Gutter cleaning. Yuck! It has to be one of the most awful projects for any homeowner. There are certainly companies that you can hire who will come and clean them for you. But I have found another way to take care of this most unpleasant task without the repeated teetering on a ladder with the garden hose or the repeated expense of hiring a local crew to handle the task.
The answer is Gutter Filtration System. I found this item at my local Sam's Club, and what a find it was.
The answer is Gutter Filtration System. I found this item at my local Sam's Club, and what a find it was.
As the box states, they are easily installed, need no additional hardware and come with a 25 year
NO-CLOG Warranty. We'll have to see what I have to say about the "NO-CLOG" Warranty in my twenty-fifth year of writing "Welcome to Crest Avenue."
Each box contains eight, 3-foot sections of foam filtration.
First, I started by removing the plastic screens I installed a few years ago which were useless. The grids were too wide and they allowed debris to collect in the gutter tray. Some of them even melted in the hot summer sun and further clogged the gutters. This method actually made it harder to clean the gutters. So off they went and into the recyclable receptacle.
Then it was time to clean out the debris, which you can see floating around in the tray in this photo. The gutters were actually much more full than this when I began this project.
Then it was time to install the Gutter Filtration System.
Look how neat and clean they look. All you need is a pair of ordinary household scissors to cut the final section of foam to fit neatly inside the gutter tray and, voila, you are done.
As you see in this diagram, the rainwater runs off the roof and through the Gutter Filtration foam and into the gutter tray. It makes its way to the downspout and away from the foundation. Leaves and other debris are repelled.
I have had these installed for a few months. I wanted to install them and see if they worked and how well they worked before I posted about them. I can tell you that they work perfectly. Finally a gutter guard system that works like advertised.
One additional note. I have very mature Sweet Gum trees at Crest Avenue. I couldn't begin to estimate the height of these trees. As anyone with Sweet Gum trees will attest, there is the issue of the balls that these trees drop every fall.
These things fall by the thousands.
If you have a Sweet Gum tree, you know what I am talking about. They will literally "carpet" the ground in the fall and winter. As they make their way to the ground they will inevitably land on top of the Gutter Filtration foam. You can remove them with a brush of the hand. No more digging in wet, debris filled gutters to remove these pesky balls along with leaves and any other debris.
3 comments:
Even though gutter filtration systems are highly effective, you must remember that these are not entirely foolproof. To ensure that they work properly, you will need to check on them once in a while. If you improperly installed them, for example, they might serve as breeding grounds for algae and molds. They might eat your gutter away, thus rendering their purpose moot. Some gutter filtration systems are flammable. If that’s the one you have, be sure to be on alert for signs of fire.
Herb Koguchi
Kudos to you for finding a gutter guard system that works! Cleaning the gutter can really be hard work. There is danger in going up there and taking out the debris, not to mention the hassle of bagging all the trash. But someone has to do it – that’s just how the world works! Btw, you should also check the gutter guard system once in a while. Make sure that there aren’t any holes in it, or that it isn’t rusting anywhere.
How are the foams working, John? This type of gutter guard costs more than others, but it is a good investment. Though, I’ve heard of some cases where it doesn’t work or deteriorates quickly. Blowing leaves off the surface occasionally would be helpful to maintain it. Apart from that, it requires very little maintenance.
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