A customer asked me the other day " Please explain GutterBrush performance compared to LeafGuard and gutter screens? My biggest issue is pin-oak trees and am concerned it will snag in the bristle ".
Below is my response.
Gutter Guard Performance compared to leafguard
GutterBrush does great compared to other products like leafguard and other "grid guards" also known as gutter screens. The problem with them is that they are expensive to install and leaves and debris lay on top of them causing the water to miss the gutter. They are restrictive and "linear" so debris can lay on them and create a flat mat that is like a ramp. LeafGuard has a gutter cover and the concept is that the water will follow the metal and flow into the gutter while the debris is not supposed to flow with the water into the gutter. There are lots of leaf guards out there and leafguard is one of them. The problem with gutter covers and leaf guards is that, as soon as the gutter cover nose gets dirty or green with algae or just normal dirt and pollution, the rain water releases too fast, too easy and misses the gutter.
Products like leafguard that cover the gutter, are not only restrictive of the rain water and the fast water getting into the gutter, but they also provide dry shelter for hornets, wasps, beads and other insects. Leaf guards that are covers are especially dangerous because the shelter that they provide could cause a very nasty fall when a homeowner climbs the ladder and is met by some angry wasps. Due to the fact that these dangerous stinging insects are looking for dry shelter to build a colony and grow it from there, I would not install anything on my home that provides easy access and shelter from the rain.
Gutter guards, gutter covers and gutter screens are high impact projects because they are the installation of linear shelf like items that cover the gutter and restrict the gutter and also require fastening. These types of projects often carry a high cost due to the construction and fastening that is required. The fact that the result ends up in a fastened cover or screen adds to the impact of the project because if anything goes wrong, that fastening must be undone in order to remove any of the cover. When you consider the fact that the final installed price is often quite expensive and combine that with the fact that after the first autumn droppings or even after the first spring droppings, debris might lay on top of the device and cause the rain water or even just the fast rain water to entirely miss the gutter, I’d rather go with a low impact low cost solution like Gutterbrush. The final installed cost of Gutterbrush is far lower and Gutterbrush is very low impact because nothing is fastened and the gutter is not restricted.
As you can see, Gutterbrush is different. We know that if you try to keep all of the debris out of the gutter, you will end up keeping the water out too. If you get greedy at trying to keep all of the gutter leaves and debris out, you will end up keeping the rain water out too. We want to keep it simple. Anyone can install Gutterbrush and you don't need skill or even a screw gun or fasteners.
By the way, traditional screens, covers and guards typically can not be installed on metal
building gutters because they wont fit and also because the front edge of the gutter is far higher than even the roof edge drip edge and the front edge of the gutter is usually strapped to the upper ribs of the roof making it impossible to install a cover or a screen.
Gutterbrush is different. We know the most important thing is that the water must get into the gutter, so Gutterbrush strikes a balance of accepting water and debris. Gutterbrush does a great job at keeping the gutter from clogging.
Yes debris gets stuck in the bristles but individual pieces of debris were never the reason for clogging. Debris can no longer clump together to create a larger plug; with Gutterbrush in place the debris can not flow to create a dam and it can nor flow to plug the gutter so the gutter will not clog.
Additionally the debris that does get stuck in the bristles is not laying on the bottom of the gutter, rather it is suspended up high in the sun with abundant air flow surrounding. The debris really cooks very fast because of the effects of the sun and the abundant air flow so there is advanced particulate matter break- down and flow through that helps.
Every building is different, some go many years without needing maintenance. Every building is different. Gutterbrush stops clogging and eventually, the system can be partially renewed or completely renewed. Even when you get to the point of thinking you might need maintenance, the gutter still does not clog at that point. For renewing, simply remove the brushes and bang them on a hard surface to get the debris to drop out, clean the gutter and reinstall. Every building is different as to when maintenance might be required.
Thanks for taking a look at GutterBrush ! 20 Years!