Cheap and Effective

From Pastor Scott in Seattle, WA:

I just installed these a week ago, so don’t have a lot to report [...]

Here are some additional reader comments:

A recent article by Consumer Reports has made it into on-line news [...]]]> Here’s a little teaser we found on YouTube from Consumer Reports.  This is a very small video clip, but it almost says it all.  I’ve read many reviews of the iRobot Looj, and they are never favorable.  Too bad.

Here are some additional reader comments:

A recent article by Consumer Reports has made it into on-line news and news radio. The Looj has been grouped into a bunch of products that don’t work as well as advertised such as the Snuggie, Sham-wow, and Slap-Chop.

One thing they mentioned is the Looj requires multiple passes and throws debris back up on the roof. The next rain will but the debris right back in the gutter. I’m not sure what the infomercial claims.

And here’s another from the other side:

For what it’s worth….

I subscribe to Consumer Reports and find its information usually helpful, though sometimes wrong–as in the case of the Looj. I used a Looj on my 1-year-old gutters last fall. I found the Looj to be a useful tool, mostly because I made fewer trips moving and climbing up and down a ladder. Also, the Looj worked because my gutters did not have a lot of crud from years of neglect.

Perhaps, Consumer Reports simply mirrored the unrealistic expectations that many consumers have. However, as a testing lab and consumer advocate, it has a responsibility to tear down those unrealistic expectations and not evaluate a product through the lens of sci-fi expectations.

I think that with the Looj, Consumer Reports missed the point.

After over 20 years of cleaning my rain gutters, I’ve finally found [...]]]> A reader describes a product that allows the homeowner to clean their gutters from the ground using a wet/dry vacuum.  This sounds really interesting.  We need to research this and find out what it looks like, how it attaches, etc.  Thanks for the tip!

After over 20 years of cleaning my rain gutters, I’ve finally found the perfect method of keeping them clean without the use of a dangerous ladder.

I got a brand new, American Made, lightweight attachment tool, that should fit most standard 2.5″ wet/dry vacuum hoses. It is a one-piece, 60″ long, durable, pvc tool that fastens snugly onto the vac hose. When I put it into the rain gutter and turn my vac on, it literally vacuumed out all gutter debris, wet and dry junk, while I stayed firmly and safely on the ground. I saved myself money, time, energy, and most of all my own safety while doing a once nasty job that now is almost fun to do. This new rain gutter cleaning tool has been hailed as “the Best Gutter Cleaning Tool on the Market Today” and in my opinion it really is everything that other customers have said about it and more.. Check it out on their webpage and read all the comments and watch their videos and see why I’m so pleased with my find! C.J.

We found a picture of what this product might look like:

Looks unwieldy! And that's not a normal wet/dry vac.

There are attachment kits for single-story homes, but the thing pictured above appears to be a commercial product built for the task.  And even then, it still looks a little crazy.

I have had Leaf Filter on my home since March of ‘09 and live on a heavily wooded lot in Falls Church Va. I have lots of pines and oaks all around my property. I used to have to go up [...]]]> Reader James writes the following review of the Leaf Filter gutter protection system:

I have had Leaf Filter on my home since March of ‘09 and live on a heavily wooded lot in Falls Church Va. I have lots of pines and oaks all around my property. I used to have to go up on my roof at least 3 times a year to clean out the gutters. Since getting Leaf Filter put on my house I couldn’t be happier. All the water goes right through the screen every time, and the leaves come right off. Also, just a note, when my neighbors gutters came off during the winter, mine stayed on.

Jimmy, a self-identified LeafFilter installer (http://mynewgutters.com) offers the following rebuttal to Joe’s review:

I am a LeafFilter dealer/installer.  LeafFilter works perfectly with a metal roof.  It is the best gutter [...]]]> A while back, a reader named Joe posted a review of LeafFilter.  He wasn’t having the greatest experience.  He came away quite dissatisfied with the product.

Jimmy, a self-identified LeafFilter installer (http://mynewgutters.com) offers the following rebuttal to Joe’s review:

I am a LeafFilter dealer/installer.  LeafFilter works perfectly with a metal roof.  It is the best gutter guard on the market for a metal roof application.  The main reason is that it mounts just to the gutter.  It does not need to be mounted to the roof under the shingles like most gutter guards. The LeafFilter gutter guard is the only micro-filtration gutter guard that does not mount under the roof shingles.

I install it all the time on gutters that handle water from a metal roof.  It sounds like whoever installed the system [on your home] has a lack of experience.  One of two things can be done if you are having a problem with water over-shooting the gutter guard from a metal roof… or any roof.   If one of the steps below are taken, it will fix the problem.

First, you could install the service screen/valley screen which is a more porous filter that will handle the extra water flow.  90% of the time, this will fix the problem.  Second, if the problem persists, what will need to be done is you will need to have a six inch gutter installed, in turn you will have more of a filter surface to handle the extra water flow.  If you have any questions on this give me a call at 877 573 2653.

If LeafFilter is properly installed, and the right steps are taken when a problem arises, it can be eradicated 100% of the time.  I believe LeafFilter is they best gutter guard on the market with over 700,000 ft installed personally from our company.  We never had a call back we could not fix and we never had a single clogged gutter!

While we admire Jimmy’s desire to back up his product, we at TheGutterClub have a known stance on “clogged gutters”.  This is never the issue.  The gutters don’t have to clog to be completely useless.  Over-shooting water is the main concern with gutter failure, and nobody ever wants to guarantee that this won’t happen.

But anyway, thanks Jimmy for your rebuttal.  Please let us know if you would like to share any of your other experiences in the field.