Quick poll for the folks who deal with trees dumping all over their roofs: what’s your go-to for keeping gutters clear? Gutter guards, those foam inserts, just climbing up there with gloves and a scooper, or… nothing at all and hoping for the best? I’ve tried those mesh covers but squirrels seem to think they’re a challenge. Curious what actually works for people (or if anyone’s just given up).
Mesh covers are a mixed bag, honestly. I’ve seen them work for a season or two, but like you said, squirrels and even raccoons can rip them up if they’re determined. Foam inserts are even worse in my experience—they just turn into a soggy mess and trap debris. For properties with heavy tree cover, I lean toward solid-surface gutter guards (the kind with a curved edge that lets water in but keeps leaves out). They’re pricier up front, but I’ve found they cut down on maintenance calls by a lot. Still, nothing’s totally maintenance-free... I end up sending someone up there once a year anyway, just to be safe.
That’s interesting about the solid-surface guards—are those the ones that look kind of like a mini awning over the gutter? I’ve been debating them, but I worry about heavy rain just shooting right past. Have you had any overflow issues during big storms, or does the curve really direct most of it in? I tried mesh covers once and, like you said, the squirrels shredded them in a season. Still not sure anything’s truly critter-proof...
Yeah, those are the ones—kind of like a little hood over the gutter. I had the same concern about water just skipping right over during a downpour, but honestly, it hasn’t been much of an issue for me. Maybe once or twice in a really intense storm I’ve seen a bit of overflow, but nothing worse than what I got with open gutters clogged by leaves. The curve seems to do its job most of the time. Critter-proof? Not totally...squirrels are relentless, but at least they can’t chew through metal as easily as mesh.
That’s interesting to hear about the curved covers—my neighbor swears by those too, but I’ve always wondered if they’d just turn my gutter problems into waterfall problems. Guess it’s a trade-off either way. I’m in the “old house, big trees” camp, and honestly, nothing seems totally critter-proof around here. Squirrels are like tiny demolition crews with fur.
I tried foam inserts for a season and ended up with a weird compost situation—stuff just sat on top and broke down into this sludge that was somehow worse than plain leaves. Mesh covers were a squirrel playground, and climbing up there every month is getting old (and sketchy, since my roof’s pretty steep).
I keep thinking about going full-on green roof in the future—at least then the leaves would have somewhere to go besides the gutters. Until then, it’s probably just me, a scooper, and a lot of muttering under my breath every fall.
