K-style might trap more needles, but they do move water better in a downpour, at least in my area.
I hear you on the K-style handling big rain better, but I’ve actually had the opposite experience with them under heavy tree cover. Where I am (Pacific Northwest), the K-style gutters seem to get packed with needles and moss so fast that even with good pitch, water just ends up spilling over the sides. Half-rounds are a pain for volume, but they’re way easier for me to keep clear—especially since I’m up there every couple months anyway.
About the foam inserts, I get why people like them for pine needles, but I’ve seen them turn into a soggy mess after a couple seasons. They start off great, but once they get saturated and break down, it’s almost worse than just scooping out the needles. Plus, I worry about them holding moisture against the gutter and causing rust (had to replace a section last year because of that).
What’s worked best for me is going with a simple mesh screen—nothing fancy, just the snap-in kind. It doesn’t keep out everything, but it slows down the buildup and makes cleaning way less gross. I’ve also started leaving a strip of moss along the edge of my green roof to help filter out some of the debris before it even hits the gutters. Not a perfect system, but it’s cut down on the “leaf soup” problem a lot.
Curious if anyone’s tried those micro-mesh covers? I’ve heard mixed things—some folks swear by them, others say they clog up just as fast. For now, I’m sticking with what’s easy to pop off and rinse.
Funny you mention the micro-mesh covers—I tried them on one of my rental properties a couple years back, and they did keep out the bigger stuff, but the fine fir needles still managed to mat up on top. It was almost like sweeping a green carpet off the gutters every fall. I will say, though, they were easier to hose off than digging out packed sludge. Has anyone had luck with those “reverse curve” metal guards? I keep seeing ads but haven’t met anyone who’s actually installed them long-term.
It was almost like sweeping a green carpet off the gutters every fall.
That’s exactly what I’m worried about. I keep getting sucked into those “never clean your gutters again” ads, but I’m not convinced they’re telling the whole story. My last place had those plastic snap-on guards and honestly, they just made it harder to see what was going on inside. Ended up with a bunch of little trees sprouting up in there because the seeds got stuck anyway.
I haven’t tried the reverse curve ones yet—seems like they’d work better for leaves, but I’m skeptical about how they’d handle the tiny stuff like pine needles or maple seeds. I’ve got a big old spruce right over the house, so anything with gaps just seems like it’ll clog eventually.
Has anybody actually gone back up and checked those metal guards after a year or two? Or do they just end up with gunk stuck along the edge instead of inside the gutter? I’m starting to wonder if it’s just a trade-off between what kind of mess you want to deal with...
I’ve actually wondered the same thing. The metal guards look promising, but when my neighbor put them up, he still ended up with a line of crud along the edge that needed scraping. It’s like you trade clogs inside the gutter for a mess right on top. Makes me question if any of these systems are really “set and forget,” especially with all those needles and seeds constantly dropping. Maybe just less gross to clean? Not sure it’s a total fix.
That’s exactly what I’ve noticed, too—
It’s like you’re just shifting where the headache happens. I manage a few properties with big pines overhead, and those guards definitely reduce the amount of gunk in the actual gutter, but you still have to brush off all the stuff sitting on top or it’ll just mat down and block water anyway. Maybe it’s less nasty than scooping out decomposing leaf sludge? Still feels like you’re stuck doing some level of maintenance no matter what. Has anyone tried those foam inserts or brush-style guards? Wondering if they’re any better or just a different flavor of hassle.“you trade clogs inside the gutter for a mess right on top.”
