Go BottomGutter Helmet Review
 | kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 5764 NW Oregon 
 Pics
|
2006-08-03 132942
Anyone here have gutter helmet on the gutters of your home? Does it work for pine needles? I'm tired of renting a 45 foot man lift every year to clean our gutters and am thinking of having this system installed. I've heard that LeafGuard gutters don't work well on pine needles but Gutter Helmet is supposed to work better.
Reply to |
Quote Reply |
Add PhotoGutter Helmet Review
 | Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
Pics
|
2006-08-04 132954
Not me personally, but a client of mine, a golf course in cottage country, put it on their club house and a few out-buildings for the same reason, they sit in the middle of an old Pine forest.
It doesn't work very well on Conifer needles. Any of those caps or shields are intended to make leaves pass over top, but water run into the gutters. The problem is if the needle is being pushed sideways by rainwater, which they usally are since head-on doesn't offer enough frontal area to move them, then they go right in anyways. Then you have a real PITA since the guard is in the way to clean them out.
About the only solution I've seen that works is to use those slanted fins to redirect and break up the water coming off the roof instead of gutters. The first time the wind comes up they're clean.
Best of luck. ....
Reply to |
Quote Reply |
Add PhotoGutter Helmet Review
 | kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 5275 South Carolina
Pics
|
2006-08-04 132957
I have never used them but like Murf have seen them in action and agree with his comments fully.
We have lots of pines in our area. I think the gutter helment for the most part has been an idea that never grain ground here.
It seems the local gutter guys who have been here for years have gone to the large commerical down spouts to give room for the pine needles to just run down the spout with the water. If you don't have a true pine forrest around your house it seems to work.
BTW, at least some companies have pipe with elbow to use on leaf blower to clean dry leaves and it will work on dry pine needels some while on the solid ground. Has worked well for me.
....
Reply to |
Quote Reply |
Add PhotoGutter Helmet Review
 | DenisS
Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 367 NJ 
|
2006-08-04 132960
I had gutter helmets on my gutters. Stupid pigeons would get stuck there sometimes and I'd have to come out at night and get the dumb birds out. ....
Reply to |
Quote Reply |
Add PhotoGutter Helmet Review
| kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
Pics
|
2006-08-04 132961
Thanks for the info. The fact that birds could get stuck in them is a new one. Since the "nose" of the gutter helmet brand product extends beyond the edge of the gutter I figured that pine needles would have a good chance of falling to the ground, but if the surface tension of the water will carry them around the nose and into the gutter it's no help at all. They guarantee that the gutters won't clog or they will come out and clean them. Problem is that's a dealer, and not a manufacturer, guarantee and dealers come and go. I guess the man lift rental fees will continue. ....
Reply to |
Quote Reply |
Add PhotoGutter Helmet Review
| kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 5275 South Carolina
Pics
|
2006-08-04 132962
Ken,
A leaf blower in the bottom end of the down spout can clean them out some. The better seal around the leaf blower pipe the better job. Of course this is not a full clean out.
....
Reply to |
Quote Reply |
Add PhotoGutter Helmet Review
| kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
Pics
|
2006-08-04 132964
Many times the debris clogs the gutter somewhere in mid-run before the downspout. Maybe that's caused by the downspout clogging first allowing debris to settle in the "lake" behind the spout but when it happens the leaf blower idea won't clear the clog. And this always seems to happen on the highest gutters three stories above the ground. ....
Reply to |
Quote Reply |
Add PhotoGutter Helmet Review
| Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
Pics
|
2006-08-04 132965
Ken, I just called my client's groundskeeper to ask what they finally did to prevent the problem.
He said they got some very light aluminum expanded mesh and cut it in strips just wide enough to cover the gutter, and tuck up under the first course of shingles slightly. It is stapled under the shingles, and not fixed at the outside edge at all, just folded under slightly to strengthen it.
He claims that the needles almost always slide flat, the mesh won't let them through flat, only standing on end. Most of them get washed out onto the mid-point of the gutter by the water flow, there they dry very quickly and just blow away. He says they haven't had a problem since installation of it in the sprng of 2004. They do have to check it every spring for ice damage though, something you probably wouldn't have to worry about.
Best of luck. ....
Reply to |
Quote Reply |
Add PhotoGutter Helmet Review
| kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
Pics
|
2006-08-04 132969
Thanks Murf. I've got to rent a man lift again this year anyway to install some bird spikes and fix woodpecker damage to the chimney so they'll all get cleaned manually. While I'm at it I'll give the expanded aluminum a trial run in a few areas and see how it goes. I really appreciate you calling your client and letting me know what works. The gutter helmet is expensive at $16/ft and I'd really hate to spend $4k on it and have it not work. Another problem with them might be wasps. We have a lot of wasps around here and they would be able to build nests under the gutter helmet where they couldn't easily be sprayed. ....
Reply to |
Quote Reply |
Add PhotoGutter Helmet Review
 | ncrunch32
Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 762 Kingston, NY 
Pics
|
2006-08-05 132993
My mother wanted gutter helmet for about 30 feet of gutter on the front of her house. I talked her into a plastic mesh similar to what Murf recommends. It is sold at home depot in 3 foot sections which snap over your gutter for only a couple bucks each. I haven't been back on the ladder to check the gutters in a year since I installed them so I don't know how they are working. Also she doesn't have pine needles around the house.
I have a massive problem with needles at my house. My neighbor has 50 foot stand of tamerack pines which shed their needles every year. They completely fill my gutters and I have to vacume every crack between the patio stone in my poolyard. I clean my gutters by hand. The ultimate solution would be one night with my echo chain saw in their back yard :) ....
Reply to |
Quote Reply |
Add PhotoGutter Helmet Review
 | oneace
Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 1490 south central pa 
Pics
|
2006-08-05 133000
What about a gutter wand for a pressure washer. ....
Reply to |
Quote Reply |
Add PhotoGutter Helmet Review
| kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
Pics
|
2006-08-05 133001
The highest gutters are 40 feet up and a long wand would be awfully hard to control at that height. I've got a bug spray wand that goes to 30 feet and it's almost impossible to control (and it doesn't push back like a pressure washer does). A 36 foot ladder wouldn't get close (and it's no fun being up on those wobbly things anyway). ....
Reply to |
Quote Reply |
Add PhotoGutter Helmet Review
| oneace
Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 1490 south central pa
Pics
|
2006-08-05 133005
Well in that case just lower your house. ....
Reply to |
Quote Reply |
Add PhotoGutter Helmet Review
| kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
Pics
|
2006-08-05 133007
It didn't look that tall when it was on paper :) ....
Reply to |
Quote Reply |
Add PhotoGutter Helmet Review
| oneace
Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 1490 south central pa
Pics
|
2006-08-05 133009
how about this ....
Link:
Click Here
Reply to |
Quote Reply |
Add PhotoGutter Helmet Review
| SILVERGOAT
Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 2 nj
|
2011-06-09 178917
FIRST: Never had ice cycle problems until the installation of Gutter Helmet. Ice cycles on the entire span up to 2 feet in length. They damaged bushes and were a safety threat for any one coming onto the front porch. The company downplays this hazard, but it is a major concern and I would not recommend this product to others. This issue is noted in their Warrenty Information as “Icicles will not impede the performance of Gutter Helmet and are not considered a serviceable condition covered under warranty. If icicles are objectionable, simply knock them off as they occur.” THEY WILL OCCUR…AND THEY ARE A NUESENCE AND A SAFTY HAZARD. BE WARNED.
SECOND: They are not maintenance free. The Warranty Information states that they should “be cleaned 3 to 4 times per year to remove build-up pollen, dirt, debris, etc.” Eliminating the winter months…that is cleaning every 2 to three month. THAT IS NOT WHAT I SPENT THE BIG BUCKS FOR.
....
Reply to |
Quote Reply |
Add PhotoGutter Helmet Review
 | auerbach
Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 2168 West of Toronto
Pics
|
2011-06-09 178919
Mr. Goat: You resurrected a 6-yr-old thread but that's OK because I can report a solution.
Consumer Reports magazine reported that it found one brand the best. Forgot its name -- something like Ameritrade. I bought a pack of it -- costly for something like five 4' lengths. With that in hand I found at a local farm-supply a chicken fence with about 1/4" square openings -- that resembles the top-rated commercial brand.
I had two big houses re-roofed and the eavestroughs (as we call them) were always a problem. I bought a 100-foot roll of that fencing (aound 30" high), and cut it lengthwise into 5" strips. (Get the width exactly right for your gutters. You want it to fit in tightly with a slight upward bow. Too much bow and debris will collect along the two edges of the fencing; too little and it won't be tight enough.)
The cutting was a bore but the cost was negligable compared to the commercial product. No dislodging, plugging, rusting, or any problem after two years. ....
Reply to |
Quote Reply |
Add PhotoGutter Helmet Review
| gutter
Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 2 mi
|
2011-12-07 181572
gutter helmets simple don't work i am in the gutter business don't wast your money there are products that are leaf free that work ....
Reply to |
Quote Reply |
Add PhotoGutter Helmet Review
 | DennisCTB
Join Date: Nov 1998 Posts: 2709 NorthWest NJ
Pics
|
2011-12-07 181574
|
Quote:
|
Interested to know what does work, can you tell us what approach is effective, products, how to.... etc.
Thanks! ....
Reply to |
Quote Reply |
Add PhotoGutter Helmet Review
| Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
Pics
|
2011-12-07 181580
|
Quote:
|
I think you'll find that's actually called "1/4" Hardware Cloth" although it's sometimes referred to as "Woven Steel Cloth".
It's available in a variety of opening sizes and finishes too, from plain to galvanized to vinyl coated. See below.
Best of luck.
....
Picture Link
Reply to |
Quote Reply |
Add PhotoGutter Helmet Review
| claire8
Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 2
|
2012-07-26 184436
I work with Gutter Helmet, and I'm really sorry to hear that you had a negative experience with our company. If your situation still is not resolved, please call us at 888-738-1963 and we'll do our best to help. Thanks for being a Gutter Helmet customer! ....
Reply to |
Quote Reply |
Add Photo
Go Top
Share This