Gutter Guard - worth it?

DaftyDuck

I'm having new guttering fitted around a house. Most of the guttering is extremely easy to access for cleaning, being above a balcony, easy reach of ladder, or over a flat roof. One run down one side is not, as there's a detached garage beside the house, and only a 2 metre gap between the two. Result: to get to the house gutter means ladder has to be too steep (and garage gutter/roof sticks out as well).

So, for this side, I'm wondering whether to put gutter guard up, as there's scaffolding there at the moment, and access is easy. But does it work? Do gutters actually get less blocked with it up, or does it just mean they still block, but less often, and are more difficult to clean?

Never had it before, so advice/experience appreciated.

This kind of stuff/URL]

Thanks

xyz123

no point in putting it over only one section. if other sections get leaves and then rain they will eventually get over to the "covered section"

they could be useful, though i dont have any experience of using one! though i done know if the one you have is intended to be used at a height. find out how will these be clamped to existing gutter and are they heavy?

DaftyDuck

That section is on a separate downpipe, with high points at both ends of that gutter, so there won't be (much) flow into that section. But, good point.

I'm minded to not use it, 'cos even if I can't get more than 2/3 of the way up to it, I might be able to use a pressure washer rod to reach over the last bit.

Thing is, with the scaffold there, it's just so easy to get to, and with no scaffold, even a monkey .X. acrobat roofer doesn't have a chance! He tried!

Avoriaz

Do you have trees etc near your house?

If not it is unlikely that debris will accumulate particularly quickly in the gutters.

We have recently had our gutters cleared, probably for the first time since the house was built nine years ago. We only did it as part of a clean of all the soffits, boards downpipes etc that had a bit of green algae build up.

The workman told me there was relatively little debris in the gutters. In his experience, houses such as ours that are not close to tall trees rarely need the gutters cleared.

In our previous house, where we lived for 26 years, I could clear the gutter at the rear of the house but I couldn’t access the other three sides.

We never once had to get someone in to clear them. I suspect that the debris gradually spread itself around and clearing it from the rear section occasionally kept the overall debris level low and kept the water flowing in the gutters.

Unless you do get a quick build up of debris I wouldn't bother with gutter guards.

Furts

If the house is away from trees there should not be a problem with debris in gutters - as previously stated.

If the gutters have a good fall and flow this will tend to keep the gutters clean.

Modern concrete tiles do degrade over many years but the dust build up is minimal - it mostly gets washed away by the gutter flow.

There are two issues I am aware of. One is bird poo and food dropped by birds from the roof into the gutter. This can be a reasonable size if you think of wood pigeons or magpies. The other is if the roof has old fashioned Type 1F roofing felt draped into the gutters. This will degrade, break off and tends to remain in the gutters causing a build up of debris.

That said, a leaf guard detail will not help in these situations. Plus the gutter brush pictures I have seen make me wary of ever using this type of product.

southcoastrgi

nope it causes more trouble than it saves, the leaves lay over the top of it get wet & then the rain runs down the tiles & straight over the leaves & over the gutter instead of into it

DaftyDuck

Thanks, all, for your views. I shan't bother. Save a few quid. Just, with scaffolding up, one wants to do everything now, rather than wobbling on a vertical ladder!

shammyjack

Try using this brilliant stuff.

http://www.easyinnovations.co.uk/products/hedgehog-gutter-brush

We are surrounded by trees and this works well !