Gutters, guttering, gutter guards, rainwater harvesting (1 Viewer)

[cosjobs]

I'm installing a rainwater collection system and need gutters. I'm getting six inch white aluminum for about $2K. But the gutter guards are almost double that.

For my other gutters I just got that stuff you stick inside the gutter, like a loose celled foam that lets water pass through and blocks the leaves. The gutter guy says those suck and want to use Gutter Guard or some other very pricey solutions.

Because all the rainwater will be directed in to 10K gallons of storage, we need to keep the water fairly clear of debris so it does not get nasty. We are only using it for irrigation, but we still do not want it to be stinky/nasty. We will also construct a by pass so that the first of the rain that is washing the bird#### and sap of the shingles does not even go to the tank.

With those measures, I am wondering whether I need the cadillac of gutter guards or if I can go cheap. The other factor is that the guttering is on the second story and there are lots of trees. So keeping the gutters maintained and clean is not an easy task.

I need to order this in the next few days to get my city rebate, so input is greatly appreciated.

 

[tri-man 47]

For many years, when we still had some big oak trees around our house, I just used simple gutter strainers on our garage downspouts and my high, second floor gutters. I still had to go up and clean out the backed up leaves, of course, but it seems that some maintenance is required on any gutter guard system

([SIZE=medium]http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-01-03/news/0401030081_1_downspout-gutter-debris[/SIZE]),

In lieu of a leaf blower, this gutter scoop is a great tool for cleaning out gutters:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/InvisaFlow-Gutter-Getter-Scoop-8300/203829209

It allows a long reach, and that flat, front edge picks up the shingle stuff.

 

[Copeman]

I just climb up on my roof and blast everything out of the gutters with my pressure washer once a year. Works good. Half hour job.

 

[Mr. Ected]

Just had a company out here cleaning my gutters. Hadn't done it since I bought the house, (5+ years) and they needed it desperately.

One thing I forgot to ask the guy was how often should this be done?

I may have some guards installed in an area of the house that sits under some trees. Has anyone had that done and been happy?

 

[glvsav37]

I'm sure your region has a lot to do with what is floating around out there and what the guards will block. Around here on Long island, seasonally, we get those long brown needles and those dead-looking brown whisps that clump together that no guard can fully block out.

I just have very cheap and simple metal screens I got at Home Depot that work good enough. I use to get nasty clogs esp down in the downspouts. now I have some junk on the gutters from time to time, but nothing that is big enough to lag anything.

 

[berndog]

From what I have read and heard no gutter guard is 100% effective and they will all allow materials into your gutter. It may be more cost effective to add some kind of filter/screen after your downspouts and before your collection tank to collect the debris.

 

[Mr. Ected]

I'm sure your region has a lot to do with what is floating around out there and what the guards will block. Around here on Long island, seasonally, we get those long brown needles and those dead-looking brown whisps that clump together that no guard can fully block out.

I just have very cheap and simple metal screens I got at Home Depot that work good enough. I use to get nasty clogs esp down in the downspouts. now I have some junk on the gutters from time to time, but nothing that is big enough to lag anything.

Interesting, I am a bit further south, near DC. Luckily for this, I don't have huge pine trees hanging over my house.

Most of the gutters are above the trees, and were filled with grit from the shingles. I figure that gutter guards of any type wouldn't solve that problem, but cleaning more often will prevent clogs. (In heavy rainstorms, I was getting runoff in sheets of the back of my house like the gutters weren't there. I was lazy in getting them cleaned!)

In the front of my house, I have a lower partial roof on my house, and the roof of our garage that are single story in height. On one side of the house, the gutters and roof are not covered by trees, but on the direct front of the house, I have a tree that is very close to the house and the leaves drop almost directly into the gutters. These are the gutters that I want to get covered. Maybe since the leaves are big, a screen will do the job. Was installing them a DIY project? Just clip them onto the gutters and go? Since this is ~10' off the ground, I should be OK.

Thanks for any help!

 

[Doctor Detroit]

Yeah I've looked into gutter guard "systems" and that is a ridiculous amount of money.

So I just bought these which does the job of keeping the gutters clean while allowing water to pass through, and only requires me to brush off the tops twice a year. I outfitted the whole house for about $150.

Of course the "gutter guy" says these suck, because they are cheap and you can do it for no labor cost.

 

[Vanilla Guerrilla]

I had some covers installed about 8 years ago. Birds have found that if they can get in, that they are safe in there, so I've had nests in there every year for the last 4 years. I've found I need to clean them at least every other year anyway, so I'm not sure they are really worth it for me. I removed the ones on the back side of my house already. Front side will get removed when I get some time and an interest in removing them.

 

[Mr. Ected]

I had some covers installed about 8 years ago. Birds have found that if they can get in, that they are safe in there, so I've had nests in there every year for the last 4 years. I've found I need to clean them at least every other year anyway, so I'm not sure they are really worth it for me. I removed the ones on the back side of my house already. Front side will get removed when I get some time and an interest in removing them.

How do the birds get in?

 

[James Daulton]

I had some covers installed about 8 years ago. Birds have found that if they can get in, that they are safe in there, so I've had nests in there every year for the last 4 years. I've found I need to clean them at least every other year anyway, so I'm not sure they are really worth it for me. I removed the ones on the back side of my house already. Front side will get removed when I get some time and an interest in removing them.

How do the birds get in?

birds gonna bird.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

I had some covers installed about 8 years ago. Birds have found that if they can get in, that they are safe in there, so I've had nests in there every year for the last 4 years. I've found I need to clean them at least every other year anyway, so I'm not sure they are really worth it for me. I removed the ones on the back side of my house already. Front side will get removed when I get some time and an interest in removing them.

How do the birds get in?

birds gonna bird.

Never trust a big butt and a dinosaur

 

[avoiding injuries]

What did they charge you to clean them?

 

[Vanilla Guerrilla]

I had some covers installed about 8 years ago. Birds have found that if they can get in, that they are safe in there, so I've had nests in there every year for the last 4 years. I've found I need to clean them at least every other year anyway, so I'm not sure they are really worth it for me. I removed the ones on the back side of my house already. Front side will get removed when I get some time and an interest in removing them.

How do the birds get in?

There is a very small triangular opening where the cover goes from being at the roof angle to parallele to the ground. If you have largish hands and touch the pads of your thumb and first finger together... it's about that size and shape. Not sure how the adult birds squeeze in, but they did. Then this year, they must have been on the American diet, because that little area wasn't enough, so they must have chewed a hole along the edge of the plastic covers (assuming they didn't us a scissors to tear that hole open). They are reasonably thick plastic gutters, but they're no $2,000.00 fancy FBG type gutters.

It's not like they are bald eagles or anything, just very small birds, but the nests still cause issues. I feel like I'm in a Saturday morning Hanna Barberra cartoon and the birds are roadrunners.

 

[Mr. Ected]

What did they charge you to clean them?

Total was $180; $100 for cleaning, $20 for clearing extra stuff on roof, $10 for washing gutters, $50 for replacing rubber pipe collars on roof (old were dry and cracked). Figured I'd go heavy this time since it needed it, would only cost $100 next time. Company was called GutterMaid. The guy did a great job, was nice, worked quickly, showed me pictures of the cracked collars, before and after he fixed them, and didn't try to sell me anything extra. Would highly recommend the company.

 

[avoiding injuries]

What did they charge you to clean them?

Total was $180; $100 for cleaning, $20 for clearing extra stuff on roof, $10 for washing gutters, $50 for replacing rubber pipe collars on roof (old were dry and cracked). Figured I'd go heavy this time since it needed it, would only cost $100 next time. Company was called GutterMaid. The guy did a great job, was nice, worked quickly, showed me pictures of the cracked collars, before and after he fixed them, and didn't try to sell me anything extra. Would highly recommend the company.

Thanks. I don't see how the ROI is there for the helmets. You could spend $100 every couple of years and it would take at least a decade to break even. It also sounds like there is maintenance with the helmets.

 

[Mr. Ected]

What did they charge you to clean them?

Total was $180; $100 for cleaning, $20 for clearing extra stuff on roof, $10 for washing gutters, $50 for replacing rubber pipe collars on roof (old were dry and cracked). Figured I'd go heavy this time since it needed it, would only cost $100 next time. Company was called GutterMaid. The guy did a great job, was nice, worked quickly, showed me pictures of the cracked collars, before and after he fixed them, and didn't try to sell me anything extra. Would highly recommend the company.

Thanks. I don't see how the ROI is there for the helmets. You could spend $100 every couple of years and it would take at least a decade to break even. It also sounds like there is maintenance with the helmets.

There are some that you can buy at Home Depot for $2/for a 3 foot guard. These seem easy to install, and they have a package of 25 for $44, and say ~2 should do an average sized house. The tricky part would be installing on a 2nd story gutter. No way I'm going up there by myself. I don't even have a ladder to get up there! I think that's where you are paying the extra $$$ for 'professionally installed' guards, installation in high places.

 

[Chadstroma]

Yeah I've looked into gutter guard "systems" and that is a ridiculous amount of money.

So I just bought these which does the job of keeping the gutters clean while allowing water to pass through, and only requires me to brush off the tops twice a year. I outfitted the whole house for about $150.

Of course the "gutter guy" says these suck, because they are cheap and you can do it for no labor cost.

I looked at those but was skeptical. I mean, there has to be a downside right? If they worked so well, why wouldnt everyone have them since as you pointed out they are relatively cheap and dont take much labor to install. How long have you had them?

 

[avoiding injuries]

What did they charge you to clean them?

Total was $180; $100 for cleaning, $20 for clearing extra stuff on roof, $10 for washing gutters, $50 for replacing rubber pipe collars on roof (old were dry and cracked). Figured I'd go heavy this time since it needed it, would only cost $100 next time. Company was called GutterMaid. The guy did a great job, was nice, worked quickly, showed me pictures of the cracked collars, before and after he fixed them, and didn't try to sell me anything extra. Would highly recommend the company.

Thanks. I don't see how the ROI is there for the helmets. You could spend $100 every couple of years and it would take at least a decade to break even. It also sounds like there is maintenance with the helmets.

There are some that you can buy at Home Depot for $2/for a 3 foot guard. These seem easy to install, and they have a package of 25 for $44, and say ~2 should do an average sized house. The tricky part would be installing on a 2nd story gutter. No way I'm going up there by myself. I don't even have a ladder to get up there! I think that's where you are paying the extra $$$ for 'professionally installed' guards, installation in high places.

I have a walkout basement so that is 3rd story for me. Not a chance I get up there.

 

[Das Boot]