Gutter cleaning is needed here. This gutter guard has been undergoing testing for ten months. Do you see the problem? Spring debris, like these maple-tree helicopter seed pods, can overwhelm gutter guards, clog them and render them useless. Gutter guards MUST BE INSTALLED in the same plane as the slope of the roof so the debris doesn't collect as you see in this photo. Look at the illustration below. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter

"The salesmen often employ high-pressure sales tactics using all sorts of "this-deep-discount-is-ONLY-available-today" offers. BEWARE these Jedi mind tricks and all the scare tactics about how your home's foundation will be ruined."

Originally Published: October 1999 - Revised August 2018

Important Author’s Note Update: Since this column was written, I've 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.

Gutter Cleaning or Gutter Guards? Which is a Better Choice?

Related Links

Gutter Covers 101

Ice Problems with Gutter Covers

Gutter Covers

Do Gutter Guards Work?

Here's a quick cross-section showing how the gutter guard - in green - is in the same plane as the roofing material. The drawing is not to scale. I used to make drawings like this sitting at customers' kitchen tables. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter

How Often Do You Need to Clean Gutters?

At a bare minimum, you need to clean gutters twice a year. Once in the spring and once in the fall.

Have you priced the cost of gutter covers on your house? They're very expensive, especially if you pay to have them installed. It's not uncommon to see prices about $20, or more, per linear foot. That can add up to thousands of dollars FAST.

Is it Cheaper to Just Clean Gutters?

As crazy as this sounds, it may be cheaper in the long run to just pay someone to clean out your gutters each year.

Let's say you get an estimate for $1,500 (75 feet at +/- $20 per foot) to have the gutter guards installed. Based upon my experimentation we already know that we will have to clean out the gutters at least twice every year. This is important for the sake of our calculations.

FREE Gutter-Cleaning Bids

CLICK HERE to get a FREE ESTIMATE from local companies to CLEAN your GUTTERS.

What Does Gutter Cleaning Cost?

I would think that - on average - a roofer could clean 200 feet in about an hour or so. My guess is that you could get this done for $125 or less. There's a very good chance a handyman can clean do gutter cleaning on ranch-style homes for this price.

Odds are you will have this done two times a year. This means that the annual cost to clean gutters without gutter guards is $200 plus or minus.

Let's see what happens if you don't buy gutter guards.

Should I Invest My Money Instead?

You may think the stock market is risky, but it's not if you invest in a somewhat conservative group of stocks. You should be able to average about five or seven percent per year.

Some years the market goes way up as it did just after the 2016 Presidential election. If you were invested before November 1, 2016, you saw at least a 50 percent rise in your investment by the time 2018 rolled around. That means you'd have $2,250 in money instead of your original $1,500.

Realize if you invest aggressively, it could be far more, but I don't recommend that.

For sake of our discussion, we'll forget about taxes and inflation.

You can see that you can afford to pay to have your gutters cleaned by others and still have your original money in your possession AND it's growing each year!

Free & Fast Bids

CLICK HERE for FREE & FAST BIDS from local companies that can install micromesh gutter guards.

What is the Best Gutter Guard?

The best gutter guard is one made with stainless steel micro mesh. That's what I have on my own home.

Here's a photo of my own gutter guard:

This is the best gutter guard I've ever tested. This is my own home in central New Hampshire. A stainless-steel micro mesh prevents any debris from getting into the gutter. Copyright 2017 Tim Carter ALL RIGHTS RESERVED COPYING PROHIBITED

Consider purchasing a micromesh product from Amazon.com and having your local handyman install them for you. CLICK the photo below for just one of the micromesh products I discovered on Amazon:

There are many micromesh gutter guard products. You can save LOTS of money putting them on yourself. CLICK on THE IMAGE to see how low-cost they can be.

How Expensive are Micro Mesh Gutter Guards?

Dealer-installed micro mesh gutter guards are very expensive. It's not uncommon to get prices of $25 per linear foot.

The salesmen often employ high-pressure sales tactics using all sorts of "this-deep-discount-is-ONLY-available-today" offers. BEWARE these Jedi mind tricks and all the scare tactics about how your home's foundation will be ruined.

A simple ranch house with 140 feet of total gutter could cost you $3,500.00!!!

Are Some Gutter Guards Bad?

Yes, some gutter guards don't work well at all. They clog up with debris or allow small debris to enter your gutters creating layers of muck that is nearly impossible to remove.

It's important to realize if you get the WRONG ones, you'll have to pay a company to clean them out each year or every other year.

Now you're really in trouble if this happens.

Does Gutter Cleaning Make More Sense?

Gutter cleaning may make better sense but there are many factors to consider.

How long do you plan to live in your home? How brave are you when investing the money you'll not be giving the gutter guard company?

If you don't buy gutter covers and have a roofer come to clean your gutters twice a year, the worst that will happen is that at the end of five years you will still have spent $1,000.00. But, you've been making money with your invested $1,500.00.

How much? I can't tell you because I can't foresee the future, but all past history shows you'll MAKE MONEY each year in the long term by investing in the stock market.

How Can I get Free Bids?

I think you should get gutter cleaning AND GUTTER GUARD estimates. CLICK the following two links. The first one is for FREE gutter-cleaning bids. The second one allows you to calculate the cost of the gutter guards. The third link allows you to get an estimate from a local contractor who will install the gutter guards you purchased online:

CLICK HERE to get a FREE ESTIMATE from local companies to CLEAN your GUTTERS.

CLICK HERE to get the pricing for the micro mesh gutter guards from Amazon.

CLICK HERE for FREE & FAST BIDS from local companies that can install micromesh gutter guards.

Run the numbers and see if it doesn't make better sense to hold onto your money.

Column B184

Here are some icicles hanging from the edge of a roof. The meltwater flash freezes at the edge because the air temperature is far below 32 F. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter

Original Publish Date: December - 2010

Gutter Guard Ice is Impossible To Stop

Gutter guard ice is nearly impossible to avoid. Super-chilled snow meltwater flows under the snow pack and then contacts the below-freezing aluminum gutter guard. It then flash freezes. More water coming down the roof creates giant icicles. The only way to stop the ice is to remove the snow - the source of the water that creates the icicles.

DEAR TIM: After watching your review of the gutter guard on your home and getting several references in my local area, I had the product installed. It was installed over my existing gutters.

With the latest snow and cold weather, I now have icicles along my gutters. We never had this problem before the gutter guards. Please advise us before we create roof leaks. Lea Ann B., St. Louis, MO

Free & Fast Bids

CLICK HERE for FREE & FAST BIDS from local gutter guard companies that can install micromesh guards. That's what covers my gutters.

DEAR LEA ANN: Icicles on gutter guards are a very common complaint. I'm willing to bet you had the problem before to a slight degree, but you just didn't realize it. Before you installed the gutter guards, meltwater would come down your roof and contact the cold gutter.

I'm willing to bet that for years you had ice building up inside the gutter, but couldn't see it from the ground. The only way you would see it would be if the ice completely filled the gutter and then started to create the icicles you now see on top of the gutter courtesy of the new gutter guard.

Icicles hanging from gutters that have gutter guards installed. PHOTO CREDIT: Lea Ann Baker

Super-Chilled Meltwater Freezes On Your Gutter Guard

Here's what's happening. The aluminum and stainless steel metals that make up the gutter guard get cold quickly. Because they are at the end of the roof, and in your case, hanging out away from the house, they can't get any warmth from the house.

Thin insulation where the roof passes over the outside wall, inadequate insulation over the entire ceiling of the house, sunlight, air temperatures above 32 F all contribute to the snowpack on the roof melting. This water is chilled to 32 F or below in most cases as it's flowing just under the snowpack.

This water can be below 32 F in certain situations and still liquid because it's moving. That happens all the time in the lake outside my house and in the stream that runs across my land. I've actually taken the temperature of the moving water and it's in the mid to low 20 F range but still liquid!

When that super-chilled water hits the cold gutter guard it immediately freezes. If the water flow down the roof is substantial, it doesn't take long for a significant ice dam to form.

Here are big icicles. It's simple physics. The only way to STOP them is to remove the snow from your roof. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter

Two Choices to STOP Leaks & Icicles on Gutter Guards

To stop leaks from ice dams you have two choices. You can install an ice and water shield under the shingles on the lower 3 to 6 feet of your roof. The lower the slope of your roof, the higher up the roof this membrane must extend.

The second option is to starve the ice dams of their food supply. This means you have to use a snow rake and pull the snow off the roof. This is not easy.

You may not have to get all the snow off the roof. You might be able to clear at 10 or 12-foot swath across your roof. The meltwater from the snow far above might evaporate as it travels across the bare shingles in the sunlight. You'll have to experiment.

This area of no snow works pretty well on sunny days to get the melting water to evaporate on the surprisingly hot shingles as it tries to make its way down to the gutters. I see that happen on my own roof all the time here in New Hampshire.

Consider purchasing a micromesh product from Amazon.com and having your local handyman install them for you. CLICK the photo below for just one of the micromesh products I discovered on Amazon:

There are many micromesh gutter guard products. You can save LOTS of money putting them on yourself. CLICK on THE IMAGE to see how low-cost they can be.

CLICK HERE for FREE & FAST BIDS from local gutter guard companies that can install micromesh guards. That's what covers my gutters.

This is the best gutter guard I've ever tested. A stainless-steel micro mesh prevents any pine needles from getting into the gutter. Copyright 2017 Tim Carter

Original Publication Date: April 1999

The Pros and Cons of Gutter Guards - Be Careful Out There!

Dealer-installed gutter guards come with a high price, a very high price. DIY solutions may have you in the emergency room if you fall from the roof or cut your hand doing the job. The best alternative may be to purchase the gutter guards online and have a professional handyman do the simple install. See below for an affordable alternative to gutter guards like the ones I put on my home.

Important Author’s Note Update: Since this column was written, I've discovered at least two other gutter guards that sport the micromesh filtration screen. Testing of these micromesh guards began early Spring of 2008. The results of the test are in! After ten 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'm sick and tired of cleaning leaves and debris from my gutters. I've 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 caught the attention of many people including 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.

Spring Is When Gutter Guards #FAIL

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's not uncommon for me to clean my gutters at least four times a year.

All gutter guards I tested had no problem keeping large leaves from getting into the gutters.

It's important to realize MOST of the gutter guards I tested FAILED in the spring because the small holes, slits, openings, etc. became choked and clogged with small debris.

Free & Fast Bids

CLICK HERE for FREE & FAST BIDS from local companies that can install micromesh gutter guards.

Consider purchasing a micromesh product from Amazon.com and having your local handyman install them for you. CLICK the photo below for just one of the micromesh products I discovered on Amazon:

There are many micromesh gutter guard products. You can save LOTS of money putting them on yourself. CLICK ON THE IMAGE to see how low-cost they can be.

Related Links

Gutter Covers 101

Ice Problems with Gutter Covers

Gutter Covers

Do Gutter Guards Work?

Cleaning Gutter Guards is Dangerous - Falls Happen All the Time

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 guards can go a long way in preventing many autumn accidents.

Home and Garden Show Gutter Guard Test

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.

Real Gutter Guard Testing on My Roof

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.

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.

CLICK HERE for FREE & FAST BIDS from local companies that can install micromesh gutter guards.

My First Early Gutter Guard Test Conclusion

After seeing what happened I came to the conclusion most gutter guards were a WASTE OF MONEY. You'd still have to get up on your roof to clean the gutter guards. Why not just take the money you'd pay for the gutter guards and use it to pay a handyman to clean the gutters twice a year?

Author's Notes:

The notes below show you the poor designs that clogged with tree debris. Some of these inferior products are still sold! BEWARE of them. You'll be wasting your money.

Instead, install a micromesh gutter guard like you see far above in this column.

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

Final Conclusion

Consider purchasing a micromesh product from Amazon.com and having your local handyman install them for you. CLICK the photo below for just one of the micromesh products I discovered on Amazon:

There are many micromesh gutter guard products. You can save LOTS of money putting them on yourself. CLICK ON THE IMAGE to see how low-cost they can be.