"I've noticed the mesh-style guards seem to handle heavy downpours better than the solid covers—less overflow during storms."
Yeah, noticed the same thing during last month's crazy rain. Went with mesh based on neighbor's advice—was skeptical at first, but it's actually held up pretty well so far.
Yeah, noticed the same thing during last month's crazy rain. Went with mesh based on neighbor's advice—was skeptical at first, but it's actually held up pretty well so far.
Same here—went mesh after years of battling overflow with solid covers. Funny story, actually... first storm after installing them, I stood outside like an idiot waiting for the gutters to overflow. Never happened. Felt kinda silly, but hey, at least they work!
Mesh definitely seems to handle heavy rains better, but I'm curious—has anyone noticed if smaller debris (like pine needles or seeds) still gets stuck in the mesh over time? I've seen some properties where the mesh itself becomes clogged, defeating the purpose. Wondering if regular maintenance is still needed, or if certain mesh designs handle this better than others...
"I've seen some properties where the mesh itself becomes clogged, defeating the purpose."
Yeah, I've run into this exact issue on a few jobs. Installed a fine mesh system for a client surrounded by pine trees—worked great at first, but after about a year, those tiny needles started embedding themselves into the mesh. It wasn't terrible, but it did require occasional brushing off to keep water flowing smoothly. From what I've seen, slightly coarser mesh designs seem to handle smaller debris better over time...less clogging overall.
Ran into something similar at my folks' place. They got talked into those ultra-fine leaf guards, and yeah, they worked awesome for leaves—but pollen and tiny seeds just glued themselves right on top. Ended up having to hose it down regularly, kinda defeating the low-maintenance idea. Switched them to a slightly wider mesh last year; seems to be holding up way better so far...fingers crossed it stays that way.
