach the first floor, the second floor back gutter is about 40 feet long and 25 feet, straight down to the ground. Very dangerous for this 70 y/o man. I have 40 foot maple trees near that 40 foot gutter, and this year it was clogged for the first time. I had a company give me an estimate of $830. to clean it out and install "cheap" guards, so that was a hard NO. A friend went up there and the entire gutter was clear except for the drain hole areas. They had clogged because of the elbow crimping on the downspouts, and a plastic piece from a fireworks rocket lodged in the other end. It took about an hour to fix the downspouts, and I went with no guards, as one clog in 25 years is acceptable to me. I caution everyone that can't actually go up that high, to get several estimates, and pictures of what they see.
Scott, first off put a standoff on your ladder. Guards should never go underneath your shingle because it will void your roofs warranty. Anyone that says that isn't true is lying to you. Those plastic guards you installed are junk and are a total waste of money. I've installed gutters and guards for 14 years now. Do yourself a favor and get Flexxpoint Gutter Guards and enjoy maintenance free gutters.
I have a huge oak tree right next to my house. I had to clean my gutters a minimum four times a year. I put the steel mesh gutter guards in and never had any problems with them. Now I only clean my gutters out every 3 years by removing one 3 ft section gutter guard and flushing it out. Plastic works fine but they degrade over time. But I do see the added benefit of having those built-in screens.
They didn’t work for me since they started warping in the sun, and the mesh screen started detaching as well. Also any large debris will bend them and the end that clips into the gutter edge will just simple fall into the gutter, render it completely useless. They will last 1-3 years max, not much of a bargain given the wasted time. I replaced them with the stainless steel mesh ones from Costco. You can get those for $50 for 35ft when on sale.
Every time he says "leafs", I cringe!
Me too...Toronto Maple Leafs have not won a championship since 1967 🙂
I put some up. They are good for light rain, but heavy rain the rain goes right over the gutter guard , never makes it into gutter.
Yea but plastic does not seem the way to go, not sure if this is an outdated video, but seems like the plastic guards have to be replaced every couple of years , any advice on the shur Flo guards ? Since I see more roofing companies are going with this product these days in 2024 ?
Is it okay to lean a ladder directly on the gutters like that? I want to try to clean my own to save money but everything I watch recommends expensive leaning gizmos to keep the weight of the ladder off the gutters. But it looks like you are leaning directly on it and there's no bending happening. Am I seeing this right? Thanks!
I worried a bit about that (this is the first house we have had with gutters). Never had any problem though, probably because the angle does not put much pressure against the gutter. Our original gutter on the house was plastic - yuck! - but even those didn't deflect much when I climbed up.
I mistakenly got the aluminum installed with the big round holes (contractor picked them). Now I have an inch of green slime debris inside the gutters. Whole thing will have to be cleared out.
The triangle foam stuff sucks, it takes about 25% of the gutters volume.... and the gutter will fill and overflow in heavy rains.
Maybe I missed something, what brand of gutter guard is he recommending. I'm having trouble finding them online.
You must live in a warm climate. No way any of those would make it through a winter in Michigan where I live…especially the cheap plastic ones with the round holes. I just use 1/4” hardware cloth for my gutter guards. One side goes under the shingles and the other gets secured to the outer edge of the gutter with screws.
I like your choice. Where can I purchase your chosen gutter guard?
Most home improvement shops will have an option or 2 like these. Specifically since I am in the Midwest I got these from Menards.
Just replaced my roof, company says I can't install my leaf guard under the shingles, it will void the waranty.
Hi
I live in Canada and just checked Home Depot and couldn't find this item
Would you be able to provide me with the sku number or the actual name of it?
Much appreciate it
The guard at the 3:45 mark you state go between the shingle and the drip edge. That is WRONG. A guard should go under the drip edge to all the water to flow into the gutter if any capillary action occurs, which it will.
Plastic crisis out and fails. No plastic gutter guards, that I tried lasted more than three years. I had the aluminum gutter guards five years ago, just like new so far.
These things are such a waste of money. The short length of the product means that you will end up with a considerable amount of seams all along the gutter, and the leaves and other debris will find their way into those seams. And if you’re thinking that they’re serviceable after 2 years of temperature changes and elements, etc..😏
I've found that gutter guards with that fine mesh restricts the water from going into the gutters on really heavy rain fall especially if the roof has a steep pitch..the water is so much coming down it just shoots over the gutter guard and it falls on the perimeter of your foundation and you could get water in your basement...let me know what you think..
The plastic gutter guards with and without the screen tend to warp in hot weather states and no longer lay flat or lay next to each other and you end up with large gaps. I got 2 seasons out of them. Bu thanks for the inverted broom handle idea... Any other ideas for gutter guards that are suitable for us down here in warm states?
my experience also. and they get clogged with fine debris from my giant pecan trees.
Just don’t go cheap
Perhaps overlap them slightly and then attach them to each other with short self-tapping screws, or leave them next to each other and put a small piece of pressure treated wood beneath where they meet and screw into that.
@@northbridge2298 Overlapping would prevent "clipping" the front edge of the guard to the lip of the gutter. And screwing them onto each other or anything else prevents easy routine maintenance of the gutter. I've tried everything with those gutter guards and advise that if you have trees or asphalt shingles be prepared to do constant maintenance to the guards themselves, even if they do keep out most of the fresh leaves in Autumn. If you have a tall expensive house then invest in some of the better quality professionally installed systems. If you're a one-story budget DIYer then just commit to clearing the gutters every 3 months - no big deal. I'm just not seeing a magic solution in this video - sorry!
6:41 - true on the spot "testimonial"!😆
That's an awesome "hack" with the broom. 🤦♂️ 50 yrs in, never seen that...probably woulda never thought of it.
This'll help me narrow down selection.👌
I like the clips on the top of the broom. Would solve 1 of my storage issues. Where did you get those?
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Just a friendly comment. The tree branches hanging over the house….trim off. Eliminates direct falling leaves into gutters and branches from rubbing on asphalt roof shingles.
Oh those are getting a serious haircut in 2-3 weeks 👍. Finishing up a couple other projects prior to finishing up the landscaping.
Great content Scott. Two drawbacks:
01. Here in southern California our sun will degrade the plastic in a few years.
02. The joints between the panels do not seem snug enough and over time due to the elements the plastic will warp at which point the joints will become little gutters holding twigs, leaves, dirt etc.
Thanks for a great video.
New Jersey sun do the same with plastic screeners.
He did say that you can trim the locking edge or gutter side of the guards, then you are able to overlap them.
Sir I don’t own a home. Idk why I’m here. But I feel prepared should I buy a home.
I have the recommended ones with the screens. The screens peeled off and now maple tree seeds (helicopters) get thru the holes and fill the gutters. Now it's harder to clean on the spring because I have to peal back the guards to clean. They still work well for the big leaves in the fall.
Did you install with mesh side UP?
That makes a huge difference and is actually the recommended install from the manufacturer, LB Plastics.
where can you buy that? thanks! 4:38
I picked those guards up at Menards. If you don't have a Menards in your area Home Depot or Lowe's should have an equivalent version in stock.
I've had the ones you chose on my gutters for over 10 years and never had to do any maintenance. However, the birds pulled off about 10 feet of one gutter in the last year, and I've replaced them. I assume I will replace all of them eventually, but at that price I can do it every 10 years and be ahead of the other types in cost.
i recently installed them on my gutter and I love them. Only problem I've run into is when I had to replace one recently I couldn't remove it without completely destroying it! Were you able to remove your old ones easily?
@@dcccaldyou987 It was fairly easy. My original set were all four feet long, and the new ones that I bought as replacements were three feet. So I replaced 3 of the four footers with 4 of the three footers. I was planning to throw out the old ones, so I didn't worry about how they came off. I got underneath the end of one of them with a small tool and flexed it in the middle until the upper edge came off. Then I pulled backward and upward on the front of the cover which locked onto the front of the gutter. The rest were easy since the first one was gone and I could just maneuver the cover with my hand.