Screens and Cleaning Out the Gutters
Cleaning out the gutters went to the top of my list the other day. It was raining outside, heavy type rain and I noticed thru the window that water was running over the top of the gutter. I thought wow that must be a lot of water coming off the roof, I got to see this. So I went outside to check it out. I thought I would see a river of water running out of my downspout.
It was not the case. a weak trickle of water was coming out of the downspout. Boy, more work when this rain ends. I would need to find out what was plugging up the downspout. After all, I had cleaned out the gutter 2 rainy seasons ago it shouldn’t be that full. Wow, was I wrong.
Gutter screen failure
First thing, I waited for the rain to stop. I wasn’t going to add a trip to the ER to what I had to do to get the gutters working again. I got out my trusty ladder and starting at the downspout area I started checking the condition. To my amazement, the gutter was 3/4’s full at the downspout. Why would it be so full? It turns out that the screens(plastic) I used to prevent the big stuff from getting into the gutter had deteriorated to the point they could no longer keep anything out of the gutter.
I went back to the farthest part of the gutter and started cleaning out the gutter and removing the screens as I went. When I got back to the downspout I got my water hose and ran some water down the downspout to check its condition. It was not clogged the water flowed freely. So back to the farthest point from the downspout and started running the water to clean out the sludge that remained in the bottom of the gutter. I moved back to the downspout flushing the sludge towards it. Eventually, I got the gutter flushed clean. As I was flushing out the gutter I checked for any leaks, had I found one, I knew that it would be easy to patch a leaking gutter.
Now I have to replace my rotted out screens. The plastic screens had done their job. They had been at work for more than ten years without a failure. So I believe I got my money’s worth from them.
Criteria for selection
I don’t buy into the idea that screens will keep everything out of my gutters. Also that if I install a “screen” I will never ever have to clean my gutters again. My thinking about these screens is that no matter which ones I use there will be a build-up of matter that will get thru the holes/slits/whatever and that I will need to remove this matter from the gutters eventually. So for me, the use of screens is to prevent the entry of larger particles(leaves in my case, no needles). They prolong the time until I will have to remove the screens and once again remove the buildup inside the gutter. That said, the last criteria is that the screens will need to be easily removed to clean out the “fines”.
Plastic material screens are the least expensive and at a ten-year life a good bargain. Galvanized screens may provide longer life but when they need to be removed(every two years) to clean out the fines their service life could be cut due to bending and rust. Also at 2-3 times the price of the plastic version, they would need to last 20-30 years to be comparable to the plastic screens.
My selection
The plastic screen life is adequate. The screens can take multiple handling of removal and installation without damage. They will not rust. They don’t need to be screwed down. These characteristics make them perfect for my situation. So it’s back to plastic gutter screens for me.
Installation
My roof is asphalt shingles. I install my gutter guards simply. No screws, no fancy bow to get them into place. I just lift the asphalt shingles enough that the screen can slide under them and let the other end rest on the top edge of the gutter. The pitch of my roof is not that great as it only has to deal with rain. No snow in this part of the country.
I cut the pieces into approximate three-foot lengths and overlap the pieces by an inch. On corners, I get full overlap. Summer is a perfect time for this type of work. Prior to installation, I roll out the screen on the concrete so that it can warm up and lay flat before I cut the lengths needed. It makes installation that much easier.
Related Article: Patching a Leaking Gutter
(By User:Randall1022 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)
(By User:Randall1022 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)
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