Anyone have Leaf Filter issues?

[2manyrocks]

I was just wondering if a pressure washer would clean out the mesh or if it would dislodge the filter guard and make more of a problem.

I just installed what I think is the same mesh last Fall. It kept the oak leaves out of the gutter, but I'll have to look at mine more carefully to see if it is starting to clog.

 

[glcaines]

I have leaf filter on my house. I was very disappointed that my gutter guards also filled up with pollen and clogged. I also have had a lot of problems with algae growing on the filter and clogging it.

 

[Dftodd]

I had their gutter guards installed 4 years ago. They started to give me problems about two years ago and are next to useless now.

The fine mesh screen has gotten plugged with pollen so water will not go through it. I added a metal rood\f after the filters were installed and now it is next to impossible to remove the filters because the metal roof overhangs the gutters by about 1.5".

I had another gutter company come in yesterday and they seemed honest. They told me any screen will either be too fine and block off after a while or too coarse and allow stuff to get trapped in it. They suggested going with a larger gutter, leaving it open, and cleaning it every two years.

Any thoughts and/or experience?

I pulled the end caps on my gutters. Then went out during a rain to see where the water was hitting the ground. I placed a paver at ground level in that spot to keep from having a hole develop.

Only reason I installed gutters on the front of my house was to keep from getting soaked going to my front door during a rain storm.

Had a valley from two roof lines that dumped directly in that spot. So during a heavy rain, it was the equivalent of getting blasted with a 3" hose.

 

[Dftodd]

I installed the cheap Amerimax 3' section expanded metal guards from Home Depot on my gutters about 15 years ago. I have only had one case where I had to clean out a clog in that time.

I tried those on my gutters. We had some pin oaks that would give off those stringy seed pods in the spring time. Those things stick to everything

Installed them in the fall and they worked pretty well for the oak leaves. They clogged up solid with the pin oak droppings in the spring. Pulled them off and threw them in the trash.

Was much easier to climb onto the roof with the blower and blow the gutters out.

 

[ponytug]

I have lived in a couple of homes designed not to need gutters, and it is by far my preferred design choice. I currently have the perforated metal mesh variety, which keeps some stuff out, but doesn't drain well, and still requires leaf blowing to get rid of debris.

All the best,

Peter