Need Suggestions For Good Roof Gutter Guards

Joined
Sep 5, 2009
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243
Location
Occupied California
I live in the mountains and my house is surrounded by huge Ponderosa Pines. The long pine needles that shed onto my roof are creating a problem with clogging up my gutter system and the resultant rainfall pouring off of my roof onto areas where it causes other problems.

Can someone suggest a good brand of guards that can repel pine needles ? I don't have any deciduous trees close enough to the roof to have problems with regular leaves. My gutters look like the standard aluminum type and my roofer said If I can source the guards that I want and get them delivered he will come by and do the installation.
 
I use the expanded metal type guards. The perforated sheet metal guards are too restrictive to water flow and the water comes cascading down off the roof during heavy rainfall.

On eavestroughs that are not too high and are easily accessed, I do not use the guards but just use a strainer at the downspout inlet and clean them out occasionally.
 
For pine needles you need a screen. But as coarse as it can be and not let through pine needles. The screen at an angle rather than flat (at an angle means sloped similar to slope of the roof, you do not want a flat shelf for stuff to collect on). Some screens develop mold under the screen and then they block the water.

Look through youtube and you will see and get some ideas. One video by a guy that owns a gutter company is shot initially with the guy going through a dumpster full of failed gutter guards. I would believe him.

I have them on the gutters in my DE home and one needs to blow the leaves off the gutter guards once a year but nowhere as bad as cleaning a gutter.

Inside corner likely to collect stuff.

Here is the one I was referring to and another one with a different point of view:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SSjRTMiUVU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ42ppZxxYU
 
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I use shaped black foam inserts I got from HD. They work super on leaves I don't know about pine needles but they've been working well on a Spruce I have at the corner of the house.
 
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