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User Review of Home Depot Gutter Guards

Team — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 16:48:02 +0000

You guys may know that I’m a fan of Do It Yourself gutter guards. A few years ago I posted about the success I’ve had with the American Plastics gutter guards that you can buy at Home Depot and other home stores. They aren’t perfect, but they are an incredibly economical solution to the comedy of the gutter guard contracting industry.

Here is a realistic review of the Do It Yourself gutter guard plastic mesh shields:

I installed this same DIY Depot guards on my gutters in CT. They install easily and work well…..well, in the summer.

After getting overflow due to gutter blockage the next spring, I climbed up to view the problem. Their lack of rigidity (thickness and strength) had allowed all of them to sag in the middle from snow and ice weight, and their width did not allow them to slip far enough under the shingles and some fell into the gutter at the shingle side. Also, those that had not collapsed had taken on a permanent bend allowing debris to collect in their centers, which like the gutter themselves, required cleaning out.

These would be super if you do not live in the northeast or anywhere snow and ice can accumulate on the eves. You don’t, the choice is to have something professionally installed, like one of the high rated micro-mesh systems, or find a way to prop up the DIY plastic ones so they don’t sag. Else, might as well get used to cleaning gutters every other year….or more ofter depending on how many trees are with reach of your roof.

I am also in CT and I pretty much agree with the general opinion. My gutter guards have not collapsed anywhere and they appear to be holding up fine. They do sag a bit in the center. Though I’ve noticed that this sag is enhanced when the guards are installed upside down, which is EXTREMELY easy to do. In fact, I installed the product upside down in a section of gutter, realized it, and left it that way on purpose… just to see what happens. That is the only section where I can see any significant sag.

Sure, some debris collects on top of the gutters, but it is much easier and quicker to clean this off than to dig into filled gutters and remove gobs of leaves, seeds, and twigs. I almost never clean anything and they seem to work fine.

And when the time comes to re-install, I’ll pay the $100 or $200 and do it myself in a couple of hours and be set for another 5 years.

More Praise for DIY Home Depot Gutter Guards

Team — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 17:24:36 +0000

We have previously reported our excellent experience with the DIY style of gutter guards sold by Home Depot and other home improvement stores. They are an attractive option for those home owners (us!) who balk at arbitrarily enormous price tags for professional gutter guard systems.

Cheap and Effective from Amerimax

We’ve had our DIY gutter guards in place for 3 years now with absolutely perfect results. Reader “Davey” writes in with some additional comments.

Hey everybody, I put my Home Depot screens in 18 months ago, and they are holding up well AND we have extra tall oak trees out the wazoo all around the house, when the acorns pop in the fall it’s a squirrel disneyland. Bottom line is I did find one crack after a year, right where someone clearly punched a hammer head shaped hole (could it have been the roofing inspector ‘insulted’ by a DIY job or a hammer wielding squirrel – you decide).

I kept a couple extra vinyl sections, easy to cut out a small section and replace the damaged part I cut out. Just leave about 1/2 inch overlap on each side. The gutter install business is expensive because people who climb heights and walk on roofs deserve the extra hazardous duty pay. But if you can easily DIY, it’s pretty silly to hire some one.

The vinyl used nowadays is much better weather resistent then ten years ago, and easy to swap out any damaged pieces. Listen to those who contest my argument as they use emotive language or other laungusge intensifyers to reflect the fact they know their argument is not well founded in ‘ground truth’.

Home Depot DIY Gutter Guard Review

Team — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:03:35 +0000

Here is a short review of the very same Do-it-Yourself gutter filter that I installed on my gutters. It cost me about $50 to install my system. This reviewer echos my same thoughts.

Cheap and Effective

From Pastor Scott in Seattle, WA:

I just installed these a week ago, so don’t have a lot to report regarding their effectiveness. There is no reason that I can see why they shouldn’t be successful against leaves and other large debris. Needles and grit from the shingles will get through easily, but my hope is that I won’t be cleaning out my gutters 4 times a year anymore.

They install beautifully and securely. A side benefit is that they prevent shingle curl that results in cracking is allowed to continue. For the money, I am very happy. Leaf Guard wanted $3500, these cost about $60.