Those solid surface covers look slick, but I’ve seen them get overwhelmed in heavy rain—water just shoots right over the edge. They do keep stuff out, but you might end up with puddles around your foundation if your gutters can’t keep up. Mesh seems like a pain with pine needles, but at least water actually goes where it’s supposed to.
They do keep stuff out, but you might end up with puddles around your foundation if your gutters can’t keep up.
That’s exactly what happened at my place last fall. I went for the solid covers thinking they’d be “set it and forget it,” but after a heavy downpour, water just poured right over and made a mini moat by my basement window. If you’re on a budget like me, here’s what I wish I’d done:
1. Check your roof pitch—steeper roofs seem to make water shoot off faster.
2. Test with a hose before installing everything (wish I had).
3. If you’ve got lots of pine needles, mesh is annoying, but at least it doesn’t flood the flower beds.
Honestly, sometimes the old-school method of just cleaning them twice a year isn’t so bad... unless you hate ladders as much as I do.
I get where you’re coming from, but I’ve actually had better luck with the solid covers than with mesh. The mesh ones clogged up so fast with pine needles that I was up there brushing them off every other week—felt like more work than just scooping out the gutters twice a year.
You mentioned,
That’s exactly my issue. I’m not getting any younger and dragging out the ladder is a pain. What worked for me was adding splash guards in the spots where overflow was a problem. It’s not perfect, but it keeps the water away from my foundation and I don’t have to mess with the covers as often.“Honestly, sometimes the old-school method of just cleaning them twice a year isn’t so bad... unless you hate ladders as much as I do.”
Guess it really depends on your tree situation and how your roof is shaped. If you’ve got a ton of trees close to the house, nothing’s totally maintenance-free... but at least with covers, I’m not pulling handfuls of gunk out every fall.
I hear you on the ladder thing—my knees aren’t what they used to be either. I tried those foam inserts once because they were cheap, but squirrels chewed right through them. Have you noticed any issues with ice dams after adding splash guards? I’m in the Midwest and that’s been a headache some winters.
Have you noticed any issues with ice dams after adding splash guards? I’m in the Midwest and that’s been a headache some winters.
I’ve seen a lot of folks run into trouble with ice dams after putting up splash guards, especially around here where we get those freeze-thaw cycles. In my case, I added splash guards on the north side of my house (steep roof, asphalt shingles) because water was overshooting the gutters every time we got a heavy rain. They definitely helped with that, but come January, I started noticing more ice buildup right behind the guards. Not a full-on dam every time, but enough to make me nervous.
I’m not convinced it’s just the guards, though. My attic insulation isn’t great—old house, lots of weird corners—so heat leaks up and melts the snow unevenly. The water hits those cold metal guards and refreezes. It’s a pain to get up there and chip it off, especially when you’re already worried about your knees or slipping off an icy ladder.
Funny thing about those foam inserts... I tried them too, thinking they’d be a quick fix for all the maple seeds clogging things up. Squirrels made short work of them—looked like they were building condos in my downspouts by spring.
Curious if you’ve tried any of those heated cable systems along the eaves? I’ve heard mixed reviews—some say they help with ice dams, others say they just move the problem further down the gutter. I’m skeptical about adding more gadgets up there, but at this point I’ll try just about anything short of tearing off half my roof.
What kind of roof pitch are you working with? Sometimes that makes all the difference with how bad the ice gets.