Comments for The Gutter Club

Comment on Home Depot DIY Gutter Guard Review by Fred Kurtz

Fred Kurtz — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:46:44 +0000

After 5 years of experience with this system I can rate it as only “FAIR”. First, the plastic mesh panels must be notched whereever a gutter bracket is encountered, making installation by a homeowner somewhat difficult and imperfect. Two, there is nothing to join panels together where they abutt, so separation is common, meaning more debris enters the gutter. Three, the plastic becomes brittle over time, causing wind breakage issues and fading the color so that new replacements do not match older units.

Comment on Review of GutterMaxx Leaf Protection System by Lin

Lin — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 15:02:00 +0000

Don’t be fooled by the salesman when he welcomes you to the guttermaxx family!This gutter system has almost as many flaws as the company. I have never dealt with a company that turns their back as quick as they get their check. We are from the north and this system contributes heavily to ice dams which in turn creates leaking in the house.
The system was not 6 months old when we started complaining. And don’t go to the BBB they are paid by the companies and will side with them as long as they respond to you complaint.
Someone was suppose to come out this past summer to fix some things and he never even made an attempt to schedule an appointment.
So this system when it rains normal to hard can’t catch any of the rain so it skips right off the gutter cover. Don’t be fooled by the salesman when he sprays water on the display he brings it never rains with the rain directed into the side like when he shows you. Rain comes down so fast it hardly ever makes it in this system so you have rain pouring off the house , worst of all over your entry ways so you get soaked entering your home.
When it snows you are plagued with ice dams. They will tell you this system does not “cause” this problem semantics it contributes more than you know. They will tell you your attic does not have enough insulation anything to pass the buck. We have contracted a roofer ( we have a young 5 year old roof) to give us more soffets and installing a solar power vent, when he came to look he brought a gutter expert who said this system which was not a year old should be removed cause it was going to cause many problems for us. And they do not use gutter aprons or give you all new facia board so that the old nail holes are exposed and will leak. We have leaking when it pours between the gutter and facia board. This system is not good but I have to say the people selling it are straight up bad and will do nothing for you . I would not advise anyone to get this system.

Comment on Leaf Filter Installer Responds to Negative Review by Allen

Allen — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 22:45:29 +0000

I would like to share with others what I have learned about LeaFilter since becoming a dealer in 2006. Note; I am not going to claim to have installed an unrealistic amount of the product like others. But, rest assured it is a fact that I have installed thousands of feet of the product on customer homes in the Northeast. When I discuss this product with my customers, I always attempt to point out both pros and cons that I have learned. I want them to make an educated decision before moving ahead with an installation. We do NOT pressure our customers.
So that being said, here are the facts. Once the LeafFilter has been installed and the stainless steel (Zela) screening becomes wet, it will catch the majority (99%) of the rain water. If you have valley areas on your home (where two roof fields join together making an inward angle) you will need to have the valley screen (different from the normal Zela screening) installed. The valley screen is able to handle more water flow which occurs in valley areas. If the installer does not use valley screen, then it is very likely you will experience water overflow. In some cases we have had to install diverters even when using the valley screen. So this is dependent on the size of the valley and roof pitch. I would NOT recommend LeafFilter for pitched metal roofs. Reason; the runoff is too fast for the screening to absorb water and I know this to be a fact.
When installed properly, LeafFilter will keep debris from collecting in the gutter. However, debris is likely to collect on top of the LeafFilter. This is what the product was designed to do. This is NOT a maintenance free product like some claim. Because LeaFilter sits directly on top of the gutter, at times it may act as a shelf for the debris. The higher the roof pitch, the more accumulation. LeafFilter was designed with a pitch so debris will in most cases eventually run off, but it may take time and several heavy rains to do so. You may need to spray or brush debris off in some areas. If it bothers you and you don’t want to wait for the debris to shed naturally, then you will need to clean it off. I have also had situations where mold and moss have grown on customer roofs and then onto the LeafFilter. The stainless steel screening will clog when this occurs. This is more likely to occur on areas that get no sun. I have had to clean the LeafFilter off with either a house cleaner such as Zep, Jomax or products similar to Clorox Cleaner with bleach. Usually we just have to spray, wait ten minutes, rinse off and the mold is gone. I always suggest having your home washed at least once a year and when doing so, wash off the LeaFilter and this will help deter dirt and mold growth. Another issue I have ran into in the past. The stainless steel screening has a natural bend to it. The installer needs to insert the screen into the PVC base with the bend down. If not, then some rain water will likely roll over the screening. I learned this the hard way. When the screening is adhered to the PVC base, the installer must use GeoCel 2320 as specified by the manufacturer. This is one of the best construction adhesives on the market and does an excellent job at locking the screening into place. I have seen pictures online of screening coming away from the PVC base. All I can say is the installer must have used an inferior adhesive or not enough. In six years, we have had no issues in regards to the screening coming away from the base because we always use Geocel and a lot of it. What else? When the installer screws the PVC base onto the front lip of the gutter, he must make sure not to attach the base too tightly. Being PVC, the material naturally expands and contracts depending on the season. The PVC base will appear to be wavy if not installed properly. There are reasons why this product should NOT be sold to do it yourselfers. The installer needs to know what he’s doing for a successful outcome. I have been installing gutters for 27 years. I can tell you there is no perfect gutter protection product on the market. I give LeafFilter 4 out of 5 stars. The PVC base will not last as long as aluminum because of stresses put on it by both cold and hot weather. Do not install this product in real cold weather. Reason; it will crack when being cut. Well I hope you find this information helpful and good luck.

Comment on Leaf Filter Review and Field Report by John Gates

John Gates — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:47:09 +0000

Leaf fillter dose not work the screen clogs and the water gose right over the edge. Its the same as not haveing a gutter only worse.

Comment on Leaf Filter Review and Field Report by John Gates

John Gates — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:43:19 +0000

It dosent matter what you tell them they do not honer there warenty

Comment on Leaf Filter Review and Field Report by John Gates

John Gates — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:38:18 +0000

That is so from the truth it pisses me just thinking about what you say. Leaf fillter never returns calls . I have called three times . The warenty is useless.

Comment on Leaf Filter Review and Field Report by John W

John W — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:36:20 +0000

My parents had gotten leaf filter on their home about a year ago. While I thought it was a waste of money because I can still clean my gutters they have found it to work great. It lasted the winter and the intense summer heat. It lasted through the hurricane that battered the east coast. It handled the rainfall that the hurricane had as well. I bit the bullet and got leaf filter installed on my house in sept as I have better things to do the sit on my roof lol. So far it has worked well for me I dont live in a densely wooded area but there are tall trees that some how deposit their junk in my gutters. It was raining today and it worked as intended. Im happy with the product.

Comment on How to Clean Gutters with a Vacuum by Me

Me — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 01:53:32 +0000

The company claims a patent on the GCB. Therefore, any “competitor” would have to license the product or be liable for patent infringement.

Sounds like Anne is trying to discredit a customer.

Comment on Review of Gutter Clutter Buster cleaning tool by Joe Hooker

Joe Hooker — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 18:46:08 +0000

This the second season I have used my gutter clutter buster with a Rigid 6 HP dry vac I got at Home Depot. I have some trees with larger leaves here in Champaign, Illinois, and I did have to periodically lower the pipes (four sections for two-story gutters!) to remove clogs. On the other hand, it appears to do a pretty good job cleaning the gutters based on observations during heavy rain events when the spill-out has stopped (not viewing gutters from a ladder). I did have to do a second cleaning last year to remove remaining debris, but I still find it an excellent trade-off for moving, setting up and getting up on an incredibly heavy ladder. Its not effortless, certainly, but it needs to be compared with the dangerous, arduous ladder work, or annual several hundred dollar expense (to get someeone to do it right!) as an alternative.

My one gripe is I can now not get the sections apart so I have to store this long section of pipe in the garage. Still a minor nuisance in my view but something that needs work on design.

For me, the key is not to have unreasonable expectations and keep in mind your not risking serious injury from being up on a ladder.

Comment on Leaf Filter Review and Field Report by D Purvis

D Purvis — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 21:12:43 +0000

Sales person was very nice(BIG SURPRISE HUH!), installer was rude and got Belligerent with my wife when she would not sign the inspection sheet, she was sick and was not suppossed to leave the house, I told the sales person that when I purchased the system the installer needed to come when I was home, he did not. The installer did not put the end caps on and left big gaps in the ”filter”. So far it seems to work ok but it is after the leaves have fallen and we have not gotten much rain.