Thank you for this video. I’ve been going back and forth over Gutter Guard v/s cleaning. I’ll clean since I can do it and the alternative is very expensive.
Thanks, I've wondered about gutter guards for my home. Your assessment answers many of the concerns I've had and convinced me to simple focus on just keeping the open gutters I have clean.
It's so hard these days to find/hire someone who really cares and has your knowledge. Most homeowners like myself cant do the work you show. We can only hope to get someone with your expertise.
You know, I think you're right. I've been getting a lot of calls lately from people way out of my service area who are just looking for a fair shake from a contractor. But, if you can educate yourself you can hopefully be better prepared to evaluate contractors and their work.
John, you won't believe this! LOL! I just completed watching this vid. As the vid came to a close guess what advertiser shows up? Leaf Guar- selling gutter protection! By the way.. I took them off of the house we're in (purchased 2 yrs ago) this past summer..
What an excellent video! I’m here to tell you, I’ve been researching, and trying to ‘develop’ a gutter guard system, and have just about given up. IMO, there may be some cases where a gutter guard system will work, but I have to agree with John here. I constantly have to attend to my gutters. I am surrounded by a lot of trees, and suffer the consequences. I use a system of downspout screens, and routine cleaning. I use a M18 Fuel blower with a Worx universal gutter system attachment, and it works alright, albeit very cumbersome. I would challenge any Company out there to come and install their system on my gutters! 🤔😁😊 Great video! Take care!
Thanks John. My Mom had plastic guards that just attached over gutters and they to caused more trouble then good. Debris sits on top instead blocking water flow. Like you said, I would rather get larger gutters maybe or just have them cleaned more frequently. I’m up on my roof with the leaf blower at least twice a season when the oak trees drop the seed pods.
I have a two story bath and a half home. I live in a wooded area and have quite a time with the gutters. For lack of a better term, I bought some small hardware cloth type gutter guards. They come in about two foot lengths. It does take care of the larger stuff and leaves / Acorns but I still have to go up there and clean the gutters. I bought a really nice ladder and then the ladder stabilizer. I really do not like going up that high but I cannot really find anyone decently priced to do the job and quality work. Just today I noticed something growing in my garage gutter on the front of the house :( I have been thinking about this for some time and I think something with an inflatable bladder in the gutter would be an idea. You could just hook a compressor to it and inflate it and it would push everything out of the gutter. My other idea is a gutter that is on a type of spring loaded hinge that you can use a pole and swing it upside down and take a hose to clean anything that didnt drop out. You release the pole and the gutter moves back to its original position.
Some inventive ideas! It can be an issue finding somebody to do the cleaning for you, but in many areas there are small companies which specialize in that service. There are also various devices to attach to water hoses or to shop vacs, though I'm not certain how well they work. Larger gutters and leaders can also help a lot, because debris can flushed to the ground more easily.
I have the Gutterglove gutter guards installed and they work very well. The guards need to match the slope of the roof for debris to blow off or wash off. The ones shown in the video are laying flat. I do occasionally have to clean off some debris. There are brushes with extension poles that do a fair job but I prefer a leaf blower with a gutter cleaning attachment. Makes real quick work of cleaning off the gutter guards or blowing out the gutters themselves if not covered. You could also use the attachment with a shop vac if you don't want debris blown into your flower beds.
I only have to clean the guards twice a year. The gutters had to be blown out almost weekly in the Spring and Fall (maple seeds in Spring & leaves in Fall). Leaves and maple seeds that collect in the gutters would hold water and give me with a mud-like shower when blowing them out of the gutters. I no longer have to worry about a small branch getting into my downspout and collecting leaves until it completely plugs. I also don't have to worry about getting wet leaves out before they freeze solid when cold weather suddenly arrives and decides to stay.
Hello John, been seeing commercials for these gutter gadgets reminded me back to this video. Here’s a Question: what about no gutters? Perhaps it depends on the home and climate. Here in southern Texas we are rather dry, with few wet spells (occasional tropical storm). I recently had a new roof but the gutters were falling down. I had them removed. Our home is 100% brick, except the high eves where there are no gutters. What’s your opinion?
Having no gutters is a thing. However, there are some critical details you have to get right. You want to have a significant roof overhang, enough to have soffits. That overhang will direct the water away from the side of the house as it comes down and makes a big difference in longevity. You should not use this method if you have wood siding or trim down at ground level. The splash-back from dripping water will rot it out in short order. At the dripline on the ground, you should install crushed rock (or similar) over landscape pipe to collect the water and lead it out to daylight away from the house. Otherwise the water will end up putting hydrostatic pressure against your foundation wall or in your basement or slab. You can see the effect of no gutters on a wood structure by looking for large barns in your area. Often they do not have gutters and you'll see the bottom of the siding rotted, sills rotted, paint peeling, etc. Weather and area climate can also play a role, of course. A very dry area will fare better than a rainy climate. If you intend to leave the gutters off, I would make damned sure that the first three feet or so of the base of your walls have no wood. You should seal the masonry with a waterproofing agent. And, you should install a drainage system at the dripline to carry that water away from the house.
enduringcharm ... Hydrostatic pressure. I suppose I’ve seen the effects of this in the neighborhood, with disastrous effect to newly installed buckled tile. All homes in this area are slabs, and many use porcelain or ceramic tile on the ground floor. We also had wood planks, which we ripped out and laid a new porcelain floor in all rooms. I allowed for a consistent grout line with a tile leveling system and space from the walls. Been two years so far no issues. Yes we are completely bricked, but I will take your advice with creating a water path away from the structure. If I really feel the need, oversized gutters will be on order. The backyard has a covered patio from side to side where the gutter was, so there is significant overhang to move water from our single gable roof. The front yard the roof has at least two feet overhang over a raised garden, plus a garage and porch covering better than 50% of this side of the gable, so I’d say I have about 12 feet of the living room at risk at the moment.
I should also mention with hydrostatic pressure that soil type is highly influential as to what kind of problems you might expect. A sandy loam type of soil will be far more tolerant of water than a heavy clay soil. Your neighborhood slab issues could also be related to the quality of the original installation, but water pressure from underneath can really make a mess. In my area of Jersey we have heavy, red clay soil. I see homeowners allowing gutter leaders to just drain into corners, where the water makes it's way down the side of the foundation. Clay expands when it absorbs the water then shrinks when it dries out. The cycle can push in a foundation wall or push up a slab. Whatever you do, get that water away from the house!
Champion Gutter guards are the worst. Expect to pay a service fee if you want them to honor their lifetime warranty that don't last a lifetime. It's only the hook to reel you in. A good company gone bad in the worst way. No honor, integrity, or guarantee on their word. I feel like I gave almost 8k to a crackhead.
Thank you for this video. I’ve been going back and forth over Gutter Guard v/s cleaning. I’ll clean since I can do it and the alternative is very expensive.
Thanks, I've wondered about gutter guards for my home. Your assessment answers many of the concerns I've had and convinced me to simple focus on just keeping the open gutters I have clean.
It's so hard these days to find/hire someone who really cares and has your knowledge. Most homeowners like myself cant do the work you show. We can only hope to get someone with your expertise.
You know, I think you're right. I've been getting a lot of calls lately from people way out of my service area who are just looking for a fair shake from a contractor. But, if you can educate yourself you can hopefully be better prepared to evaluate contractors and their work.
John, you won't believe this! LOL! I just completed watching this vid. As the vid came to a close guess what advertiser shows up? Leaf Guar- selling gutter protection! By the way.. I took them off of the house we're in (purchased 2 yrs ago) this past summer..
Ha! Revenge of the algorithms, I guess.
What an excellent video! I’m here to tell you, I’ve been researching, and trying to ‘develop’ a gutter guard system, and have just about given up. IMO, there may be some cases where a gutter guard system will work, but I have to agree with John here. I constantly have to attend to my gutters. I am surrounded by a lot of trees, and suffer the consequences. I use a system of downspout screens, and routine cleaning. I use a M18 Fuel blower with a Worx universal gutter system attachment, and it works alright, albeit very cumbersome. I would challenge any Company out there to come and install their system on my gutters! 🤔😁😊
Great video! Take care!
Thanks John. My Mom had plastic guards that just attached over gutters and they to caused more trouble then good. Debris sits on top instead blocking water flow. Like you said, I would rather get larger gutters maybe or just have them cleaned more frequently. I’m up on my roof with the leaf blower at least twice a season when the oak trees drop the seed pods.
I have a two story bath and a half home. I live in a wooded area and have quite a time with the gutters. For lack of a better term, I bought some small hardware cloth type gutter guards. They come in about two foot lengths. It does take care of the larger stuff and leaves / Acorns but I still have to go up there and clean the gutters. I bought a really nice ladder and then the ladder stabilizer. I really do not like going up that high but I cannot really find anyone decently priced to do the job and quality work.
Just today I noticed something growing in my garage gutter on the front of the house :(
I have been thinking about this for some time and I think something with an inflatable bladder in the gutter would be an idea. You could just hook a compressor to it and inflate it and it would push everything out of the gutter.
My other idea is a gutter that is on a type of spring loaded hinge that you can use a pole and swing it upside down and take a hose to clean anything that didnt drop out. You release the pole and the gutter moves back to its original position.
Some inventive ideas! It can be an issue finding somebody to do the cleaning for you, but in many areas there are small companies which specialize in that service. There are also various devices to attach to water hoses or to shop vacs, though I'm not certain how well they work. Larger gutters and leaders can also help a lot, because debris can flushed to the ground more easily.
I have the Gutterglove gutter guards installed and they work very well. The guards need to match the slope of the roof for debris to blow off or wash off. The ones shown in the video are laying flat. I do occasionally have to clean off some debris. There are brushes with extension poles that do a fair job but I prefer a leaf blower with a gutter cleaning attachment. Makes real quick work of cleaning off the gutter guards or blowing out the gutters themselves if not covered. You could also use the attachment with a shop vac if you don't want debris blown into your flower beds.
In some circumstances the guards can work. However, I have to point out, you are still cleaning your guards!
I only have to clean the guards twice a year. The gutters had to be blown out almost weekly in the Spring and Fall (maple seeds in Spring & leaves in Fall). Leaves and maple seeds that collect in the gutters would hold water and give me with a mud-like shower when blowing them out of the gutters. I no longer have to worry about a small branch getting into my downspout and collecting leaves until it completely plugs. I also don't have to worry about getting wet leaves out before they freeze solid when cold weather suddenly arrives and decides to stay.
Hello John, been seeing commercials for these gutter gadgets reminded me back to this video. Here’s a Question: what about no gutters? Perhaps it depends on the home and climate. Here in southern Texas we are rather dry, with few wet spells (occasional tropical storm). I recently had a new roof but the gutters were falling down. I had them removed. Our home is 100% brick, except the high eves where there are no gutters. What’s your opinion?
Having no gutters is a thing. However, there are some critical details you have to get right. You want to have a significant roof overhang, enough to have soffits. That overhang will direct the water away from the side of the house as it comes down and makes a big difference in longevity. You should not use this method if you have wood siding or trim down at ground level. The splash-back from dripping water will rot it out in short order. At the dripline on the ground, you should install crushed rock (or similar) over landscape pipe to collect the water and lead it out to daylight away from the house. Otherwise the water will end up putting hydrostatic pressure against your foundation wall or in your basement or slab.
You can see the effect of no gutters on a wood structure by looking for large barns in your area. Often they do not have gutters and you'll see the bottom of the siding rotted, sills rotted, paint peeling, etc. Weather and area climate can also play a role, of course. A very dry area will fare better than a rainy climate. If you intend to leave the gutters off, I would make damned sure that the first three feet or so of the base of your walls have no wood. You should seal the masonry with a waterproofing agent. And, you should install a drainage system at the dripline to carry that water away from the house.
enduringcharm ... Hydrostatic pressure. I suppose I’ve seen the effects of this in the neighborhood, with disastrous effect to newly installed buckled tile. All homes in this area are slabs, and many use porcelain or ceramic tile on the ground floor. We also had wood planks, which we ripped out and laid a new porcelain floor in all rooms. I allowed for a consistent grout line with a tile leveling system and space from the walls. Been two years so far no issues. Yes we are completely bricked, but I will take your advice with creating a water path away from the structure.
If I really feel the need, oversized gutters will be on order. The backyard has a covered patio from side to side where the gutter was, so there is significant overhang to move water from our single gable roof. The front yard the roof has at least two feet overhang over a raised garden, plus a garage and porch covering better than 50% of this side of the gable, so I’d say I have about 12 feet of the living room at risk at the moment.
I should also mention with hydrostatic pressure that soil type is highly influential as to what kind of problems you might expect. A sandy loam type of soil will be far more tolerant of water than a heavy clay soil. Your neighborhood slab issues could also be related to the quality of the original installation, but water pressure from underneath can really make a mess. In my area of Jersey we have heavy, red clay soil. I see homeowners allowing gutter leaders to just drain into corners, where the water makes it's way down the side of the foundation. Clay expands when it absorbs the water then shrinks when it dries out. The cycle can push in a foundation wall or push up a slab. Whatever you do, get that water away from the house!
Interesting and informative discussion. Thanks
Champion Gutter guards are the worst. Expect to pay a service fee if you want them to honor their lifetime warranty that don't last a lifetime. It's only the hook to reel you in. A good company gone bad in the worst way. No honor, integrity, or guarantee on their word. I feel like I gave almost 8k to a crackhead.