The gutters on my house are under a lot of trees. So they get clogged up all the time which causes the rain to overflow the gutters. I’m tired of going up on the roof to remove the leaves and pine needles from the gutter so I’m currently looking for one of the gutter cover products that are supposed to protect the gutters from leaves.
For some reason there many, many brands that all seem to be about the same. I checked out the websites of a few of the ones in the area such as Leaf Guard, Leaf Filter, and Gutter Helmet.
I contacted Leaf Guard and they came out to my house recently to give an estimate. The guy was nice enough and took all the necessary measurements. For some reason he wanted to give us a PowerPoint presentation on Leaf Guard. This was my first key that these guys are probably a rip-off, but I went ahead and watched the presentation. It was the usual stuff: Leaf Guard is the best and all the rest are terrible and worthless. After the waste of time presentation he gave me the quote and wanted me to buy it on the spot. That is the sure sign that these guys are a rip-off. The quote was for $5000, including a $700 buy right now discount. Of course I just told him I wasn’t going to buy today and he left. Now I know that these guys are just con artists trying to get a huge markup on people who don’t know much about gutters.
From what I hear from other people all of these gutter cover companies have huge markups like this. So I recommend avoiding all of them. I did hear about one product called Leaf Relief that is manufactured by the Alcoa corporation (a large, well know company). I figured Alcoa wouldn’t want to ruin their reputation on rip-offs so I found a couple of contractors on their website who could install the product. Both quotes were for about $2000, less than half the price of Leaf Guard which seems like a reasonable price. They could go even cheaper if you have existing gutters and just want to install the covers. So far Leaf Relief is the only legitimate gutter cover company I can find. If anyone knows of any others then please leave a comment about the company.
If you don’t want to pay a contractor you could go even cheaper with a do it yourself project. You can buy Elko Gutter Genius guards online here. Or if you don’t want to install anything then how about having a robot clean your gutters. The robot sounds pretty cool, but I have no idea how well it works. Please post here if you have used either of these products.
#1 by Alex on September 24, 2008 - 9:32 pm
I’ve tried all the cheap gutter covers out there ranging from screens to plastic and metal toppers. It wasn’t untill I used LeafGuard that my problems were solved. Sure it’s 3 times the cost but they’re using 3 times the material (it was the only 1 piece design and it’s twice as thick as the cheap stuff) You DO get what you pay for. My neighbor across the street has the Gutter Helmet product and she’s had no problems. She spent 4 grand for the gutter helmet and it keeps her off the ladder. I’ll say it’s worth every penny and more.
#2 by Patrick on October 10, 2008 - 9:20 pm
Alex, that’s great if you’re happy with the product that you have. I’m really happy with Leaf Relief that I have installed on my house. The metal covers of Leaf Relief just look stronger than Leaf Guard’s plastic material. I’ll gladly pay less than half the price for a product that works just as well if not better.
#3 by otis palmer on November 20, 2008 - 3:41 pm
I have had leaf relief and leafguard. Both are great for keeping debris out of the gutter. However, I had a problem with the debris buildup on the leaf relief. I have oak trees and the spring blossoms do not blow off the guard as promised by Alcoa. Leafguard is practically maintenance free.
#4 by Juanita on December 6, 2008 - 11:16 am
I have Leaf Guard. I only have one complaint. We it snows and ices over, HUGE icicles form. Dangerous ones. When melting, my porch becomes pure thick ice. I invest a lot in salt. I never had this problems with regular gutters.
#5 by Heather on January 14, 2009 - 2:43 pm
I actually installed a gutter guard system myself. It is a stainless steel mesh guard called Gutterglove Gutterguard. I was shocked with how easy it was to install. It lets nothing through it but water, so we never have to clean it. I love having it on my home because now I know there will be no damage to it from clogged overflowing guttters and my husband and i never have to take the time to clean it. I found it at http://www.gutterglove.com. Well worth the investment!
#6 by John on January 19, 2009 - 5:39 pm
Check out this product, very similar to Gutter Helmet @ about half the price. I received quotes from GH, Leafguard, and looked @ Leaf Relief (not interested in glorified screens). I don’t know if they are available where you are but I am happy that they were available to me. I did a lot of research and this was the best product for the price, and they work!
#7 by Tim on March 1, 2009 - 9:13 am
Take a look at GuttaGard (www.guttagard.com). It’s about $1.00 per foot and is simple to install, and simple to clean when it eventually clogs, as ALL systems do.
There’s no such thing as a maintenance free gutter, no matter what anyone says. Clogs happen at the downspout, and GuttaGard is easy to remove and clear the debris from the downspout every 5-10 years.
Disclosure: I own the company, and I’m completely biased and frustrated by all these ridiculous claims made by gutter protection companies.
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#9 by Elizabeth on May 11, 2009 - 11:10 am
2 things… 1 LeafGuard is not plastic, its the thickest aluminum available in the market, (which we looked up after the presentation) 2 why would a company doing a presentation (to give you all the facts) be a sign of a rip-off?
we had these installed 6 months ago and have never had a problem, I don’t think that 12k is too much to invest in a home when you have a lifetime guarantee and its the only system that backs up everything they say. They also have the GoodHousekeeping warranty and seal…
fyi these companies come out to try to educate you on gutters for people like you who have no clue…
for that I appreciate the time he spent at our house and for making 3 separate trips bc we were too flaky to decide on day 1.
#10 by Patrick on May 13, 2009 - 9:07 pm
Elizabeth,
I know from experience that the contractors who give PowerPoint presentations are the ones who sell overpriced products with huge markups. The presentations are all the same, they explain how they are the best company on earth and how horrible everyone else is. It is just a marketing technique that unfortunately people fall far and end up wasting thousands of dollars more than they should have paid.
Personally I don’t like my time wasted by viewing a presentation about how great the company is. Just tell me about your product and how much it will cost. If I think it is a good deal I’ll call you back in a few days and let you know.
That’s great if you’re happy paying 12k for gutters in your house. My Leaf Relief gutters were 10k less than that and they have worked perfectly. I have better things to spend $10,000 on than overpriced gutters that aren’t any better.
#11 by Lori.W. on May 19, 2009 - 10:38 am
Patrick,
I had LeafGuard installed on my home last year and made my decision for several reasons.
After looking at less expensive topper systems they all seemed to grow significant amounts of moss and things don’t really just ‘blow off’ gutters. Second, I found contractors to be fly-by-night people who either wouldn’t show up, or who tried to oversell their product with B.S. (I found the Leaf Relief system to be a huge moss trap just like Leaf Filter; impossible to remove, clean the moss, and replace in a reasonable way).
The presentation from LeafGuard was very factual. They actually gave me a reference list with names and numbers of over 1,000 of their customers (in a book) and told me to call whoever I wanted, (my neighbor has it and loves it so I didn’t call, but they have over 26,000 customers in just the Seattle area and they can’t convince thousands of people to lie.)
The GoodHousekeeping Seal is impressive because it’s a free 2 year warranty on top of the warranty from LeafGuard. Beldon Enterprises, a very reputable organization, bought LeafGuard in 1996. So when my neighbor had a problem with her system and LeafGuard came and took care of it for free, it just reinforced my decision and the reputation of the company.
They actually received the Better Business Bureau’s Innovative Practices of the Year Award in 2006 for the Pacific Northwest, and they don’t use subcontractors.
My system is 100% substantial metal, aluminum I think, (not plastic like someone above said), and I read on-line after the presentation when I checked them out, that there are gobs of patents surrounding the system, from the brackets to the actual system.
I paid $7,300 and I’m glad I did, if I ever have a problem I’m holding them to their end to fix it for free, but so far, not a hint of a problem.
…hated cleaning my gutters along with all yard work. I’m looking at turf grass so I don’t have to mow!
#12 by Jonathan on May 30, 2009 - 12:23 pm
I’m confused… I’m looking for a gutter system that can handle catkins well. That’s the stuff that wreeks havoc on my place. I have tons of water oaks hanging all on my home….
Also, the pitch of my roof isn’t very steep at all, so they like to collect in clumps when it rains. Some screen-type guards get clogged with these and the water overflows.
Which comes to the next thing… is there anything that can handle the catkins without overflow happening when it rains really hard?
Help!!! and no one has mentioned the micro-mesh systems or the waterloov systems… what about those?
#13 by Nathan on June 17, 2009 - 7:19 pm
I have had LeafGuard on my home for about two years, but I am sitting with my neighbor, who is considering buying leafguard, to look at what others are saying about it.
Yes, the gutters are aluminum, not plastic, and the best part about the service in Seattle is that if you do have a problem, they come out and take care of it. When people say “that they clogged but they came out and cleaned it” as a bad thing, I don’t understand that. That is what you bought! a gutter you do not have to clean ever again. Yes, they are expensive, about $30 a foot when you consider getting rid of the old stuff and new downspouts and gutters.
If you are in the Seattle area and want to work with the guy I did, let me know and I will find the number I had for him, as he was great, there was no pressure to buy.
#14 by Gutter man on July 3, 2009 - 2:43 pm
Leaf protection…. hmmm… Ok, I just have a few things to say about leaf guard
1.)DO NOT WAST YOUR MONEY.
2.) Look around on the internet for a picture of a leaf guard job that is a few years old ( leaf guard is very similar to k-guard and will discolor and even turn green after a few years.)
3.) look at the size of the gutter compared to a 5″ k-style gutter (industry standard) wich has much more capacity for heavy rains. And 4.)WINTER TIME
ps: There is no perfect leaf prtection but K-guard is one of the worst over all that i have delt with.
#15 by Bacc on August 29, 2009 - 8:58 am
Considering kguard. Where are you located, Gutterman & how long have you had it installed?
#16 by Lebronfan on February 28, 2010 - 5:50 pm
Leaf relief is a small piece that is added to your gutters, with Leafguard gutter and guard are all one piece. K guard is the same, it is all different pieces. This review is a sham and sounds like its from a salesman for alcoa/leafrelief.