Installing vinyl gutter guards - how to get them to snap on?

I bought the vinyl gutter guards and started installing them. I cannot get them to "snap on" to the edge of my gutter. I wonder if there are other kinds of guards and I purchased the wrong one. I've included pictures of my gutters and how the guards lay on them. I'm a little worried that a brisk wind will blow them off because the only thing that is holding them to my roof are the shingles. Are there special clamps i can buy to secure them better? the bottom of my gutter is rounded so it will be a challenge to get a standard clamp to attach to it.

Also parts on parts of my roof the shingle are very hard to pry up and I cannot get the guard far enough under because there is a nail or something blocking it - what do you suggest in that situation - cutting the guard so it's more narrow?

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Reply to
Joe
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Purchased at local Box Store about 3 years ago and still available are an expanded perforated aluminum gutter guard in 3 foot lengths about 6 inches wide and curved, cost about a buck ($1) on sale. They have two clips (hinges) that snap on outer edge of gutter and the guards just lay on the roof, not under the shingles. Weight holds them down and if necessary they can be opened. Simple to install and work great for me, YMMV. I have aluminum gutters and the outer lip was too big for the hinge. Using a pair of pliers I just flattened gutter about an inch at each clip to fit. Might be a problem with plastic gutter?

cannot

cutting

Reply to
Don Whynot

Are these the Amerimax ones from Home Depot? I have installed the solid versions on my roof. The brief instructions on the label should tell how to bend them.

At least for the solid covers: You need to bend them up just back from the outer edge, then bend them back down as they near the shingles. This adjusts them for the roof pitch and allows the outer edge to be horizontal so it will snap into place. There are pre-scored bending lines but they are still fairly stiff, fortunately I have a bender long enough to put them in and tweak them.

-- Dennis

Reply to
DT

These look like the amerimax ones. If they are the ones that have the screen over them the screen part goes UP. It looks to me like you are installing them upside down. Sometimes you will have to cut a slip to make it around a nail in the shingle or you will have to cut a little piece out of the bottom where it snaps into the gutter around the gutter spike. Good luck. I also had to drill small 1/8" holes in them right before the little flat piece that sticks up. This was because in heavy rain, the water would just cascade right over them. If you want pictures of my modification, let me know.

Larry

Reply to
Old_Boat

Just bring them back. They are worthless.

Reply to
Art

I just put these on my gutters. Larry is right, you are installing them upside down. I agree with Larry that the problem may be that you don't have enough space between the gutter spike and the bottom of the folded over top of the gutter for the guard to slide in. You can either slide a screwdriver gently in that area to make a bigger gap, or trim away a small part of the bottom lip of the guard where the spikes are.

If they hit a nail when you slide them under the shingles, just trim them around it.

Once you get one corner started, a big pair of pliers or channel-locks, held vertically, can be used to convince the guard to slide onto the gutter.

Once installed, I've found them to work quite well.

Also, if it's cold now in your area, you may find heating the stubbon shingles with a heat gun will make them more flexible. you don't want to break them trying to bend them up.

HTH,

Paul

Reply to
Paul Franklin

I have some of those kind and they don't lay on the roof very well. They keep flipping over. I don't think they are supposed to clip on the gutter, I think they are supposed to clip on the edge of the shingles. Any way after my experience that is about the only way to make them work. Actually I have bricks laying on the top side to hold them down.

Bill Gill

Reply to
Bill Gill

Strange as that's not my experience. I don't have any labels so I can not say what they were called or the part number. I attached them to the "gutter" as described in the instructions, not a problem after 3 years. My residence is near the Chicago area and we do get some wind here, recently had gusts around 50 MPH, never had one move and they are free to open on the hinge. Once had a squirrel enter through the open end and I chased it back-and-forth until he finally lifted up one length and took off. I tried the flat plastic type that suppose to slide under the shingles but found shingles stuck to roof that's why I installed these and have not been sorry. Don Whynot

Reply to
Don Whynot

I hope we're talking about the solid plastic vinyl covers that are a 4 foot job. I have over 200 feet hip roof and the 2 problems I see are getting them up under the shingles and then sliding the clip edge over the gutter lip. The simple problem of slipping the flat edge up under the shingles and hitting a nail that should not be there means that you have to cut out a "V" section due to the few orphan nail obstructions. If you have more than just a few then your in trouble and should consider some other cover. The bigger problem seems to be the narrow clip edge 1/8 inch wide and 4 foot long that has to be forced over the gutter edge that is about 1/2 inch wide. Many frustrations arise here but the trick here is to open up the narrow edge. For me that was over

200 feet long. Try this. Get an old caster wheel about 3 to 4 inches in diameter and about 1/2 inch wide and put an old screwdriver handle on the stem, now you have something like a pizza cutter. Hopefully you have a nice hot sunny day and a outside workbench. Put the curved edge on the bench edge and roll the wheel inside the narrow opening thus making it wider etc. Good luck. Bert
Reply to
Bert

if you have lots of trees gutter guards are largely a waste of time..

the debris hit the roof and turn into dust crud that fills the gutters its so small it goes right thru the gutter guard openings:( The amount of crud from spring blossoms is unreal:(

when it comes time to clean the gutters you must first remove the guards that didnt work:(

Reply to
bob haller

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