Gutter Strainer - Is this worth it?

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Topic Author
HogsAndApples
Posts: 199
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2012 4:52 pm

Gutter Strainer - Is this worth it?

Post by HogsAndApples »

I would appreciate you advice. In the spring, the Silver Maple tree I have clogs the gutters. Currently, I am using mesh gutter strainers and they get clogged with Maple Tree helicopters and debris repeatedly.

I found this product on the internet and wondered if any of you have used it ... does it really keep the water flowing any better than other gutter strainers.

http://www.gutterstrainer.com/
likegarden
Posts: 3181
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 4:33 pm

Re: Gutter Strainer - Is this worth it?

Post by likegarden »

My experience with any strainer is that those maple helicopters will pile up in front of any strainer and form a dam which lets the gutter overflow.
I solved that with a screen over the gutter letting the seeds slide off, and then no strainer as all letting any seeds making it through the screen pass through the opening. You still will need to monitor and perhaps once a year clean that gutter out. I have a Gutter Helmet over a long gutter above the second floor and that works fine as long as nothing shifts in the alignment.
sport
Posts: 12094
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Location: Cleveland, OH

Re: Gutter Strainer - Is this worth it?

Post by sport »

We put vinyl covers on the gutters. They come in pieces 3 feet long. They have a slit for the water to run into. Most everything else is kept out. We have had them on the gutters for 7 years now, and have not had to have the gutters cleaned in that time. They were not expensive. The gutter company charged $300 for parts and labor. The only problem with them is during a heavy rainstorm, the slots are not big enough to capture all the water, and the excess runs off the side. However, this has not been a real problem for us.
Jeff
BIGal
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Location: NW Iowa

Re: Gutter Strainer - Is this worth it?

Post by BIGal »

We had a new steel shingle roof installed two years ago. I opted for a "gutter helmet" like cover for ours.....Roof pitch 7/12, metal roofs are extremely slippery...neighbor has maple tree and I know what the seeds (helicopters) do to gutters. I am 65 and considered it a safety expense worth the investment. They work fine and I haven't been on the roof since. The strainers or screens will continue to plug up ...make the investment on a good system and you will not regret it.
grok87
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Re: Gutter Strainer - Is this worth it?

Post by grok87 »

we use this
http://reviews.costco.com/2070/11490677 ... eviews.htm
it works pretty well.
cheers,
RIP Mr. Bogle.
Snow Boarder
Posts: 188
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Re: Gutter Strainer - Is this worth it?

Post by Snow Boarder »

BIGal wrote:...make the investment on a good system and you will not regret it.
+1
I made the investment in the ice breaker version of this for the ice dams in the MI winters. The product name is gutter glove.
I am very satisfied. Look at http://www.gutterglove.com/ Pricier then the Costco style but worth it.
Greenville (SC) Chapter Coordinator | greenvillebogleheads@gmail.com
protagonist
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Joined: Sun Dec 26, 2010 11:47 am

Re: Gutter Strainer - Is this worth it?

Post by protagonist »

I researched gutter solutions a few years ago and none seemed ideal.

I invested in a cheap electric leaf blower, which has made cleaning gutters much easier. Actually, almost fun.
trasmuss
Posts: 235
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Re: Gutter Strainer - Is this worth it?

Post by trasmuss »

I tried the product you are considering. It didn't work for me (the gutters clogged) and I took them out. I had the screens on the gutters for several years. Overall I was satisfied with them but took them off this year because I noticed silt was building up in them (and I still needed to clean out clogs near the downspouts).

In a few years when I no longer want to risk being up on a ladder or on the roof I will have to either go with gutter helmets or have the current gutters removed and replaced with leaf guard gutters. Both are expensive. In the mean time I'll just stick with using a leaf blower and/or garden hose to clean them out.
orlandoman
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Re: Gutter Strainer - Is this worth it?

Post by orlandoman »

protagonist wrote:I researched gutter solutions a few years ago and none seemed ideal.

I invested in a cheap electric leaf blower, which has made cleaning gutters much easier. Actually, almost fun.
This is my solution too & it makes cleaning very quick!
"Borrow money from pessimists -- they don't expect it back"
likegarden
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Re: Gutter Strainer - Is this worth it?

Post by likegarden »

After I had the Gutter Helmet installed, I noticed that I also should have installed a larger size gutter and downspout. The gutter should be bolted to the house, not nailed as mine is, with some nails a little loose, which would change the gap over time.
rkhusky
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Re: Gutter Strainer - Is this worth it?

Post by rkhusky »

A number of years ago we had a product installed in our gutters that was a plastic mesh, sort of like a dish scrubber. It is fine enough that only the smallest things get through. And it was caulked in to keep it from collapsing or moving around. Maple seeds etc. sit on top for a while, but eventually dry out and blow away. The rain pours through just fine, unlike the helmet type. Problem is that it doesn't seem to be offered anymore. We had some of our gutters replaced recently and now I am back looking for a solution. We have a problematic gutter, whose downspout goes underground, so we don't want much to go down there, while at the same time, if the gutter overflows sufficiently, eventually our basement leaks.
Topic Author
HogsAndApples
Posts: 199
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2012 4:52 pm

Re: Gutter Strainer - Is this worth it?

Post by HogsAndApples »

Thank you everyone for your suggestions, comments and advice. This is very helpful.

rkhusky seemed to be speaking about our dilemma when he wrote "We have a problematic gutter, whose downspout goes underground, so we don't want much to go down there, while at the same time, if the gutter overflows sufficiently, eventually our basement leaks."

We have a similar issue. We did have gutter covers at one point and removed them as we felt that they may be contributing to an ice damming problem we had, but have now fixed (new insulation, new roof, no gutter covers). We don't mind cleaning the gutters, but it is impossible to keep them clean especially during the spring.

Admittedly our basement leaks only during very hard rains and it's - nothing major. However, we wanted to do some work in the basement and prefer to get the water issue fixed first.

We agree that a leaf blower is great - when the leaves are dry. When they are wet - it's a mess with a leaf blower as it blows the muck over and on to the house.
reggiesimpson
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Re: Gutter Strainer - Is this worth it?

Post by reggiesimpson »

I put 4 inch French drainage hose into the gutter (tight fit). I havent needed to cleaned the gutters since......7 years.
carolinaman
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Location: North Carolina

Re: Gutter Strainer - Is this worth it?

Post by carolinaman »

jsl11 wrote:We put vinyl covers on the gutters. They come in pieces 3 feet long. They have a slit for the water to run into. Most everything else is kept out. We have had them on the gutters for 7 years now, and have not had to have the gutters cleaned in that time. They were not expensive. The gutter company charged $300 for parts and labor. The only problem with them is during a heavy rainstorm, the slots are not big enough to capture all the water, and the excess runs off the side. However, this has not been a real problem for us.
Jeff
We have similar product. It clogs a couple of times a year due to pine needles (we have lots of pine trees). It is probably a better solution than just gutters, but still clogs.
sport
Posts: 12094
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 2:26 pm
Location: Cleveland, OH

Re: Gutter Strainer - Is this worth it?

Post by sport »

johnep wrote:
jsl11 wrote:We put vinyl covers on the gutters. They come in pieces 3 feet long. They have a slit for the water to run into. Most everything else is kept out. We have had them on the gutters for 7 years now, and have not had to have the gutters cleaned in that time. They were not expensive. The gutter company charged $300 for parts and labor. The only problem with them is during a heavy rainstorm, the slots are not big enough to capture all the water, and the excess runs off the side. However, this has not been a real problem for us.
Jeff
We have similar product. It clogs a couple of times a year due to pine needles (we have lots of pine trees). It is probably a better solution than just gutters, but still clogs.
I can understand why it would not work well with pine needles. It relies on slits to keep things out, and needles will easily go through the slits. It seems to work well otherwise.
Jeff
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