Gutter Protection Systems  

WE HAVE MOVED

For the past three years we have received a great deal of positive feedback about the gutter guard review, although we continued to update the page rather regularly – we felt like it needed a home of its own.

The gutter protection product review’s New home is at: gutterprotectionreview.org

......We’ll see you there  (NC Review Staff)

Below is the archive of the old page

It seems that whenever we look into it, we can’t help but learn about yet another “never-clogging gutter cover/protection product.” There are over 70 gutter protection products in the U.S. and over 150 companies selling these systems. Every company says that they are the best and their product is revolutionary. With so many claims from so many gutter companies, what truly works? Is there such a thing as a gutter protection system that never clogs? Are these companies selling us something we don’t need?

Why gutter protection is important.
Gutters have a much more important function than just keeping the rain from pouring on your head when you leave your home in a thunderstorm. Here’s the reason gutters came into being.
It’s all about water management. The rain that hits your roof is not dispersed like the rain that hits your lawn. On your roof it piles up and is concentrated into a torrent by the time it comes to the edge of your roof. Where does it go from there? Without gutters it goes straight down to your home’s foundation. And you do not want super saturated dirt and soil surrounding your home’s foundation.

Foundation cracks, even when they are minor, can cause catastrophic structural damage. When this happens, you have to call a special company to make the repair or even worse damage will occur, and perhaps very quickly. The minimum cost for foundation repair is around $10,000 and the average is over $25,000. So having a headache of this magnitude is something most homeowners try to nip at the bud, and preferably avoid altogether.

If this is not enough reason to manage the torrent of water concentrated at the edge of your roof, consider the damage that occurs to the home’s facia. Facia is the wood band just at the roof’s edge.
Without a proper gutter system, the water not only pours into the ground at the foundation, it also curves around and under the leading edge of the shingles, creating severe wood rot and related headaches.

So this, ladies and gentlemen, is the case for “why gutters?”

The gutters capture the down pour and re routes it to a safe distance from your foundation and facia.

But not all gutter systems work efficiently. Some clog easily and thus create problems as bad or worse than having no gutters at all.

With the current housing market decline, homeowners like to take advantage of every plus in their favor. The perk of not having to clean or pay someone to clean the gutters is, in many situations the tipping point to close the deal. Something as simple and seemingly insignificant as gutter covers tends to demonstrate the caring and diligent character of the homeowner and his attitude about maintenance. Overall guttercovers will improve the value of a home and can pay for themselves over and over again by not having to pay someone to clean them a few times year (not to mention the liability risk of someone on your roof falling off).

Thus we present to you this discussion and review of gutter covers and gutter protection.

We have looked, compared, priced tested and researched numerous gutter covers . . . we hope you find our results helpful!

MICRO-MESH STYLE GUTTER PROTECTION SYSTEMS    Filtering synthetic mesh or fine mesh to micro mesh metal over plastic, sheet metal or extruded aluminum support frame These products have two components, the mesh material, and the frame that supports the mesh.  Both components can be found in either metal or plastic.  The quality of screen material varies considerably (technical understanding of metallurgy or plastic polymers is not customary for the average homeowner, but the comparison is between a plastics, 304 stainless steel and 316L surgical grade stainless).  The same is true for the support frame.  Metal will be more durable than plastic, but again, the particular alloys used make a big difference over the long term.  The comparison here is between plastic, aluminum sheet metal and extruded and anodized aluminum. Products we have reviewed Gutterglove - Gutter Protection System Mastershield Gutter Protection System Leaf Filter Gutter Protection System Winner NEW Photo Gallery Gutterglove: Mastershield: Leaf Filter    Results Product Name Price + Installation Quality & Durability NC Distribution + Support Web Link Gutterglove of NC ( Best Overall Value ) (5/5) Master Shield (3.5/5) Leaf Filter (4.5/5)

No prices are given, per foot prices must be quoted based on difficulty of home installation. (Number of stories, miter corner cuts and other factors given). Be sure to qualify a quote to include shipping and or installation by a certified installer.

What works, What works well and What doesn’t work:
We found Leaf Filter and Master Shield to be flimsy by comparison to Gutterglove. Gutterglove uses a “stainless steel surgical grade fine mesh screen” We tried poking the screen on all three products with a ball point pen. (Simulating a tree branch falling on the roof). The screen in Leaf filter tore easily. The screen in Mastershield also yielded easily.

The screen in Gutterglove was so tough, we barely made a dimple. According to Gutterglove’s sales materials we reviewed, their exclusive micro screen is used by the Navy for underwater applications and is the toughest money can buy. The actual housing of the product was noticeably different. The Gutterglove housing was heavy duty aluminum and a 5 foot panel was very sturdy just to hold in my hand. The housing for Leaf Filter and Mastershield was much lighter. It was clear to us that the Gutterglove was manufactured to be superior. We also noted that only one of the three, Gutterglove, bragged about being “anodized”. That means that it will not ozodize, corrode or rust regardless of the metal it is attached to. We think that is critically important because some gutters are aluminum, some steel, some copper or other metals.

This is the reason we concluded Gutterglove was the best choice in this category. This product works better than any other of the products listed in the categories below. (note the Leaf Filter and Master Shield product was reviewed in the absence of a sales person. The company provided us product samples)

From Gutter Glove Review.net:

Gutterglove Rating:

(19 out of 20 Stars)

The Good:

* Durable Frame
* Micro Mesh Filtration System
* Customer Satisfaction
* Moderately Priced
* Heated Version
* Works Well on All Types of Roofs
* Low/Easy Customer Maintenance

The Bad:

* Limited Distribution
* Must Be Professionally Installed

About the Ratings:

We have rated each of the different Gutter Guards based on the following categories:

1. Performance: We examined each of the different products on homes to see if they live up the claims of the manufacturer.
2. Durability: We wanted to see if it holds up under real life conditions, such as heavy debris, ice and snow loads, hail conditions, etc.
3. Warranty: We did our best to review the different warranties and guarantees. Do they really have value for the homeowner or are they really a protection for manufacturer?
4. Industry Reputation: We closely examined reviews based on the Better Business Bureau, Consumer Protection Agency, and other Agencies. We look for a variety of factors such as customer complaints, variety of complaints, time in business, etc.

Within each of these categories we have given a rating of 1-5 Stars with a total potential of 20 Stars. We want to stress that our reviews are not based on our opinion, but on the evidence we collected in the above manner. We strongly suggest that you take the information that we gathered and add it to your own research.

Ratings:

Performance Rating: 5 Stars

The stainless steel mesh opening was the largest of all the Micro Screens we examined. The micro screeen was the thickest we examines and does not have openings that will trap debris. Guttergloves advertising says it will handle up to 150 inch's of rain per hour. We were unable to test that claim, however, on our test the mesh accepted all the water we were able to supply.

We contacted one of the Gutterglove customers and given permission to take the Gutterglove off and film the results. You can see the results below, nothing but minor particulates were visible under the shield.
Durability Rating: 5 Stars

The 1/8" thick aluminum frame was the thickest of the micro screens and is very strong. The Stainless Steel Mesh was also the thickest and strongest we examined.

The anodized aluminum frame was unique among its counterparts. This protects the finish from oxidation and keeps the stainless steel and aluminum metals from interacting with each other causing corrosion. This was the only system that kept the aluminum and stainless steel mesh from being in direct contact with each other.
Warranty Rating: 4 Stars

The first part is a Performance Warranty guarantee against clogs for a period of 25 years. We could find no complaints through the Better Business Bureau. The Warranty guarantee's the homeowner that the product will not clog for a period of 25 years. Unfortunately, we were left wondering what the recourse would be if it did clog. This is an area that the homeowner should address before they purchase.


The second part is a Defect Free Guarantee. It simply states that Gutterglove will be free from defects for a period of 25 years.
Industry Reputation: 5 Star

No complaints were registered against this company with the Better Business Bureau. We do however, encourage the homeowner to do a thorough examination of the local distributor with the BBB or Consumer Protection Agency.

REVERSE CURVE METAL SYSTEMS   The reverse curve technology dates back over one hundred years. The first patent was taken out by George Cassen in June 23, 1908. This system has been modified in many ways over the past years by well over 100 venders. Surface tension guides water into the gutter. The debris from trees and roof shingles is supposed to fall off with the water. This does not always happen and the aperture and gutter gets clogged and needs cleaning. Also, the aperture is access to wasps, birds and rodents to nest. Most of these systems are made of aluminum sheet metal of different gauges. Some screw into your roof decking which should be avoided. Products we have reviewed Gutter Guardian Gutter Magic Gutter Helmet Gutter Guard K Guard Leaf Guard NEW Photo Gallery Gutter Guardian: Gutter Magic : Gutter Helmet : Gutter Guard: K Guard: Leaf Guard: Results Product Name Price + Installation Quality & Durability NC Distribution + Support Web Link Gutter Guardian (5/5) Gutter Magic (3/5) Gutter Helmet (4/5) Gutter Guard (4/5) K Guard (4/5) Leaf Guard (5/5)

Pricing was all over the map. Reportedly, salesmen try to sell these products from as high as $38.00 per foot to as low as $23.00. We found misrepresentation in the per foot quotation as they would quote $14 a foot then added extras bring it up to well over $25 a foot. Buyer Beware! (includes installation)

What works, What works well and What doesn’t work:
We found all of these brands to be so similar that the only significant difference is in the marketing approach. When we attempted to obtain an interviews (by pretending to be a homeowner prospect ourselves) we were given the “hard sell” by each of the sales representative who called on us. As a Reviewer, I found this unpleasant and uncomfortable.

The home demonstration unit was very impressive, however. I was shown a demo unit with water running down a miniature roof and into the reverse curve product. It was a little amazing to see the water curve and follow the product. I asked what would happen if we increased or decreased the water flow and was told it wouldn’t matter, but the salesman refused to demonstrate this. On our own, we tested this and found that the demo only works at a predetermined rate of water flow. We concluded that in a heavy rain, water would run over. In our own test, it poured over. With a very light water flow (light rain) the water flow was insufficient to keep out leaves in our test.

They clogged on the outside and seed pods, pine needles and grit easily followed the water into the gutter. We concluded that this product is a poor product if a homeowner has a lot of trees, but would probably work fairly well if few trees, leaves, pine needles, etc. were present. However, the high pressure, “one-call close” sales presentation and the high pricing really turned us off.
Two additional notes, these products are not heavy duty and will easily dent or crush. They probably cost 1/10 as much to manufacture as the first category, yet the pricing is as high or higher, presumably for sales commissions and profit. Also, we don’t want to imply that all sales people selling these products were high pressure, only the ones we met.

REVERSE CURVE TECHNOLOGY – WATERFALL TYPE   These are usually vinyl plastic, with a reverse-curve and usually one or two slots along their 3-4 foot length. The rainwater slips around the curve, and is directed into the recessed slots, and drops into the gutter. (approx $1.25 to $2.00/ft). Results   Price + Installation Quality & Durability NC Distribution + Support Typical / Generic (4/5)

Pricing varied but Big Box stores were in the $1.50 to $5.00 a foot range. You have to install.

What works, What works well and What doesn’t work:
We found these to be flimsy and with the same problems as the normal reverse curve above. They are less expensive unless they require you to replace your entire gutter system. Our comment was, “If my gutters are in good shape, why would I want you to tear them off so that you can install your product?” This category works no better than the other reverse curves and much less efficient than the top category.

SLIT/HOLE STYLE GUTTER COVERS & PLASTIC OR METAL PUNCHED SHEETS   These are usually vinyl plastic, with a reverse-curve and usually one or two slots along their 3-4 foot length. The rainwater slips around the curve, and is directed into the recessed slots, and drops into the gutter. (approx $1.25 to $2.00/ft).   Results   Price + Installation Quality & Durability NC Distribution Typical / Generic (3/5)

METAL SCREENS NEW Photo Gallery   These products have an expanded aluminum or expanded galvanized steel grid, are curved, and have two metal clips per 3 to 4 foot section to fasten onto the outer lip of the gutter. They easily clog with catkins, pine needles, leaves, roof grit and tree seeds. Available at home improvement stores, they are relatively easy to install by homeowner or a handy man, and are inexpensive (approximately $0.50 to $1.25/ft). Results   Price + Installation Quality & Durability NC Distribution Typical / Generic (5/5)

PLASTIC SCREENS NEW Photo Gallery   These are made from a slightly flexible PVC plastic substrate, with numerous circular or diamond shaped holes forming a grid for the rainwater to run through. They slide over and fasten to the front lip of the gutter. They easily clog with catkins, pine needles, leaves, roof grit and tree seeds. They are easy to install, are available at home improvement stores, and are inexpensive (approx $0.50 to $1.00/ft). Results   Price + Installation Quality & Durability NC Distribution Typical / Generic (5/5)

 Pricing varies on mail order and between stores by as much as 50%

What works, What works well and What doesn’t work:
We found these products to be poor substitutions for Leaf Filter and Master Shield and Gutterglove. They are obviously meant to compete at a much lower cost, but they simply don’t do the job long term. This category works better than the reverse curve categories for keeping debris out of the gutters, but the clog easily and are flimsy.

Not recommended for a sunny climate where they will warp in the heat or northern climates were the ice and snow will collapse them. In our opinion, if you buy these, you will replace them after a year or two with a better product.

SPONGE AND PIPE CLEANER TYPE GUTTER SYSTEMS NEW Photo Gallery   There is another type of system that incorporates stuffing your gutter with different types of foam, fibers, rubber and acrylics. They are supposed to prevent all debris from entering your gutter. The biggest problem we have found is that roof grit will clog the spongy systems. Tree seed and catkins will actually germinate and grow in these systems even though some claim to use biocides to prevent that from happening. It usually doesn’t happen overnight but two years down the road, watch your “gutter garden” grow. Results   Price + Installation Quality & Durability NC Distribution Typical / Generic (5/5)

Pricing was as low as $2.00 a foot plus shipping over the internet and sold at $10-$14.00 a foot installed locally. The cost of installation seemed average for a heavy duty product like Gutterglove, but very high to us to just lay some sponge-like material in a gutter.
New Feature:

What works, What works well and What doesn’t work:
We found these products to be poorest alternative to cleaning your gutters several times a year. In fact, you will have to clean you gutters with this product which involves removing the product and all the accumulated debris it has captured. We think this is more “icky” than cleaning the gutters with a garden hose and by hand.

Not recommended for any application. They are sold at a much lower cost, but they simply don’t do the job long term. This category works no better than the reverse curve and doesn’t hold a candle to the top category. 

Top Rated &  NCReview Five Star Recommended

Gutterglove of NC

"...Best gutter protection system for value, investment cost & overall lifetime performance.."

Web:  Gutterglove for NC

Phone: 919-863-4121

Notice: 

We receive no compensation from any of the companies or products reviewed above and have no ownership interest in any company being reviewed.