I am considering having either Gutter Helmet or LeafGuard installed
and cannot seem to find anyone who has had them installed and that can
give me an opinion. I don't know if this is a question you can even
answer, but I would like to know if these so called, "high tech"
gutter systems really work. In searching for info myself I have come
up extremely short handed. I am leaning towards having LeafGuard
installed, so a focus on that gutter system would be sufficient. I am
desperate for information, due to the high cost of a Gutter
Helmet/LeafGuard system. I would appreciate any insight into LeafGuard
(and even perhaps Gutter Helmet) you can provide, and if these high
tech systems work as they say they do and so forth. Thank you in
advance for even reading this question.

Apparently if you do not have maple trees or pine trees and you don’t
have two roof sections that come together at an angle "high tech"
gutter systems might be worth the cost. However, according to most of
the folks on the forums and message boards I found these systems can
cause as many problems as they solve, Mainly:
* "Gutter trees" (tree seeds that get caught in the slots and sprout)
* Leaves that lay on top and cause the water to go out over the gutter
or cause ice dams in the winter
* Small pieces of leaves and pine needles going in and decaying,
forming a sludge that is harder to clean out because of the guard.
* They are also poor at collecting water at roof valleys, where
downward-sloping sections of roof meet and water runoff is heavy.
All that said there are still people who swear by them.

Questions & Answers from the Sound Home Consultant 
http://www.soundhome.com/consult/131to140.shtml

When asked if he would recommend LeafGuard, Gutter Helmet, or
something similar part of his answer was...
"...In other words, no, I don't know of a gutter system that can
handle leaves and needles, and not clog or dump the storm water next
to the house. I also suspect that some of these systems cost more than
several years worth of professional gutter cleaning, and are often
harder to clean once they are clogged."
The entire article can be read here.
http://www.soundhome.com/consult/131to140.shtml

I suggest you read the posts on some of these Forums:

Home Repair Forum 
Pros and cons of LeafGuard, Gutter Helmet, etc?
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/repair/msg0320104132498.html

Here's a sample
"...they are prettier than my row of seeds but guess you can scratch
my comment about removing the screens! Isn't it amazing that those
slick little seeds can grab a hold of a slick aluminum gutter while
water gushes over them and stay there long enough to sprout. I'd say
something like "isn't Nature fascinating" if it didn't cause so darn
much work."

"We have gutter helmets on our ranch house, and we have huge maple
trees. We still have to clean the gutters out every year, too! The
sprouted maple trees in the screening sure are pretty, though!"

(Here’s a pic of the Gutter Trees they speak of in the forum)
http://cakili.image.pbase.com/image/17017168.jpg

On the opposite side of the spectrum most of the respondents at Home
Improvement section of Real Cities.com liked both LeafGuard and Gutter
Helmet

Do high-tech rain gutters really work?
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/living/home/home_improvement/exterior/gutters/2399283.htm

"...said he had paid more than $2,000 for his LeafGuard gutters but
was very pleased. He said: "A few leaves occasionally get stuck in the
gutter openings, but they either blow away or disintegrate after a
while."

"...was "very satisfied" with his LeafGuard system, but he has found
that it does not work well if there is "extremely high runoff," such
as at roof valleys in steep roofs. Dilloway said he had to use
conventional open gutters at such a point in a LeafGuard installation
at a relative's home."

"...said he also had problems with his covered gutters at roof
valleys."I have a steep roof in places, and where the roofs come
together at an angle, the water cascades down and really splashes off
the rear deck and front porch," Graham said. "It is much worse than
when I had open gutters." He said that leaves also piled up on top of
the covers. "But they are very effective in keeping leaves out of the
gutters," he added."

Lake-Link's Discusion Board
http://www.lake-link.com/forums/boards/viewposts.cfm?Thread_ID=17744
Leafguard gutter systems....Do they really work?

"…I looked at 3 companies. They all have their little models with
water rolling over the shingles and into the gutters. They don't,
however, show what a REAL thundershower is like; the water goes OVER
the opening and over the edge just like not having gutters. Many
siding companies have gotten away from selling them because they don't
work. I'm not bitter 'cause I never bought any, but I know people who
have. Then there's the varmints. The people I know have had birds
build nests in the gutter in one day. The opening where the water goes
in is only about an inch and the birds feel protected..."

"I have to disagree with the previous posts. I live in the woods and
was up on a ladder 4 or 5 times yearly. I had a gutter helmet
installed 3 years ago and have not been on a ladder since. The company
that installed them guarantees that if your gutter would ever plug up
they would come out and clean them for no charge. Also they had little
aluminum adapters on the slight end openings that keep the small birds
out. The only downside is that they are not cheap, but as far as I'm
concerned it was some of the best money I have ever spent."

---

Clarification of Answer by wlk115-ga on 10 Jun 2003 21:11 PDT

search terms used:
LeafGuard gutter systems
"high tech" gutter systems

I've tried different guards with the main problem being that yellow
jackets build nests underneath these safe little guards-creating
somewhat of a bigger problem.

My clients have installed just about every kind of gutter protection
product on the market on their homes.  Most are very happy with it,
but some much more than others.  The key to most of these systems and
their success is the reliability of the company behind them.  Most
have a "never clean out a gutter" guarantee, but getting some of these
2 and 3 year old companies to show up to clean them can be a more than
difficult.  By the time you finally get them there, the water damage
to your home can have already occured and you are actually worse off
than you would have been.

I recommend that you look at the companies that have been carrying
their gutter protection product the longest.  Not just how long they
have been in business, but how long they have been carrying the
product.  A 50-year old siding company might have just recently picked
up the gutter protection product line, and have no track record as far
as maintenance on that particular product.  They can drop the product
line the day after you purchased it, and force you to go to the
manufacturer, and trust me you do not want to go that route.  Stay
away from those guys, unless of course you want to be their guinea
pig.

Another thing to be cautious of is the one-piece systems.  They will
charge you a price per foot for the entire gutter system which will
include the downspouts which do not come protected.

The bottom line is that most systems will solve your problems.  But it
is my recommendation to spend a little more money and go with the guys
who have the best tract record.  If you look closely, you will find
that one of the brands has been installing for over 20 years, and has
over 50% of the entire market.  That says a lot to me.

I had LeafGuard installed this past November and after our first big
snow fall about 1.5 to 2 inches of ice accumulated on the tops of my
leafguard gutters.  They state in their contract that you will see an
additional accumulation of icicles, which we did.  But the real
problem is when this ice releases and comes crashing to the ground.  I
was able to maually remove the ice from my first story gutter fairly
easily, but the second story i will simply have to wait for it to fall
until in can install a gutter heater in the spring or summer.  Even
the gutter over my garage opening had a massive amount of ice build
up, so I don't think that better insulating my attic will make a huge
difference.

If anyone has had this problem and has any other ideas for solutions i
would love your input.

I purchased Leafguard a month ago.  I am really unhappy with the
product.  When it rains, water pours OVER the top of the gutters.  In
winter, the icicles reach from the gutters to the bottom of my window
sills.  As they melt they continually drip over the top of the gutters
which causes you to get wet each time you pass through your door.  The
puddle that accumulates on your deck or porch then becomes ice and you
have a skating rink in front of you door.  the worst part so far has
been when the 2ft x 30ft block of ice that has formed on top of the
gutters decides to fall and smash everything in it's path.  My mailbox
was smashed and all of my shrubs were split down the middle. I had
only just walked into my house when it let go.  Had it been a few
minutes earlier, it would have hit me.  I called the Leafguard company
and was told there is NO RETURN POLICY!  I was told that the I should
have been raking my roof after each snow to avoid  ice.  My question
is this....didn't I buy Leafguard so that my gutters would be
MAINTENANCE FREE!!!?