I just spent a day cleaning gutters and placing screen gutter covers. I was thinking maybe the new "foam" or plastric inserts would be better? Any experiences out there that you wish t share ... good / bad, indifferent?
Never tried the foam inserts, but I put something called "Gutter Brush" in my gutters 4 years ago and haven't had to clean them since.
Gutter Brush looks like a long bristle brush -- the sort of thing you wash bottles with. It's easy to install - just cut a length and push it into the gutter under the gutter supports. I was worried about trapping ice, but there's been no difference in the winter ice build-up before or after the installation.
TKM
I put two different types on my house last year. One is the 4' long snap-in plastic ones from Home Depot. They are kinda like the custom gutter helmets with a 'nose' and a slot under the nose for the water to run into. The other is a preformed 'horsehair' mat with a fiberglass screen over the top.
The plastic ones have popped loose in areas, mainly because they expanded so darn much in the summer sun and I didn't allow space between the strips for it. Other than that I like them, I'll have to see if I can trim a few back to allow for expansion.
The horsehair mat type has been trouble free. They are over double the cost of the Home Depot ones, however. They are also easier to install as you do not have to lift your shingles to slide anything underneath.
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