At last, a gutter guard that works

Dear Tim: I have read your past columns about gutter guards. You seem to have tested many, but are still not satisfied. I have the same problems you have with year-round debris from my trees, and spring is the worst time. What is the best gutter cover? The mesh-type gutter guard seems like it has the most promise. Do you agree? Jackie B., Royal Oak, Mich.

Dear Jackie: Millions of homeowners suffer like you and me. Gutter cleaning is both a hassle and a serious safety issue. In fact, I know of a person who died falling from a ladder while cleaning gutters. Why risk injury when some product can be installed that would eliminate the need to get up and clean gutters?

As you pointed out, for years I have been testing many different gutter guards. Some have done well, others not so well, and quite a few have failed miserably. The common problem is that small debris, such as tree blossoms, seedpods, pine needles, twigs and pieces of bark, chokes the guards. Even if the gutter covers don’t get clogged, debris often gets carried into the gutter, where it turns into layer after layer of organic muck.

Over the years I have waged e-mail, postal and telephone battles with inventors of gutter protection products. They bristle when I point out how many gutter guard manufacturers make false “no maintenance” claims. In other words, many companies claim that once their product is installed, a homeowner will never have to clean the gutters, get up on their roofs, or other such nonsense. Such claims are 100 percent false in my opinion, and I have nearly 10 years of testing gutter guards to prove it. I often get letters and e-mails from gutter cleaning companies that further substantiate my claims.

The bottom line is that, no matter what gutter guard you install, you will have to maintain it. The hardest part of the job is keeping organic muck out of the gutter. This means you either have to completely stop the small organic debris from getting into the gutter or you must install a gutter protection product that allows you easy access to the inside of the gutter.

For years I was a fan of an inexpensive plastic gutter guard that had small diamond knockout holes in it. This design was not bad, but it did allow some debris to enter the gutter. One other issue was the fact that it allowed maple-tree seedpods to get stuck in the holes. The seed would drop through the guard, but the wing stuck straight up in the air. It was a nightmare cleaning thousands of these out of the gutter guard.

Still, the holes did allow me to spray water into the gutter to get rid of the muck. Keep in mind, however, this had to be done standing on the roof or on a ladder. There are tools that spray water into gutters from the ground, but you do so blind, not knowing if the gutter is really clean.

Then I tested the large plastic-mesh gutter guards. These were easy to remove, but they required too much work to remove, flush the gutter and then reinstall. Once again, I was on the roof or a ladder doing this maintenance.

I had just about given up hope when last year a company contacted me saying they had the solution. (If I had a dollar for every time I have heard that line, I could take my family out to a very nice dinner.) Once I looked at the sample they sent, I could tell their product was unique. It is made from 1/8-inch thick extruded aluminum that has a stainless-steel micromesh screen on top of it. The gutter guard is practically indestructible.

What I like most about this newer gutter guard is that absolutely no organic debris can get into the gutter, as the micromesh has openings that are smaller than the tip of a needle. Even though the openings are so small, the mesh easily permits large amounts of water to flow through it into the gutter.