Affordable Gutter Covers

Screens and Mesh Gutterworld, Gutter Shingle, Drop-In, Snap-In, Lock-In, Sentinel and others Easy to install by DIY homeowner <$1/foot for DIY, Low Profile Widely available in most home improvement stores Vinyl and aluminum Clogs easily; Debris accumulation, Dislodges in snow and ice

 
Expensive filters Leaf Relief, Gutter Clean, Gutter Screener, Invisiguard, LeafSolution, LeafFilter Requires professional installation $6-14/ft. installed, Low Profile Available through Authorized Dealers or through Contractors Aluminum (Leaf Relief) and Vinyl (others) Expensive, debris accumulation, clogs, misleading warranties for interior clogs only

 

Vinyl Solid Gutter Guards Waterfall, Cinch, Gutter Shut Easy to install by DIY homeowner or contractor $6-8/foot installed or $1.75-2.00 for DIY, Low Profile Available online or at many home improvement stores Vinyl Vinyl degrades over time, critters can chew into system,Clogs Easily

 

Brushes, foam fillers GutterBrush, GutterFilter, Rainflow, Gutter Pillar, Leaf Defier Easy to install by DIY homeowner $2-5/ft., Low Profile Available at many home improvement stores Plastic or polyurethane foam Clogs easily and quickly, debris accumulation, 

 

All-in-One Gutters and Gutter Guards LeafGuard, K-Guard Complex installation by franchise $22-26/ft., High Profile Available only through "authorized dealers" Aluminum Will clog, expensive, seamless -if damaged expensive to repair, requires replacement of existing gutters

 

Louvered Gutter Guards Waterloov, Gutter Protech Complex installation by franchise $12-15/ft., High Profile Available only through "authorized dealers" Aluminum Expensive, louvers will clog and require cleaning

 

High profile, nose-forward Gutter Guards Gutter Helmet, Gutter Cap, Gutter Topper Complex installation by franchise $20-27/ft., High Profile Available only through "authorized dealers" Aluminum Expensive, will clog, misleading warranties

 

Low profile, solid aluminum Gutter Guards LeafProof, Hallett Gutter Cover Complex installation by contractor $10-14/ft., Low profile Available through contractors only Aluminum Expensive, difficult to clean gutters when they eventually clog 

 

Avoid water damage to your home, such as foundation errosion as well as wet and dry rot, by cleaning your rain gutters.

Described below is how to clean your rain gutters yourself saving you money and your home from damage.

This particular job can take anywhere from half a day to a day depending on gutter footage and amount of debris in gutters.

Materials needed

    Gutter seal or Caulking
    Towels
Tools needed
    Ladder
    4 inch putty knife
    Garden hose
    Spray nozzle
    Plumber's snake
    Work gloves
    Caulking gun 

To avoid water damage as mentioned above clean your gutters at least twice a year, unless your house is surrounded by trees, you may have to clean them more than twice. Only take on this task if you know you can work safely from a ladder or the roof. If your roof is more than a single story or you are not comfortable working from heights you may just want to hire someone to clean them for you. Better safe than sorry.

Get a nice sturdy ladder and place it on a firm and level base. A high quality A frame ladder can be easier to use than most extension ladders, if you must lean an extension ladder against a gutter, protect it by placing your ladder over the gutter spike and put something over the gutter surface to prevent scratching. Stand on the ladder squarely between the rails never lean out over the sides. Never stand on the top two rungs, EVER.

If you're comfortable working from the rooftop and your roof has a low enough pitch, this can sometimes be easier than working from a ladder, avoid leaning over edge as much as possible and never lay facing the edge. Only work off the roof under extremely safe working conditions. If the roof is wet, icy, or there are high winds avoid the roof top, wear hiking or work boots while on roof.

When cleaning your gutters wear gloves to protect your hands. Gutters sometimes have sharp metal parts or screws sticking inside them, be careful to avoid cutting your hands. Eye protection is also recomended.

The most common method for cleaning your homes gutters are discussed below. A method sometimes used by home owners and profesionals alike is to blow dry debris out of gutters with a leaf blower, but be very careful! A blower tends to change your center of gravity.

1. Scoop out any loose debris       .
Use a 4 inch wide putty knife found at most hardware stores or your hands to scoop out the insides of gutters. To keep cleanup to a minimum, you can put debris into a plastic bucket.

2. Spray out the gutters with a hose   
Using  any spray nozzle screwed onto the end of a garden hose, wash out each gutter, spraying left over debris toward the drain outlet. This can get very messy. Avoid splattering mud all over your house.

3. Clean out downspouts      
When water doesn't drain freely through downspouts, flush debris down them with the hose. If that doesn't work, use a plumber's snake to break debris loose inside the downspout, again try and flush from the top. This usually does the job.

4. Repair any leaks.
If you see areas where water is leaking through seams at corners or any seams, allow the gutter to dry, or dry with towels, then seal the leaks from inside with any gutter seal or gutter caulking. 

5. Re-align sagging gutters.
If your gutters are not sloped in the right direction they won't drain properly toward each downspout. You must add or rehang them to remedy this problem. To resupport sagging gutters,  add new hangers, or add spike and farrows. These can be found at your local hardware store.