Gutter Guards We Won't Use

A quick internet search on failed gutter guards produced the following testimonials. In the 11 years we have been in business we have seen all of these and other guards fail. There is a lot to be considered before installing a gutter guard, and not all companies are looking out for their clients best interest, but rather their bottom line. Enjoy the following reviews, and let us know if you have your own nightmare guard story.

EXHIBIT A: (One Piece Gutter/Guard System) Source:http://www.pissedconsumer.com/
Leaf Guard of __ installed gutters and they form ice cycles on them which constantly refreeze and cause leakages onto the landing outside my door literatlly trapping me inside my house because I can't step out onto the now ice-skating rink. This is the worst. They try to tell me it is because of problems with my attic. Prior to this system, I never had any problems.

Source:http://www.pissedconsumer.com/
Very unsatisfied with these gutters. DO NOT install them higher than the first level of your house. On the second floor we have been having a problem for the last 3 years....birds build nests in thegutters ! They get clogged and we have had to devise a tool to somehow gouge the leaves, grasses, etc out! Anyone have any ideas what to do? After spending all thismoney, i think we will have to remove them

Source:http://www.pissedconsumer.com/
We have had Leaf Guard gutters for nearly ten years. We have to call them every year to come and clean out the gutters which are clogged with leaves and debris. In addition, this causes huge ice dams on the roof. When the thaw comes, they come crashing down. Anyone standing below them would be killed. They have wiped out all our landscaping on the front of the house. I haven't even bothered to replace it because when I have, it's destroyed the following spring. I just have planter boxes that I can move away from the bomb site.

EXHIBIT B: (Reverse Curve Gutter Guard System)
Source:http://www.bobvila.com
Last fall I purchased & had installed Gutter Helmet, gutter protection system. The costs was about $21 dollars a foot. This company advertisement states "Never Clean Your Gutters Again." During heavy rain, the water overflows the system onto the ground at my foundation. During last winter huge icicles the length of three to four feet developed along the entire gutter helmet system. The dripping from the icicles & the melting snow from the roof during cold days creates a sheet of ice onto the driveway beneath. I have never had such problems like this before.These icicles & ice have created a serious liability for me as a homeowner. If these heavy icicles were to fall upon a vehicle pulling into the driveway. It could do serious damage. Or, if the icicles were to fall upon a person walking beneath. It could even kill this person, or cause an injury.

Source:http://newestindustry.org
Berry was dismayed to discover that his $3,500 gutter-protection system appeared to be inviting one of the very maintenance nightmares it was supposed to protect against: roof rot. Two leaks sprang up after the pricey helmets had been installed, he claimed, which caused rainwater to build up underneath the custom-fitted panels and drip down behind the gutter “for days” after a rainfall.

Source:http://newestindustry.org
Yesterday, during a thunderstorm cloudburst, we notice that there is water dripping down between the gutter and the house. This is definitely sub-optimal. Another call in to the customer service centre, where Samantha is curtly told by the woman on the other end of the line (who, I learned in a later call, is actually the call centre manager!) that some house require flashing and that they don’t install it in order to try and reduce the cost of the project. This cost us over $3,000. Flashing is $2/foot. Put the flashing on; damn the cost.

Source:http://newestindustry.org
This long-running saga in one that I wish I had never been involved in, and in 20/20 hindsight, I wish that I had just chosen to go with standard gutters, rather than some gadgety gimmick that is installed by a company that seems to value customer service about 14th on their Top Ten list. The latest installment has come about because one, if not more, of our downspouts is now blocked with … something. The thing is that these top-of-the-line gadgets should never become clogged. And if they do, we have a lifetime maintenance guarantee.Well, they guarantee that

EXHIBIT C: (Do It Yourself Gutter Guards)
Source:http://reviews.homedepot.com/
"These are Ok to keep out small sticks and the occasional leaf. I have several types of Oak trees, when the sap & pollen start dropping they easily pass throught these guards and plug up my gutters. Also, when the leaves start falling I have to check my gutters daily to be sure they are not plugged. Also, if to many leaves and small sticks get stuck on top of guards they will colapse and plug up the gutter also. But even with all these negatives they are the best solution so far as I have 7 oak trees that partialy overhang my house.