Those solid covers you’re talking about—are they the ones with the little slots or louvers? I’ve seen them hold up pretty well in heavy storms, and they definitely keep out bigger debris and critters. Only thing is, if you’ve got a lot of pine needles or fine stuff, sometimes they still clog at the edge. But compared to mesh, they’re a lot sturdier—raccoons won’t mess with them. Pricey, yeah, but less maintenance in the long run. Just gotta make sure they’re installed right or water can overshoot in a downpour.
I actually went with the mesh screens after a lot of back and forth, and honestly, I haven’t had too many issues—at least not yet. My house is surrounded by maples and oaks, so it’s mostly big leaves and twigs, not so much pine needles or tiny stuff. The mesh catches almost everything, and when it does get a bit clogged, I just brush it off with a broom from the ground. No ladders needed most of the time.
The solid covers looked tempting, but I was worried about water just shooting right over in heavy rain. A neighbor down the street had that happen—ended up with a mini waterfall right over his porch every time it poured. Maybe it depends on your roof pitch or how much rain you get? For me, the mesh was cheaper and easier to install myself. If I ever move to an area with more critters or smaller debris, maybe I’d rethink it... but for now, it’s working out. Just my two cents if anyone’s still deciding between the two options.
I went the other direction and tried the solid covers, mostly because I was paranoid about stuff getting stuck in the mesh and not noticing until it was a mess. I get what you’re saying about water shooting over—my backyard’s on a bit of a slope, so I guess that helps, but I haven’t had any waterfalls yet. That said, I do still have to clear out the edges every now and then, especially after a windy storm. Maybe it’s just my luck, but I’d rather deal with the occasional overflow than climb up there every month. Guess it really does depend on your trees and roof angle...
I get where you’re coming from—solid covers are definitely lower maintenance in some ways, but I’ve noticed they can create their own set of problems if your roof’s pitch isn’t steep enough. On my place (midwest, lots of maples), the overflow during heavy rain was a bit more than “occasional,” but I’d rather that than constantly scooping out decomposed sludge. The edge buildup after storms is real though. I guess it’s always a tradeoff between cleaning frequency and dealing with runoff. Roof angle and tree type really do make or break the whole system.
I’ve actually had the opposite experience with solid covers, at least on a couple of my properties. The overflow issue you mentioned is definitely a thing if the pitch is shallow, but I’ve found that mesh-style guards (the kind that snap in under the shingles) handle heavy rain better than the solid ones. They let water through faster and don’t seem to get that edge buildup as much, though you do have to brush off the top every now and then if you’ve got a ton of leaves.
Maples are brutal for clogging, no doubt. But I’d rather deal with a quick sweep on top than having to unclog downspouts full of sludge. The tradeoff for me is a little more frequent light maintenance versus those big, gross cleanouts twice a year. Curious if anyone’s tried those foam inserts? I keep seeing ads but can’t decide if they’re just going to turn into compost after a season or two...