Rain gutter leaf filters?

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Lorne
Posts: 368
Joined: Sat May 19, 2007 7:57 am
Location: Murrells Inlet,SC

I'm having 60 ft of gutter put up ( a 40 length & 2 10 ft lengths).
Big Hickory tree drops small and large nuts and leaves.

All the new fangled leaf guards are expensive, like Gutter Helmet, etc.

I saw foam chunks that you stuff inside the gutter and figured they would be cheap. NOT!!

For 60 feet of gutter, the foam would cost more then the gutters themselves. Give me a break.

Anyone use something cheap that works. The design of the house makes a heavy rain dig holes in the ground where the 2 roof valleys join at either end of the house.

Looks like it would be cheaper to get a local kid to climb up and start scooping.

Any thoughts?
1987 Craftsman Double Wide 42x28,w/attached 28x12 foot enclosed porch/ re-shingled 2 yrs ago. Original exterior vinyl w/no sheathing.
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Greg
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Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2007 8:01 pm
Location: Weedsport, NY

Here's from a local TV station.


Better Gutter Guards
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Print Story Published: 8/18/2010 11:08 am ShareThis Updated: 9/27/2010 10:43 am
Cleaning gutters isn't just a nasty job. Working on a ladder can be dangerous. Some 200,000 people a year land in emergency rooms with ladder-related injuries. Consumer Reports just tested gutter guards that promise to free you from climbing up to clean your gutters.

Testers hooked up hoses and pipes to simulate different amounts of rainfall. Twenty gutters guards were left outdoors for more than a year.

Surface-tension gutter guards are really a cover that allows the water to flow along the surface and flow into slots on the edge and into the gutter. But the surface-tension guards Consumer Reports tested had a hard time handling a severe downpour.

Other gutter guards are made of foam or brush and they're inserted into the gutter. None of the inserts Consumer Reports tested were good at keeping out debris, which can lead to clogging.

And some gutter guards are screens with big holes. But one from Raingo let debris in. And part of it actually collapsed into the gutter!

Which guard did work well? A plastic screen from Amerimax, model 85198. It's very good at keeping debris out and water in. And it's a Best Buy at just 30 cents per foot!

Consumer Reports says that it can pay to have someone install your gutter guards. It will cost roughly $100 to $500, far less than paying for a pro-installation system, which costs thousands of dollars.

Consumer Reports has no commercial relationship with any advertiser or sponsor appearing on this Web site.

Copyright © 2006-2010 Consumers Union of U.S., Inc.
Copyright 2010 Newport Television LLC All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.Print Story ShareThis
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Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
Lorne
Posts: 368
Joined: Sat May 19, 2007 7:57 am
Location: Murrells Inlet,SC

Gutterglove seems the best, but no distributors in SC.
Fine mesh seems the way to go.

Amerimax is the next highest rating.
Thanks for the heads up.
1987 Craftsman Double Wide 42x28,w/attached 28x12 foot enclosed porch/ re-shingled 2 yrs ago. Original exterior vinyl w/no sheathing.
joedirt63
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Location: Pocono Lake, P A
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i would use chiken wire, the screen with the 1/2 inch holes , figure out how much you need and then cut it in strips to fit in the gutter, it's rigid so it can confor to the shape some what. or you can just place it flat on the top and secure
"a man has got to know his limitations", clint eastwood. " i haven't found mine yet," me
Lorne
Posts: 368
Joined: Sat May 19, 2007 7:57 am
Location: Murrells Inlet,SC

joedirt63 wrote:i would use chiken wire, the screen with the 1/2 inch holes , figure out how much you need and then cut it in strips to fit in the gutter, it's rigid so it can confor to the shape some what. or you can just place it flat on the top and secure
We live under a BIG Hickory tree that drops PEA size nuts first at the beginning of summer and the LARGE walnut sized nuts when the leaves start popping out.

Your idea sound good as a base screening, but a finer mesh over the top would be closer to the stuff I saw on Consumer Reports. But I ain't payin $20 or $30 bucks a foot.

Another idea is Wire Lathe, like the grill work on screen doors to keep a pet from cutting the screening.
I'll work on it. I KNOW, CUT the TREE DOWN. :shock: :roll: Dumb Dumb want gum Gum.
1987 Craftsman Double Wide 42x28,w/attached 28x12 foot enclosed porch/ re-shingled 2 yrs ago. Original exterior vinyl w/no sheathing.
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Greg
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Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2007 8:01 pm
Location: Weedsport, NY

I'm the type of person that would only take that type of tree down as a last resort. Have a certified Tree company in to look at it. You may be able to do some trimming to help the problem. Trees Do add value to your home as well as shade & wind protection.

Now, If anyone wants a white pine that has ruined the paint on 2 vehicles let me know, THAT one is coming down soon!!! Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
Lorne
Posts: 368
Joined: Sat May 19, 2007 7:57 am
Location: Murrells Inlet,SC

Some dead limbs, but the biggest problem is that the tree trunk (big tree) is 8 inches from the roof edge. I will be getting an inspection of the tree as soon as the weather warms up a little.
It does give us a lot of shade when it leafs out fully.
1987 Craftsman Double Wide 42x28,w/attached 28x12 foot enclosed porch/ re-shingled 2 yrs ago. Original exterior vinyl w/no sheathing.
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