GUTTER COVERS

**Mott the Hoople** · 10-06-2007, 12:34 PM

Has anybody put the covers on their rain gutters? If so do you like them are they worth it, etc?

**Theodore** · 10-06-2007, 12:51 PM

I'm renting a house with em. Make sure they stay on... half of mine haven't done shit in terms of keeping stuff out.

**woodstocksez** · 10-06-2007, 01:05 PM

I read an article recently that indicated they're not worth it. Of course, as usual, I've forgotten the details, but I think they said that they often don't keep stuff out of the gutter effectively anyway, and they make it even more of a hassle to clean out the gutter.

Save your money.

**mrw** · 10-06-2007, 04:43 PM

I have a house surrounded by trees. I looked at many gutter covers. I had the "Gutter Helmet" people out and a few other people offering patented gutter cover systems. All were major $$$$. I went so far as to talk to customers of all the different companies. All had their pluses and minuses.

I ended up installing the most basic system available at most lumber yards. It clips on to the top of the gutter and works really well. Once a year, I get a pressure washer and blow out the gutters by inserting the pressure wand under the leaf guard. This removes the mud, etc that impedes the flow of run off water.

I used to have to clean the gutters weekly during fall but those days are over.

Install them you won't regret it.

**lingcod** · 10-08-2007, 11:25 PM

My roof is 24 feet high. I live in giant pine needle central. I've already broken my back racing bikes, I don't like being up that high on a ladder or on the roof, so cleaning gutters is a bad option. I put on the gutter helmet several years ago, and while it's expensive, it works great and it's worth it. When a chunk of it blew off in last winter's gale force storms, they came out and fixed it, no questions asked. Do it. And if you agree to put their cheesy little gutter helmet sign in your front yard for awhile, they'll take another couple hundred off. Say hello to Ian Hunter for me.

**flatNshallow** · 10-09-2007, 11:54 AM

My buddy sells these systems in Greater Detroit... Not sure if all the outfits that sell the hi tech cover solutions do this or not but his company provides a "no clean gurrantee" - if your gutters clog, you call them and they come out and clean them for you... for the life of the gutters.

Don't bother with the mesh / screen cover style systems - they are worse than useless... unless you like to see leaves sticking up out of your gutters... go with the cover type systems that use capillary action to drawn the water around a small radius and back into the gutter while ejeting the debris...

**warthog** · 10-09-2007, 12:42 PM

My buddy is a dealer for this stuff-

http://www.gutterstuff.com/

It seems to work really well, and is cheap as hell. Install is as simple as it gets. I am putting it in soon, as my rain barrels keep filling with roof debris.

**smitchell333** · 10-09-2007, 02:53 PM

Jesus H K-rist.

I just had a Gutter Helmet guy come out and quote an install.

$4000!! and that is a sale price off of their $7100 list price. I'm guessing $4000 buys a lot of gutter cleaning.

**runethechamp** · 10-09-2007, 02:56 PM

Hmm, I don't even have gutters, but it's my understanding that covers could easily move the water backup from the gutters to areas where water can do more damage at the edge of the roof. At least I don't live right next to a hudge redwood or something.

**DerJaeger** · 10-09-2007, 05:29 PM

Forget gutter covers. This is way, way better:

http://www.gutterloveit.com/

**Core Shot** · 10-09-2007, 09:48 PM

Originally Posted by smitchell333

Jesus H K-rist.

I just had a Gutter Helmet guy come out and quote an install.

$4000!! and that is a sale price off of their $7100 list price. I'm guessing $4000 buys a lot of gutter cleaning.

Yep.
Their biz model is the baby boomer that wants a zero maintenance house.
After plastic siding, tilt wash windows, plastic decking, $7k gutters are money well spent. They aren't going on the ladder themselves anymore and god forbid some handyman ripped them off by charging $350 each year for 20 years to clean the gutters out.