Important Author’s Note Update: Since this column was written, I have discovered at least two other gutter guards that sport the micro-mesh filtration screen. Testing of these Micro-mesh guards began early Spring of 2008. The results of the test are in! After 10-years of testing various types, a winner has been declared! Click for the gutter guard I installed on my house - Gutter Guard Test Results.

---

DEAR TIM: I am sick and tired of cleaning leaves and debris from my gutters. I have seen numerous new devices that allow water to enter the gutter but deflect leaves and twigs. I intend to install some before the fall season. Do these products work? Can they be installed by an average homeowner? Which ones are better - aluminum or vinyl? Beth, Morgantown, WV

DEAR BETH: The new gutter covers have really caught many people's attention - salespeople, homeowners and myself. Many homeowners like you are looking for a miracle product that will free them from ever having to clean their gutters again. Certain salespeople are claiming they have this miracle product. There are some great gutter cover designs, however, everyone I have tested has allowed some smaller debris to enter my gutters.

Gutterglove - See our award winning "The Gutterguard Show" DVD that demonstrates several gutter guards side by side, so you can see for yourself that Gutterglove is the only choice. www.Gutterglove.com

Gutter cleaning, as you well know, is not just a fall activity. Gutters can become clogged in the spring as deciduous trees litter roofs with seed pods, flower petals, buds and small leaves felled by spring storms. It is not uncommon for me to clean my gutters at least four times a year.

All of the products do an excellent job of prohibiting full sized leaves from entering your gutters. That is a simple task. However, many of the gutter cover products fail to stop tiny tree flower buds, seed pods and evergreen needles from entering gutters. See Photos in Author's Notes Below.

Cleaning gutters can be hazardous to your health. Ladders can slip when people reach too far sideways to grab leaves from a gutter. If you clean gutters while standing on a roof, you can lose your balance and fall. Gutter covers can go a long way in preventing many autumn accidents.

Three years ago, I saw a demonstration of one of gutter covers at a local home show. I couldn't believe how the water rolled around the edge of the gutter cover into the gutter. I decided to test it on the spot. While the salesperson was busy with someone else, I made some simulated leaves with pieces of paper. The gutter cover deflected the large "leaves". However, my small "leaves" were sucked into the gutter.

I decided to test a number of gutter covers to see how they would perform in a standard Mid-western setting. Some of the products had rows of round holes. Some had diamond shape knock-outs. Two samples had slits that ran parallel to the front edge of the gutter. The slits allow water to flow into the gutter.

Installation of the products ranged from easy to difficult. I found that the vinyl products that were approximately 3 feet long installed with the greatest ease. One vinyl product that had the round holes was virtually impossible to install correctly. It had a front edge that was designed to grab onto the top edge of the gutter. I was unable to spread the jaws apart using my bare hands. An average homeowner with some patience can install many of these products.

---

In need of gutters? Pick out the right ones with my Gutter & Downspout Installation / Repair Checklist. I offer a 100% Money Back Guarantee.

---

To view the video about How To Shop For Gutter Guards, CLICK HERE

When the last leaf had dropped from the trees last fall, I checked the gutter covers. All of them had performed very well. No leaves were in the gutters and leaves were not stuck in the holes or slits. However, this spring was a different story. My silver maple and pin oak trees showered my roof with buds and debris. All of the products I tested allowed the tree flower buds to enter the gutters. Choose a gutter cover that can be easily removed and re-installed. You may have to periodically clean your gutters.

Two products, however, are worthy of your consideration. Both were vinyl products. The one had diamond shaped knockouts. It also was the one that installed with the greatest ease. The other product had a single slit on its front edge. This product also had a very unique added feature. It has a built-in hood that covers the top edge of the gutter. This hood prevents dirt from washing down the face of the gutter. This is what causes those ugly vertical streaks on your gutters.

Author's Notes:

May, 1999

There are many, many gutter guard products out there. Some designs have been around for many years. I was not able to test every single gutter guard for this column.

However, it appears that every single design that I tested failed in the springtime. This spring, we had a normal amount of debris fall from our trees. This photo (right) shows the diamond shaped guard clogged with debris. It remained clogged even after repeated windy days. I was able to brush the debris off the top and spray with a hose through the diamond knockouts to flush the gutter.

This photo (left) shows the gutter cover that has the slit in it. The slit also became clogged with all sorts of debris. It was a real pain in the you know what to take the time to clean the small debris from this slit. I urge you to keep in mind that the installation of any gutter guard product will not eliminate entirely the task of cleaning your gutters. These products will simply reduce the amount of times you have to do it.

October, 2002:

This photo (right) clearly supports what I have said for years. I decided to remove the white gutter covers on my garage that you see in the photo up above in the body of the column. It was one of the gutter guards I originally liked when I wrote the above column. These gutter covers had been in place approximately five years. I knew what I was going to see in the gutters but was surprised to say the least. Yuck!

As you can see, a one-half inch thick layer of muck goo covered the entire bottom of the gutter. I pulled away some of it so you could see the bottom of the gutter. The muck was a mixture of decayed organic matter and granules from the shingles. Print this photo out and show it to the gutter guard salesperson that tries to convince you your gutters will "never have to be cleaned again." I can't wait to hear from you how they explain this photo away! T.C.

---

Tim,

I've read your article about gutter covers and agree completely. Yesterday, I spent 2 hours cleaning out this foul muck in the bottom of my gutters that had clogged them up. I ripped off my gutter covers and threw them in the trash.

While looking for solutions to my being lazy and not wanting to clean out my gutters EVER again, I came across _ _ _ _ _ .  (Named Removed by Tim Carter to Protect the Guilty) Have you tried these? Do they work or am I just hoping that I never have to be covered with muck and mosquito bites again anytime soon.

Thanks!

Amiee Staggs

Bloomington, IN

---

This email just arrived August 29, 2005.

Loved your discussion of gutter guards. I bought into the "never clean" line and purchased a system that had a solid cover over the gutter. Clogged up within 6 months! The company did come out and clean them, but after we had a major overflow and basement flooding. The company knows its product is not clog free -- they even had the gall to give me a special hose adapter so I could flush out their "clog free" gutters.

Eileen G.

Upstate NY

---