Anyone know of Gutter Shutter or the like?

[byrdsfan]

We are having our roof replaced and might have them do the gutters too. However i got a flier from "Gutter Shutter" and im considering them. The roofer says they would be about twice his price (which was about $1,200) but otherwise had no opinion. We are on the North Shore of Long island and just covered by trees. Parts of the house are very high and the ground slopes and well ... i dont like cleaning the gutters. I've also heard screens on the gutters are just about useless (the roofer can do them). If they are otherwise O,k the price that he gave would not bother me but i think he is underestimating them. Still no matter the price, if they are useless or a bother, I dont want them. Yet the idea of a non-maintainence system appeals to my lazy bones. Any opinions? Thanks!

[Art]

In my experience, Leafguard brand gutters with built in guard work great. On the other hand I had a brand of add on gutter guards with the word Helmit in it on another house and they sucked. Leafguard prices vary by location depending on how competitive the franchises are. They were cheap for my parents on Long Island but very expensive for me in Cary, NC.

[byrdsfan]

Any idea where they got those on Long Island? Thanks!

[Art]

They lived in Massapequa Park. They got quotes from a guy in Nassau county and a guy in Suffolk. Both from the yellow pages. And the name of the product is Leafguard. There are clones which I have no experience with. I know the Leafguard works. My father has 6 giant oak trees on 1/6 acre and no clogging at all. No debris whatsoever. I have the same experience here in NC with pine trees.

To give you more details they charge per foot for the gutter and then per corner because each corner has to be hand connected. Also, we had a bay window with a non normal corner and initially they said it could not be done but the installer just spent his time and did a nice job and with the wierd corners.

[byrdsfan]

Im in Northport, blanketed by all kinds of trees. They're doing their stuff right now. Leadguard's website doesnt list :I but i'll check the book. Thanks. Would say it's double what a regualr system would be; ive heard triple or more.

[Art]

I paid triple but my father paid less than double. If you want clean gutters and don't want to do it yourself or hire some one to clean, it is a solution.

[Art]

One thing just noticed today about the cheap job versus expensive job.... I have oversized downspouts. He does not.

[JGM]

We also recently replaced our old gutters with Leaf Guard (probably by the same, expensive outfit that Art used). As noted, it's expensive at about 3x the cost of "standard" seamless gutters and 1.5x the cost of competing anti-clog gutters. We had all the locally-available options come out for pitches and estimates; of these only the Leaf Guard is a true seamless, one-piece system. It's a patented design that is licensed out by region, which explains the premium price. There is a K-system (or similar name) which is a minor variation on the LG design and costs a bit less but is 2 pieces held together with nylon struts. The add-on options such as screens or where a diversion plate is jammed between the shingles are cheesy and have had bad results in the neighborhood. I don't believe we saw "Gutter Shutter".

Of course it'll take another 6 months to judge how effective it is against leaves (of which we get a ton). At this point I can say it looks very nice and does a good job of draining the roof (actually in heavy rain it does drip over the front a bit more than open gutters due to the design but it's not really a concern -- if it's raining that hard everything is getting wet anyway).

Good luck.

JGM

[Art]

During the heaviest rainstorm downpours, in the most difficult valleys I do get some pour over the Leafguard but it kind of works like a ski jump and the water shoots out easily 10 feet from the foundation.

[Micro Angelo]

In a previous posting, Usenet was endowed with the following text from [e-mail] (byrdsfan):

I think the smartest product out there for gutters is Steelco gutter screens

They're a small company and a well kept secret in the gutter protection biz. I had to order them direct from the manufacturer. They are premium quality screens and effective at keeping the downspouts clog free. Best of all, they are a fraction of the price of the "helmet" type gutters. Gutters, in my view, are supposed to be open, not covered.

MA

[Art]

I tried similar screens on gutters but they did not work long term on pine needles or with green stuff that come off some trees in the spring. Pine needles would find their way in thru the tiny holes. I agree that the hood they show does not work well..... I tried that too. But Leafguard does work. After 7+ years my gutters in NC are completely clean. Same for parents on Long Island. Before installation gutters would have to be cleaned once or twice per year.