Gutter Guard Reviews: Which Ones Really Work?

Who likes cleaning eavestroughs? Answer: Nobody! It is a terrible weekend chore and it can be dangerous! The Eavestrough Company is now in it's 16th year of business. I have done numerous quotes for homeowners who have fallen from ladders or off their roofs cleaning eavestroughs. This is why many people hire a company to clean their eavestroughs OR they install Gutter Guards, which is usually some type of cover or insert that goes into the eavestrough to keep debris out.

The gutter guard industry is an interesting one. You will find loads of companies claiming their gutter protection is THE BEST! THE ONLY ONE YOU SHOULD BUY! If you see these types of claims, raise an eye brow and be dubious of what they say.

The gutter guard industry is unregulated and is typically a niche market. Nearly every company I have come in contact with knows very little about eavestroughs/gutters themselves. They have merely designed a product to install on gutters.

I've come across only two gutter guard companies that really know eavestroughs. I have seen dozens of products in my career. Some I like, some I don't, and others make me shake my head in disgust!

So let's go over the various types of gutter protections and I will tell you my opinion of them. 

1. Foam Filter Gutter Protection. 

These were very popular when they came out about 15 years ago. They are super easy to install, they were somewhat expensive and the companies promised life time warranties against clogging. They are made out of some type of plastic and insert into your eavestroughs. The result? They fail 100% of the time. In my experience, this has been an awful product! The sun beats it up, it collapses, the pores get clogged with everything and I have removed thousands of feet of this product for very unhappy homeowners! Companies like Gutter Filter and Gutter Filter Canada ended up going out of business because the product was so bad! There were even a few class action lawsuits against some companies that sold the product. Costco even attempted to cash in on this market and sell it. They called it Rain Filter. They quickly discovered what a terrible product it was and stopped selling it. Below are a few pictures of what a foam filter will look like after 3 or 4 years.

2. Gutter Brush Gutter Guards. 

This is one that really has me scratching my head. They look like a big pipe cleaner. They insert into your gutters. The problem? They catch everything and hold it there! Not to mention they make your eavestroughs look like they are growing hair!  I'm not going to write much about this product. I have had to take out thousands of feet for customers and take it to the landfill. 

3.  Plastic Gutter Covers from DIY stores.

I'll be short....If it's made out of plastic........don't even think of installing it. EVER! Enough said. 

4. Reverse Curve Gutter Protection.

These types are EXPENSIVE! They range in cost from $25-35 per foot for products like Gutter Helmet to $52-$60 a lineal foot for Leaf Guard. This means if you have 200 or more feet of eavestrough, you can expect to pay over $10,000 for gutter protection! Now that you've picked yourself up off the floor, let's continue.  I have seen these products work if debris isn't too bad and I have seen them fail miserably if debris is small and intense.! The problem is the water will follow the reverse curve but so will small debris! In my opinion, these types of gutter protections are nothing more than gimmicks and I personally don't like how they look on a house. And heck, if you give me $10,000, I'll come every year, twice a year to clean out your eavestroughs for as long as you own your home! :) Look at the pictures below:

5. Micro-Mesh Gutter Guards.

There are several companies who sell these types of gutter guards: Leaf Filter, Gutter Glove, Raptor Gutter Guard, Gorilla Gutter Guard, to name a few. These products are again expensive ranging from $20 to $60 per foot, Leaf Filter being by far the most expensive product. I have seen these products installed on houses that have had them for years. They all work reasonably well. My only beef  is that I have seen them installed on eavestroughs that should have been replaced. This makes me wonder how much these companies really know about eavestrough and if they are merely out to make a sale. Why spend thousands when you will have to take it all off again within a few years?

6. Perforated Metal Products:

There are several companies that sell this product but you have to be careful. There are some that work and some that don't. Clip N Guard is one that I would never recommend. It is too thin. Does not secure well in the eavestrough and can easily blow out or collapse. I do, however, really like Alu-Rex Gutter Clean. It is strong and secures to the gutter extremely well. It can be installed for around $6-7 per foot which includes gutter cleaning. I've actually installed thousands of feet of this for my customers to date with no serious issues.

7. Continuous hanger systems:

These can ONLY be installed on new eavestroughs and must go on when the eavestroughs are being installed. There are only two products I know of. Both are made by Alu-Rex. They both look similar. One is Alu-Rex T-Rex. The other is Alu-Rex Double Pro. Both are very cost effective with T-Rex costing between $6-$7 per foot and Double Pro at $7.50 to $9 per foot. Both these products do something that no other product does. Because they are a continuous hanger system, they make your eavestroughs super strong! There is even a You-tube video of an installer from Toronto walking on top of the eavestroughs like it is a tight rope! Impressive! T-Rex is similar to the Alu-Rex Gutter Clean picture above. Alu-Rex Double Pro has two layers of protection which even keeps small debris like Spruce needles out of the eavestrough. Below you will find three pictures of T-Rex and a video of Double Pro.

Here is the video of Double Pro. It really is an impressive product!

This is by no means a comprehensive article on Gutter Protection. You can see the ones I like the most and this is because of personal experience NOT because I sell Gutter Protection. I consider myself mainly an Eavestrough Company. We install Eavestrough, Fascia, Soffit and Siding. For me, Gutter Protection is more of an add on product to compliment my business and I am not interested in products that don't work. I have had incredible success with Alu-Rex products. It's simple, effective, won't break the bank, and it works. Not to mention Alu-Rex actually stands behind their products.

I hope this article has been helpful to you. There are numerous gutter guards that work, but there are others which fail abysmally! If you would like a quote for eavestrough, fascia, soffit, siding and yes, gutter protection, we would be happy to provide a quote for you. Contact us at 905-966-2564 or you can visit our website at www.theeavestroughcompany.com.