I've had a similar experience, honestly. Mesh screens are alright, but they're not the silver bullet some people think they are. A couple years back, we had a huge storm roll through and even though my gutters had screens, a whole bunch of smaller debris still managed to get through. Ended up with a clog deep in the downspout that was a royal pain to clear out...had to take the whole thing apart piece by piece.
Since then, I've switched over to those solid gutter guards—the kind that curve downward and let water flow around the edge into the gutter. They seem to handle pine needles and smaller stuff better. Not perfect either, but I haven't had any major jams since installing them. Have you tried those at all? Curious if your experience would match mine or if I've just been lucky so far.
"Since then, I've switched over to those solid gutter guards—the kind that curve downward and let water flow around the edge into the gutter."
I've been thinking about trying those curved guards myself. Right now, I'm still using mesh screens, and yeah...they're definitely not foolproof. Last fall, I had a similar issue with tiny debris sneaking through and clogging things up. Do you find the solid guards handle heavy rainfall well, or does water sometimes overshoot the gutter edge? That's my main hesitation about switching over.
"Do you find the solid guards handle heavy rainfall well, or does water sometimes overshoot the gutter edge? That's my main hesitation about switching over."
That's a fair concern. I've seen these solid gutter guards in action on a few homes after big storms, and honestly, results can vary. If they're installed correctly and your roof pitch isn't too steep, they usually handle heavy rain pretty well. But if you've got a steep roof or a particularly intense downpour, water can sometimes overshoot the edge—especially if the guard's curve isn't quite right for your setup.
I remember one homeowner I worked with who had them installed after dealing with constant mesh screen clogs. He loved them at first because leaves and debris just slid right off. But during a particularly nasty storm, he noticed water cascading past the gutters onto his landscaping below. It wasn't catastrophic or anything, but definitely noticeable enough that he had to tweak the angle slightly to improve performance.
On the flip side, I've also seen plenty of cases where they work exactly as advertised. The key seems to be getting the installation angle just right and making sure they're compatible with your roof type. If you're handy or have a reliable contractor, it's probably worth giving them a shot—especially if you're fed up with mesh screens letting debris through.
Bottom line: they're not perfect, but they're generally a step up from mesh screens when it comes to debris management. Just be prepared for some trial-and-error to get the best performance out of them.
"But if you've got a steep roof or a particularly intense downpour, water can sometimes overshoot the edge..."
Yeah, this matches my experience too. Solid guards are decent overall, but in heavy storms I've definitely noticed some overflow...nothing major, but enough to reconsider if your area gets frequent downpours.
I've noticed something similar, especially during intense storms. Solid guards can handle average rainfall pretty well, but when things get really heavy or wind-driven, water does tend to skip right off the edge. Recently, I tried adjusting the angle slightly to slow down runoff—it helped a bit, though not a total fix. Might be worth looking into angled or mesh-style guards if heavy rains are common in your area...just something to consider before investing too heavily.
