# Leafguard - is this price nuts? Alternatives?



## abrowning (Jun 2, 2008)

Seems nuts to me too. Are you surrounded by trees so that leaf build up is a problem? I have regular aluminum gutters that I just clean every so often. Just get a ladder up there and scoop out debris. Not a big deal.


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## craig11152 (Jun 20, 2015)

Sounds nuts to me sitting here in SE Michigan. 


18 plus years ago I installed some cheap plastic gutter "helmets" the local Home Depot sold. I had no big expectation but they are still up there doing their thing. I have 2 Pear trees a Crimson Maple, Shag Bark Hickory, Black Walnut and a Mulberry Tree that all dump leave on my house.


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

LeafGuard is a marketing company first and a home improvement product second. 

Call around and there are a myriad of different systems that work and to be honest, some of it is specific to your type of vegetation and overhanging tree growth.


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## friolator (Aug 22, 2017)

abrowning said:


> Seems nuts to me too. Are you surrounded by trees so that leaf build up is a problem? I have regular aluminum gutters that I just clean every so often. Just get a ladder up there and scoop out debris. Not a big deal.


Yeah - two big Norway maples in the front, two in the back, an Ailanthus on the side, and the neighbor has two massive oaks that dump a ton of leaves on our roof. 

The lower sections of the house aren't a problem to clean and I have been using simple gutter guards I bought at Home Depot, which do work. The upper ones, though, they're too high for my taste. In Boston, getting someone to come clean your gutters has been an impossible task. I call the numbers on flyers people put up - no response. Answer craigslist ads - no response. Recommendations from friends - no response. It's like trying to get a plumber around here!

I figured since our current gutters are 30+ years old and fairly beat up looking, and we're going to the trouble of redoing all the siding on the house this Fall, I'd like for them to look a little more polished than what we have. Thus LeafGuard. But I'll dig around and see if someone locally installs a competing system. 

Thanks!


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

All my neighbors have that type of system on their homes. It's called Gutter Helmet in these parts. All of them have problems with birds (especially sparrows) building nests in the gutters thus blocking the flow of rain water. Let me tell you, it's a royal pain trying to get in there to remove the nests. Taking apart the system to get to them can void any warranties. You have to call the company to come and do the removal. Unfortunately, the company rarely responds and it has to be done so I've been the guy doing it. I've developed a system of using kitchen utensils to squeeze in the gutter to remove the nest without harming the system. Give long, hard consideration before spending that kind of money. You can buy other systems that are just as effective at the Big Box stores.


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## MI-Roger (Aug 8, 2009)

Gymschu said:


> All my neighbors have that type of system on their homes. It's called Gutter Helmet in these parts. All of them have problems with birds (especially sparrows) building nests in the gutters thus blocking the flow of rain water. Let me tell you, it's a royal pain trying to get in there to remove the nests. Taking apart the system to get to them can void any warranties. You have to call the company to come and do the removal. Unfortunately, the company rarely responds and it has to be done so I've been the guy doing it. I've developed a system of using kitchen utensils to squeeze in the gutter to remove the nest without harming the system. Give long, hard consideration before spending that kind of money. You can buy other systems that are just as effective at the Big Box stores.


Is this the system that extends up onto the roof for one shingle tab, effectively covers the entire gutter top-side opening, and the water flows around the edge of the guard to drop into the gutter on the bottom side?

We will be getting quotes from various companies and all the systems have evident problems based on their design. Leaves sticking in small diameter holes some companies use, leaves and other tree debris adhering to the very find mesh screens some companies use, flimsy construction that gets removed by winds, etc. 

I had never considered nesting birds as one of the potential problems.


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## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

Called those guys once. When they found out it was for a rental property they would not even come out and estimate. Said no rental owner ever bought one. After hearing prices I am surprised anyone does.


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## carpdad (Oct 11, 2010)

It is about the same as dedicated medicine company charging arm and a leg for the daily dose.:smile: 
Your happy neighbor is a problem too since you don't know why they're happy.:smile: Are they just happy people? Ignorance is bliss.
There are many kinds of gutters and some of them truely are engineered to be expensive. Common theme is smallest holes possible so leaves don't fall through. Many also claim to be self cleaning. All true until the nature adapts. If the gutter has micro-mesh or something, there are equal number of complaints about getting blocked by pollens. If your roof becomes green in spring, I'd say avoid micro screens. $10K is worth it if it works but I've found none that really shows all kinds of problems that nature and time throws at you. Another is your roofing shingles which loses small rock granules. These become heavy enough not to be blown or washed away and some gutters with ditches will trap these.
I looked at gutter for years now and I still use 3' sections reinforced aluminum gutters and they are tucked under the roofing so they are pitched and shows from the street. Front edge screwed down. In NJ and pollen dust as well as strings, tails and needles. I wrap the sides to prevent sparrows. I had to remove hatched sparrow nest once and don't want to repeat that.


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

Yes, MI, these systems in my neighborhood are the type that slide under the first row of shingles, then the rain water runs over the rounded metal attachment and into the gutter. I'd say they're great if you have very few trees to contend with, but, debris still gets into them and the "round hole screen" that fits over any 90 degree corners, ends up littered with leaves, twigs, acorns, etc. I feel bad for my neighbors as they are mostly elderly and were counting on this system to keep anyone from having to scale a ladder and clean out debris. It's almost that time of year where I'll be up there removing birds nests...............


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## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

We are in the woods here and I considered some form of debris cover when we had our gutters done last year but read about concerns that many hinder water flow during heavy downpours so resigned myself to toddling up the ladder a few times per year. At least it's just a bungalow.




Windows on Wash said:


> LeafGuard is a marketing company first and a home improvement product second.
> 
> Call around and there are a myriad of different systems that work and to be honest, some of it is specific to your type of vegetation and overhanging tree growth.


Welcome back, sir. Haven't seen you around in a while.


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## MI-Roger (Aug 8, 2009)

Gymschu said:


> Yes, MI, these systems in my neighborhood are the type that slide under the first row of shingles, then the rain water runs over the rounded metal attachment and into the gutter. I'd say they're great if you have very few trees to contend with, but, debris still gets into them and the "round hole screen" that fits over any 90 degree corners, ends up littered with leaves, twigs, acorns, etc. I feel bad for my neighbors as they are mostly elderly and were counting on this system to keep anyone from having to scale a ladder and clean out debris. It's almost that time of year where I'll be up there removing birds nests...............


Thank you! We went to a Home Improvement Show yesterday and will have 2 or 3 companies selling competing products providing us with quotes. Sounds like we will be buying nothing but will have a good idea what these systems cost!

What is interesting is that the Gutter Helmet brand specifically states they are impervious to bird entry. That may be true for short runs and/or flat runs of gutter, but if the gutter is pitched appropriately the low end can easily be envisioned as having a large enough opening to admit small birds. Sparrows get in the gutters now but only to splash about in any water trapped behind debris.


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## Gregsoldtruck79 (Dec 21, 2017)

I installed these on the house we moved in to in 2008 and when we left it in 2015, the gutters did not need cleaning out. I installed the same screens on our present home in the pic, and still have never cleaned gutters since installing them in 2015.

At my age now, I don't do gutter cleaning any longer. And at $1.85 a ft. the aluminum screens are well worth it to me. No critters can get in them or leafs over a 1/4 " wide can either. Just shingle dust and very small seeds, that wash out and down the gutter spouts. JMO


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## BIG Johnson (Apr 9, 2017)




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## MI-Roger (Aug 8, 2009)

Gregsoldtruck79 said:


> I installed these on the house we moved in to in 2008 and when we left it in 2015, the gutters did not need cleaning out. I installed the same screens on our present home in the pic, and still have never cleaned gutters since installing them in 2015.
> 
> At my age now, I don't do gutter cleaning any longer. And at $1.85 a ft. the aluminum screens are well worth it to me. No critters can get in them or leafs over a 1/4 " wide can either. Just shingle dust and very small seeds, that wash out and down the gutter spouts. JMO


Do you know the brand and/or model name and/or retailer? 

Thanks,


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## MI-Roger (Aug 8, 2009)

BIG Johnson said:


> https://youtu.be/LJ3Ws3YDHFo


I wonder if this will fit beneath all my gutter hangers? if so, it will be faster and safer than moving the ladder a dozen times to clean the length of gutter.

Thanks for posting!


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## carpdad (Oct 11, 2010)

The robot should have a leash in case motor or battery burns out where inaccessible. Branches still have to be hand picked.
Looking at it, makes me think GMO/trained squirrels is not impossible.:smile: Genetically modify the parasite to lay eggs in squirrel's brain to love clean gutter?


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## Canarywood1 (May 5, 2012)

BIG Johnson said:


> https://youtu.be/LJ3Ws3YDHFo




At $200.00 a pop i don't think i'm quite ready for one of those.


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## BIG Johnson (Apr 9, 2017)

Canarywood1 said:


> At $200.00 a pop i don't think i'm quite ready for one of those.


That’s a lot cheaper than $10,000 for Leafguard.


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## Canarywood1 (May 5, 2012)

BIG Johnson said:


> That’s a lot cheaper than $10,000 for Leafguard.


At that price i'd remove the gutters first.


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## BIG Johnson (Apr 9, 2017)

Canarywood1 said:


> At that price i'd remove the gutters first.


Look at OP, he got a quote for $10,600, that’s why he came here.


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## Canarywood1 (May 5, 2012)

BIG Johnson said:


> Look at OP, he got a quote for $10,600, that’s why he came here.


When i was looking for gutters i saw another system that i think i'd go with, before Leafguard, think it was Leaf Filter,but probably just as expensive, liked the look of it though, i went with a local company.


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## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

There is a really nice retro cover which is made of aluminum that I buy from Mueller roofing that is only about $2 per foot. They carry 2 styles one mostly flat and one with a ridge for use with the concealed gutter brackets. Appearance wise it resembles the center section perforated vinyl soffit. The holes are large enough to pass shingle granules but nothing else.

One SS tek screw every 3-4 feet and and you are set. Can't see anything from the ground.


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## MI-Roger (Aug 8, 2009)

Well, the Home Improvement Contractors selling these Gutter Covers at the recent local Home Improvement Show keep re-scheduling the date and time of visits for estimates. I did note that some offer a $500 coupon on their jobs.

So how large is the price for 100 feet of gutter cover installed if the company will offer $500 off with a web-site coupon? I am guessing at least $5K.

I have already decided to go with the iRobot "Gutter Gopher" for only $200 (too bad some other company already trade-marked that name). I can access the ends of all gutters, even the second story gutters, with only a step ladder or by crawling through a very large double hung window onto the 3:12 slope garage roof.

I was only interested in the gutter covers to avoid a dozen or more repeated trips up and down an extension ladder every year to manually clean the full length of the second story gutters. The little $200 robot will do that for me at a fraction of the cost of professionally installed covers.


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