Looked at a cape style house today and the owner wants to use a Leaf Guard gutter system. He was worried about the gutter not large enough to catch any water. The pitch is 12/12 and the drip edge puts the starter course out 2″ from the fascia. I was opting to install 5″ but they want the no cleaning option.
Anybody ever have any problems with the Leaf Guard systems? I was wondering if the gutter will interfere with the air flow if put up too close to the drip edge. If the gutter is set too low on the fascie will the water run off like a motorcycle jump.
Any suggestions?
Replies
See what the Leaf Guard rep has to say. The size of those things is one of my pet peeves about them. The other thing I've witnessed is they tend to freeze up and stay frozen worse than regular gutters.
I invented Lief Guard. Keeps Vikings out of your gutters.
My parents put Leafguard gutters on their home in New Orleans, where the rain pours down in torrents. The Leafguards regularly overflow because of their small size. They just can't handle the rain load. In this case they are expensive drip edges, but they may work in other applications (such as in Arizona which has neither rain nor leaves in fall). ;-) My brother in South Carolina likes them though...
BTW, I just finished reading the Slate Roofer's Bible, I think on your recommendation. Excellent book.
Billy
I'm looking at putting gutters on my house for the first time. I am very attracted to the "never clog or clean" guarantee that the LeafGuard guys give, and their one-piece solution seems elegant.I do have a drip edge with a vent, though, so they have to put in some blocking to hold the gutter out a bit so the water doesn't shoot past the gutter. And, as others have mentioned, I am concerned about capacity in a hard rain. (I live in MA and it is not uncommon here).My other alternative is a local seamless aluminum gutter outfit that has developed their own gutter topper that works pretty much like the LeafGuard setup, but is a separate piece installed over their standard 5" gutter. The solution doesn't seem as elegant, but they provide the same guarantee, a full-size gutter, and they are quoting me $400 less.Any experience or opinions to offer?