Eavestrough

Landscaper Causes Gutter Overflow

noreply@blogger.com (Eavestrough) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:46:00 +0000

My last entry ended with a customer who complained that all her gutters were clogged and she needed us to clean out the gutters. She also had a new bay window installed and it was leaking. She thought the gutters had something to do with it.

When we arrived there, we found that she just had new landscaping and the landscaper closed off all her underground drainage outlets so the downspouts were backing up and overflowing the gutters.

At the customers request we removed a gutter cover near a downspout and found the gutters to be completely open and very clean. The customers Waterloov gutter guards didn't fail her, the landscaper did because he left her with gutters that were not functional.

Her problem was fixed by cutting the downspouts and installing elbows at the bottom to drain the water away from the house.

The source of the leak in the bay window was easily found to be caused by the roofing having separated from the rake board where two roofs join. Rain water was being blown in against the rake board where it entered through the roof and into the bay window below.

A section of flashing was installed to redirect any water being blown against the rake board back onto the roofing. Caulking was also used to facilitate a seal at the juncture where there was too little distance to install flashing.

Again Waterloov’s reputation remains unblemished.

Our Gutters Are Clogged And I Have Gutter Guards.

noreply@blogger.com (Eavestrough) — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 15:51:00 +0000

From Eavestrough

Service Call: A customer called and stated, "Our gutters are clogged."
"How do you know?" "No water is coming out of two downspouts."

We arrived and the homeowner identified the two gutters that were clogged and one where water was coming over the gutter.

Even though there were trees close by, none could be a possible threat to the Waterloov System and once up the ladder a quick visual inspection confirmed that initial assessment. The quick visual inspection showed that the customer had a new roof--only a few years old--and gutter covers that were manufactured approximately twenty years ago mixed in with gutter covers manufactured fifteen years ago--something no experienced installer would do.

The gutter covers were also not attached correctly to the gutter. It was obvious that the roofing contractor not familiar with the Waterloov System removed the gutter covers to install the new roof and then reinstalled the Waterloov covers but not quite right.

Fortunately the Waterloov Gutter Covers were not nailed into the roof--as some roofers do--and could be easily removed from the gutter. Inside there was an accumulation of debris about two inches deep along about six feet leading to the downspout. Under all the debris at the downspout were pieces of rotted wood covering the opening in the downspout. The wood was from part of the old rotted roof that was replaced.

The other clogged gutter was likewise clogged with remnants of tar paper at the downspout from the reroof job. The place where the gutter overflowed was from an upper gutter discharging on the roof and overwhelming a section of the Waterloov gutter guard. When the roofing contractor reinstalled the Waterloov system, he neglected to install a diverter system to spread out the water.

Once again, the blemish free track record of Waterloov is untarnished.
"When debris meets it's Waterloov, the war of Clogged Gutters is Over!"

Tomorrow, we'll be visiting a customer who claims that all of her gutters are clogged and that water is leaking in near a newly installed bay window. She claims that no new roofing has been installed.

Will this home be an exception to the rule and have clogged gutters?

Ever wonder why foam gutter inserts are so inexpensive?

noreply@blogger.com (Eavestrough) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 14:01:00 +0000

Did you ever wonder why foam gutter inserts are so inexpensive?

Probably because you can't charge a lot of money for a gutter protection product that doesn't work much better than the cheapest gutter screen.

Foam gutter inserts are suppose to keep the leaves and debris out of your gutter. Consumers are drawn to them because of the perceived low cost and they convince themselves that foam inserts will work as well as the more expensive solid top gutter guards.

Well that's a physical impossibility.

Foam inserts are porous allowing the water to flow through but not the debris which is fine as long as you don't mind getting the ladder out and cleaning the debris off of the top of the foam. How easy do you think that will be especially if you have to deal with pine needles.

Solid type gutter guards will never have to be cleaned as often as foam, brush, screen or mesh products. Although they may cost more the solid gutter covers real value is that they perform a whole lot better. The best of the solid gutter covers may never have to be cleaned.

Failing to keep up with cleaning the foam can be embarrassing.

After spending the money for having foam inserts installed or after purchasing the foam and installing it yourself, you don't want your house to look like it has no gutter protection at all.

Cisterns Anyone?

noreply@blogger.com (Eavestrough) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:24:00 +0000

A homeowner called from Alaska to order an additional 100 feet of Waterloov for his home.About 10 years ago he had a contractor install Waterloov gutter guards his home. He had recently added an addition to his home and he wanted to extend the gutter protection to the new section of his home.

He said that on the island where he lives, rain water is collected from the gutters and stored in cisterns. His neighbors but not him typically have to clean a foot of muck from their cisterns and are amazed at how clean and pristine his cistern is.

He said that if he wanted to go into business, Waterloov would be an easy business for him as all his neighbors would be excellent prospects.

Storm Damaged the Gutter Guards.

noreply@blogger.com (Eavestrough) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 18:20:00 +0000

A homeowner calls and reports, "A tree fell on my roof and destroyed the gutters. The roofing company hired a gutter company to replace the gutter and the Waterloov system, but did it wrong, we need you to fix the problem."

When the gutter guy was here, the homeowner told him how to install the gutter covers but he was a "know-it-all" and did it his way. He didn't give the homeowner valley-fall which they had before, but instead used useless diverters and even though there was a gutter cover installed correctly on one length of gutter, he chose to reinstall them his way which was the wrong way so the lip of the gutter guard is on top of the gutter lip instead of under it."

Sure enough, he installed two runs of the Waterloov Gutter Guard wrong and his valley treatment was nothing more that solid splash block that actually directed water into the valley instead of away from the valley.

Two hours later--it was high and required a 40ft. ladder--the Valley Fall System was installed and the two runs of gutter removed and reinstalled correctly.

Shame on contractors who don't heed basic instructions or at least look at what's already installed and simply repeat it.

I Was Happy With Waterloov on the Back of My House.

noreply@blogger.com (Eavestrough) — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 20:00:00 +0000

A Waterloov Customer called in recently to ask for a quote to have Waterloov Gutter Covers installed on the front and back of her home. She said that she had it on the back of her home which gave me the impression that she had moved and now wanted it on her new home.

I measured her home and while talking with her I learned that she had had Waterloov on the back of the home that I was measuring. I asked, "What happened to your original Waterloov?"

"I had a new roof installed a couple years ago and the roofer tried to reinstall the Waterloov gutter guard but he messed it up when they took the shovels to rip off the roofing and couldn't reinstall it. So he gave me another gutter cover and it has never really worked."

I looked closely at it and found it to be the WaterFall gutter cover. I told her, "The product he gave you can be very difficult to remove from your gutters. In fact some people when removing it end up destroying the gutter. I'm going to have to charge you $2 per foot to remove it."

This was an insult on top of another insult. The first insult was that she had purchased her first Waterloov in the early 90's for about a third of what it now costs and then she'd have to pay $2 per foot to have her roofer's mistake (installing a product that didn't work) removed.

But there was no question in her mind, she knew what worked (the Waterloov Gutter Covers) and what didn't work and was hoping she could get her roofer to remove his mistake and hopefully save her $2 per foot.

My gutters are overflowing

noreply@blogger.com (Eavestrough) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 13:35:00 +0000

The customer's phone call went something like this.
"All my gutter around my home are over flowing with your Waterloov Gutter Covers."

We asked, "Did you have a new roof installed lately?"

She replied "Yes, just a couple months ago. The roofer took off the gutter guards and reinstalled them."

Seems obvious as to what the problem is--roofing debris got into the gutter and wasn't cleaned out before the Waterloov was reinstalled. Cutting corners and not taking the time to do a job right is never a good idea, the roofer and customer blamed the gutter covers when the real culprit was an employee of the roofing company who either didn't care or was too rushed to make sure the gutters were free of debris from the roofing job.

Sure enough, in each gutter a few small pieces of tar paper and shingle had drained to the downspout and clogged them up. It would have only taken twenty minutes to service the entire home except for the fact when the roofer reinstalled the gutter guards, he nailed the rear edge of the panel into the roofing which required extra time to pop the nails in order to remove the panels over the downspouts.

Another service call the same day resulted in finding roofing debris from a roof that was replaced two years ago finally making its way to the downspout.

Once again, the Waterloov Gutter protection system retains it's impeccable no clog history.

Spaldeens and Gutter Covers

noreply@blogger.com (Eavestrough) — Thu, 27 May 2010 13:12:00 +0000

I ran across a great column in the Albert Lea Tribune by Al Batt that shows how important it is to have gutter covers if you play with Spaldeens.

We were playing a baseball game called 500.
In this game, one batter hits the baseball and everyone else attempts to field it. If a fielder catches a ball on the fly, he is awarded 100 points. If he snags it on one hop, it’s worth 50 points. A ground ball is 25 points, as long as it is still rolling when corralled. If a fielder errs, he receives corresponding negative points. When a fielder accumulates 500 points, he becomes the batter. The game works best if you have plentiful players.
The problem was that there were only two of us. We were a couple of skinny boys, one from the city and one from the farm. He was the son of a doctor. I was the son of a farmer. We were so thin that no one ever suggested we should eat more salads. When I wore a red necktie to church, I looked like a thermometer. Fortunately, the two of us were problem-solvers. We came up with a workable solution.
My friend had a Spalding Hi-Bounce Ball. It was pink in color. He called it a “Spaldeen.” It had more bounciness than the typical rubber ball. We came up with a plan where one of us would toss the ball against the outside of the second floor of our farmhouse and then we would compete to see who could catch the ball. The one who controlled the Spaldeen would be the next to throw it against the siding. We figured a game to 5,000 would be appropriate. That way we could work on our baseball skills and our math skills at the same time.

Al Batt

Few houses were constructed for this type of activity. I don’t know what the builders were thinking. Our house was built to be not quite as nice as the barn because jealous dairy cows don’t give as much milk as haughty ones.
We were tied at 1175 each when it began to rain. We didn’t mind the rain. We weren’t going to rust.
We kept playing and then it happened. The Spaldeen became stuck in the rain gutter. It’s always something. That wasn’t an insurmountable predicament. It had happened before. I had climbed onto the roof many times to retrieve balls. I had the home field advantage, so I didn’t think of asking my friend to get the hidden Spaldeen — even though it was his ball and I could have presented a reasonable argument that it was his duty to do so.
I had experience. I had climbed on the roof before when it was raining. The wooden shingles became very slippery when wet, so it was good that a Spaldeen seeker had some familiarity with placing shoes on slick shingles.
I had fallen off the roof a year earlier on a similar rainy day. I was seeking a ball lodged in an eaves trough that day. I had hit the sidewalk wrong. It’s difficult to hit a sidewalk right. I broke a foot. I heard my father moving about inside the house and, not wanting to bother him with my problems, I’d tried to run, but I couldn’t. A broken foot reduces mobility. I remember when Doc Olds told me that my foot had healed enough that I could climb the stairs to my upstairs bedroom. What a relief that was. I was getting tired of having to clamber up and down the drainpipe.
I was thinking about that fall when I fell again. I did a tuck and roll when I hit the ground. I pretended that I had meant to fall. I jumped up and said, “Ta-da!”
My friend laughed. My father, who had just entered the yard, did not.
My father had been a little crabby. He was worried about the price of soybeans and had taken to biting his fingernails. That is not a good practice for a farmer who works with animal exhaust. In order to cure him of the habit, my mother had hidden his false teeth. That left Dad a wee bit cantankerous.
He checked me over and finding me to be unbroken, began to lecture me.
“How many times do you have to fall off a roof before you learn to stay off it? We just got your broken foot paid for! I know why you didn’t send your friend up there. He wouldn’t have gone. That’s because a doctor’s kid knows better than that. You know why, don’t you? Because a doctor keeps the best children for himself. Didn’t you learn anything from last year’s fall?”
I replied, “I must have learned something, Dad. I got three feet closer to the ball than I did last year.”
Hartland resident Al Batt’s columns appear every Wednesday and Sunday.

Waterloov gutter cover would have kept the Spaldeen out of the gutter and saved Al a trip to the hospital.

Gutters Clogged with Gutter Guards on Them?

noreply@blogger.com (Eavestrough) — Wed, 26 May 2010 17:57:00 +0000

The phone call this week went something like this:

"We've had your Waterloov Gutter system since the mid 1990's and are having a problem. Water is overflowing from the gutters in the front of the house and the back of the house. With all the rain, we've gotten some rain in our basement. Please come and fix the problem."

When asked if there was any visible debris on the louvers of the gutter covers the answer was, "No."
Uh oh, is this the first house to have it's gutters clogged? Both front and rear--that would be a rarity.

When we arrived, the homeowner pointed to downspout on the front lower gutter that had become dislodged from the bottom of the gutter. He asked if it could be repaired and thought the gutters would be due for a flushing since this was our first visit in over ten years when he had tree limb damage.

Just to check things out, the endcap was removed and what was revealed was a thirty foot length of gutter that was completely clear and open. Ten minutes later, the endcap was reinstalled, the gutter discharge elbow fastened to the gutter and one problem was taken care of.

Inspection of the short gutter on the rear of the home likewise resulted in an open clean gutter, but there was one area in the center of the gutter where the louvers on the outside of the gutter cover had become blocked.
Because of a trellis they weren't easily visible. Five minutes later and the end cap replaced and the louvers were cleaned.

For peace of mind, upper gutters were also inspected and found to be totally clear and open. Two minutes of instruction on how to brush his lower rear gutter by the trellis and the service call was complete in less than a total of twenty minutes.

Waterloov's reputation for clog free gutters remains unblemished and our 75 yr old customer now knows he can easily maintain them.

Do Gutters covered by Gutter Covers ever clog?

noreply@blogger.com (Eavestrough) — Mon, 10 May 2010 15:29:00 +0000

Please read this post in it's entirety.

I was speaking with one of our installing dealers just this morning who informed me that he had inspected a home where the gutter was found to be clogged inside. He said, "This is a job we installed three years ago, and this is the first gutter in twelve years that I've found was clogged and overflowing. It was clogged with pine needles. I don't think it was the fault of the Waterloov system--I think it wasn't cleaned properly in the first place. My parents have had the gutter covers on their home for ten years and they live in a pine forest and there's never been a problem."

Now if this fellow had only installed ten homes in twelve years, it wouldn't be much of a testimony. No, not at all. But considering he installs 500 homes a year for the last twelve years, (over 6,000 homes) that's quite a track record.

I replied that his experience is typical and that out of the thousands of jobs I'm personally familiar with, I can count on one hand the number of gutters I've found clogged.

"And to think," he added, "the other so called gutter cover companies have full time crews just cleaning out gutters that get clogged. Waterloov really is the best gutter cover in the world"

Can't get a better testimonial than that, right?

Winter Leaf Guard Damaged by Ice

noreply@blogger.com (Eavestrough) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 14:13:00 +0000

We've had a unusually brutal winter in the Mid Atlantic states.

A customer called to tell us that her gutter had been pulled off her home along with the gutter guards from her slate roof. Another homeowner a few miles further north call with a similar problem.

If gutters aren't as secure as they should be, extreme snow or ice loads can pull gutters away from the facia even to a point where they fall off of the house.

Considering that many homeowners in the same area lost parts of their roofs and gutters to fallen trees, our service calls were pretty light.

One customer called to complain of icicles hanging from her gutters--easy solution--install heat tapes. They sell them in Home Depot and Lowe's. Ice and icicles can a problem for all homeowners--not just because they have gutter guards.

Because most gutter covers like Waterloov keep the ice from forming inside of your gutters, the ice that can form on the outside of the gutter and cover is a good indicator that your house has been loosing heat through the roof for years costing you money and wasting precious fuel.

It's well known that if the temperature is below freezing the snow that melts on the roof will refreeze when it reaches the eaves and can form ice dams or icicles. The solution is easy in theory but difficult in execution--keep the roof package cold by eliminating sources of heat and maintaining sufficient ventilation.

Sometimes gutter covers can be oversold with promises of miraculous results. Customer dissatisfaction tends to occur when customers weren't told upfront by the salesman how gutter covers work in the winter. Unrealistic expectations can cause bad feelings and unhappiness.

Gutter Covers And Steep Roofs

noreply@blogger.com (Eavestrough) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:00:00 +0000

Will gutter covers work on a Mansard (very steep) roof?

Maybe, many gutter guards are not recommended for very steep or very shallow roof pitches greater than 12 on 12 or lower that 3 on 12.

How about your gutter covers, can they be installed on a mansard roof and how is it done?

Yes, the Waterloov Gutter Guards have been installed successfully for twenty years on Mansard roofs.

The Waterloov leaf guards can be installed on any pitch of roof even almost vertical. The gutter protectors are installed either by bending the back of the waterloov gutter guards to match the near vertical roof and slid in under the roofing shingle or a ledge can be installed against the roofing with the rear edge of the Waterloov leaf guards laid on top of the ledge.

The Waterloov panels can be manipulated in the field or modified during production to fit any roof pitch and just about any gutter location.

Contact the manufacturer for specifics at 1-800-841-RAIN or by e-mail www.waterloov.com

Removing Your Waterloov and Regretting it Later.

noreply@blogger.com (Eavestrough) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:59:00 +0000

Received a call from a customer in Maryland (my old stomping grounds). He's had Waterloov for several years but been having a problem with a valley and had never called us to fix the problem.

A gutter guard company making their rounds in his neighborhood had convinced him their system would work better. It made sense to him at the time and he had them remove Waterloov from the gutters connected to the valley and install their system.

Guess What?

A year later he called us because he was disappointed with the other guys product which not only didn't fix the valley problem but now his gutter is clogged. He's very sorry that he hadn't called us to find out about our Valley Fall treatment for valleys.

His gutters that are still covered with Waterloov are not clogged, only the gutter with the different product is clogged.

This is the second person within a year that has made the mistake of having his Waterloov removed only to deeply regret it later on.

The Valley Fall valley treatment was designed to control water in roof valleys without compromising the gutter covers ability to keep the gutter free flowing

Icicles and Ice Dams with Gutter Guards

noreply@blogger.com (Eavestrough) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:19:00 +0000

I received a call from a customer with icicles. She was not very happy and blamed it on the Waterloov gutter covers she's had since 1994.
I don't really know what the big deal is about. I've had icicles on my home even before I installed the Waterloov gutter guard nearly twenty years ago. And I have ice dams too. My home is a ranch and the icicles have at times gone all the way to the ground.
But I understand why I have icicles--I literally have no ventilation in my attic space which is used as a living space.
Click here for the technical explanation.
The only good news is that icicles are not limited to the Waterloov system--they happen with all gutter covers. The best way to deal with them is by installing heat tapes.
For me personally I'd rather knock off a few icicles a couple times a year than clean my gutters three or four times a year. But actually I'm so lazy that I rarely bother knocking off the icicles.
I did notice that because of an ice dam, a short portion of my gutter is being pushed away from the house. It's actually the gutter covers that are keeping the water from flowing in behind my gutters. I had new gutters installed about fifteen years ago, so I guess I really can't complain.
That gutter has handled quite a few ice dams since then.

Ask the Engineer about Keeping Downspouts Clear

noreply@blogger.com (Eavestrough) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 21:17:00 +0000

I received the following email today.

"I’ve read your excellent article on each type of rain gutter cover and their pros and cons. Good gutter covers, usually professionally installed, do work well but none are perfect in terms of keeping everything out and/or needing some sort of maintenance from time-to-time.

I have been in the rain gutter business for over 17 years and have come to the following conclusion: As long as the outlet in a rain gutter is clear, water will ALWAYS flow out of that gutter. Conversely, a gutter can be pristine clean but if the outlet is clogged water will NEVER flow out of that gutter. It’s all about the outlet.

I have also concluded that good gutter covers combined with the ability to check and/or clean an outlet quickly, easily and safely creates “the best of both worlds” for the homeowner. You see, if a homeowner has good covers, then the ONLY area in the gutter they need to be concerned with is the outlet.

To that end I have developed, manufactured and presently sell a product that enables users to check and clean their outlets – 1, 2 even 3 story – in less than 1 minute from the safety of the ground. The SpoutOff makes good covers better. Functionally the covers are better because the outlets can actually be checked (looked into) so the user knows FOR SURE that their covers are working.

From a sales point of view, The SpoutOff overcomes the objection (often not stated) of “How do I know FOR SURE the covers are working? An intelligent user understands that if their outlet becomes clogged, damage will occur but they will not know until the damage manifests itself, and then it is too late… all because they cannot “see into” their covered gutters. Bee hives are the best example here… bees get into covered gutters, build a hive, the bees leave, the hive stays and eventually works its way down and clogs the outlet – not good!

Although we approach making gutters work (meaning always moving water away from a building) differently from covers, The SpoutOff does not compete with covers but rather complements covers making the covers better and providing the user with the best “system” for moving water away and knowing their gutters are working.

I truly appreciate your clear and objective view on covers and welcome your thoughts on The SpoutOff… the good, the bad and the ugly – you can’t hurt my feelings as this is how I continue to learn."

*****

Go check out his product. It seems that no matter how much I write about Waterloov or how many videos I take of the product after even 15 years experience, people just don't believe that gutters and downspouts remain totally free and open with Waterloov Gutter Covers installed, but they do remain clean and free flowing.

*****

This was my answer:

"Thank you for your reply. I'm glad that someone is reading the articles. If you knew how truly effective the Waterloov leaf guards are, you'd never waste your time or money patenting anything else. Who in the hell living in a million dollar home wants to have to wonder about his downspouts? See it's all about removing any uncertainty about clogging inside and being truthful about what might happen to the gutter cover itself, i.e. they all clog preventing water from getting into the gutter.

I'm sorry to offend you but your invention is like inventing umbrellas for fleas as far as Waterloov gutter guards are concerned--I'm sure the Gutter Helmets and Gutter Toppers might need it. If you truly want to solve clogged rain gutter problems, you'll use the best gutter cover--Waterloov gutter guards--and never have to wonder about downspouts.

If I had to tell my customers that in addition to the Waterloov gutter covers in heavy debris needing occassional maintenance on the outside that they also should check the downspouts, then I might as well sell them any one of the useless hooded products that claim to never clog inside and never even mention to them that they will need to service the gutter cover itself.

Be energized, healthy, and well,

Richard Kuhns B.S.Ch.E."

Ask the Engineer about Using a Brush System to Keep Gutters Clean

noreply@blogger.com (Eavestrough) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 20:31:00 +0000

After over twenty years I'm amazed that there are still people trying to invent a better gutter guards than the Waterloov Gutter Protection System.

The video below shows a new gutter brush product.

Can you imagine what this product will look like after a year of service? After collecting a year's worth of tree debris? Yes, someone will have to go up a ladder (I thought the idea of quality gutter protection was to keep people off ladders), pull out the brush and clean it off. Now can you imagine cleaning off a brush full of putrid yuck?

I don't think this inventions is an intelligent choice for the homeowner wants to eliminate climbing a ladder to clean his/her gutters.

Never Clog Gutter Guarantee

noreply@blogger.com (Eavestrough) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:22:00 +0000

Don't let the never clog gutter guarantee confuse you. The micro mesh screen gutter covers advertise that they have never had a gutter clog inside. Of course this is every homeowner's dream and is exactly what any homeowner would want from their leaf guards. But what else could clog?

What they fail to mention is that in heavy debris conditions the micro mesh gutter guards will clog and where is the clog? It's on top of the gutter where it can't be seen--only suspected when water streams over the gutter.
Take a look at this YouTube video to see for yourself in a light debris situation.

Has anyone else had any with this type of gutter protection product?

Gutters Installed with Spikes and Gutter Guards

noreply@blogger.com (Eavestrough) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:09:00 +0000

Spikes and ferrules are probably the worst possible way to install gutter especially in the hands of an inexperienced crew. Spikes that don't hit a rafter tail depend on the fascia board only to hold the spike in place. Sometimes they even split the fascia board making it impossible for the spike to be held in place for very long.

Unfortunately with mother nature's forces on the gutter (weight of water in the gutter, wind, ice expanding, etc.) spikes work loose and when several of them loosen, the gutter drops loose from the fascia board where water just pours over onto the roof below or the ground.

This becomes a particular challenge if gutter covers that don't get nailed to the roof are installed on the gutter as they end up flapping in the breeze if the spikes let go.

A far superior installation is to use hidden hangers with screws that screw into the fascia board. Now you have both the swelling of the wood and the turns of the screw holding the gutter to the fascia board.

The good news is that when gutter spikes loosen and the gutter pulls away from the fascia board, it can be repaired. The gutter covers are removed, then all the loose spikes are removed to prevent them from interfering with re installation.

A quality hidden hanger is fastened to the gutter minimally every 30 inches and ideally 24 0r 18 inches apart. The gutter is repositioned in under all the roofing and fastened to the fascia board with the screws in the hidden hanger.

The gutter covers are reinstalled and everything is back to normal.

It's not uncommon to find that spikes have been reset several times into other positions because of past failings. Sometimes the spike gets reset into the bottom of the gutter which will leave an opening for water to escape the gutter and damage the facia. A basic solution for this is to use a small piece of scrap metal and lay it over the hole with Geocel 2030 sealant.

Ask the Engineer - Are There Really Self Cleaning Gutters?

noreply@blogger.com (Eavestrough) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:47:00 +0000

In order to have self cleaning gutters there are two basic physical requirements:
1. Both the size and amount of debris entering the gutter have to be limited.
2. The gutter needs to be able to flush out any debris that does get in by controlling the way the water enters the gutter to create a swirling action in the bottom of the gutter.

Most gutter screens let in too much debris and because the water drips in from the top, there is no swirling.

Then there are the micro mesh filters gutter guards. They don't let in any debris and the gutter stays free flowing inside. However, on the outside, there's nothing to keep the debris from accumulating on their top side. Nothing to keep it from accumulating like a paper mache that eventually blocks the filters and renders the gutter useless. So what good is it if you have a free flowing gutter but water can't get into it?

Membranes and brushes installed in the gutter aren't much different than basic screens. Too much debris gets into the gutter and clogs the brushes or the membranes rendering the gutter clogged. Click Here for photos of these various leaf guard designs, .

The fin type gutter guards are a step in the right direction. They have a solid top and a front rounded nose (fin). However, they allow too much debris into the gutter--even full sized leaves get in.

Another variation of the fin type gutter cover adds a trough containing sieve openings (screen-like). But it doesn't take an MIT graduate to notice that just as much debris gets into the trough as without the trough meaning that either the trough will clog or the material will break down in size and enter the gutter anyway. Once again, experience shows that too much debris gets into the gutter to keep it from being free flowing and there is no flushing action.

A final variation of the solid top fin gutter covers is the Waterloov gutter protector that has two rows of interspersed louvers instead of one long fin. The size of the louvers limit any debris that enters the gutter to 3/4" in length. Thus only about 8% of the debris that enters the fin type or the fin and trough type gets into the double row louvered system. And because the water entering the gutter from the gutter guards sweeps down the front inside face of the gutter a swirling action is created in the bottom of the gutter.

This swirling action constantly keeps any fine debris such as roofing grit, fine tree debris, parts of blossoms stirred and moving downward toward the downspout where it flows down the downspout making Waterloov the only self cleaning gutter protector design in the market place with twenty years of experience in all kinds of heavy debris conditions.

The design of the louvers allow gutters to be self cleaning and the entire system requires no servicing from ladders.

Should You Be Concerned if Your Gutter Guard Clogs?

noreply@blogger.com (Eavestrough) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:48:00 +0000

Should you be concerned if your gutter guard clogs?

The answer to this question is "Yes" and "No."

It all depends on the type of gutter cover system you have installed on your gutters. Many gutter guards and leaf guards clog where you can't see the clog and don't know about it until it's too late and you end up with a big surprise when the gutter overflows and your basement floods.

Then some gutter guards clog are somewhat visible so you know that you have to get a ladder to clean them out.

Fortunately there is one gutter protector that makes it easy to know when maintenance is needed because any debris buildup is visible on the outside of the system and easy to clean without a ladder.

Click here to read more about all the different gutter cover devices and their benefits and faults.

Did Gutter Guards Cause My Ceiling Water Stains?

noreply@blogger.com (Eavestrough) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:11:00 +0000

It was the day after Thanksgiving that I visited a customer who had the Waterloov Gutter Cover System for about ten years.

The wife noticed the beginning of a leak in the ceiling and wondered if the gutters could be the cause. She thought that the gutter covers had let enough debris in to clog the gutters.

We must get about two or three calls like this every year. I remember one on Mother's day a few years ago with a customer complaining that water was coming through the light socket in the middle of the ceiling. She too thought that the gutter guards were the culprit.

Even though it was a flat roof, I was certain the leak wasn't because of the leaf guards, but nonetheless, I checked because it's something we do--customer support. Sure enough the leak was caused by a tree limb that had been fallen from a nearby tree with such force that it penetrated the roofing. Finding the cause of a leak is usually not that easy.

With the Thanksgiving service call the culprit looked like it could be from a three inch vent pipe going through the roof. The flashing for the pipe was supposed to be installed under the shingles on the top portion of it. However, it was just laid on top of the shingles with caulk to seal it to the shingles--an obvious place for water to enter.

Fortunately the husband was home and what I suggested made sense to him even though his wife was still certain that the gutters were clogged and causing the problem. The good news for me was that the gutters where clean and open when I opened them up to check.

I'll keep posting new service calls as they come up and I'd like to hear about your experiences with roof leaks and gutter guards.

The Last Step In Gutter Covers - Ask the Engineer

noreply@blogger.com (Eavestrough) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 02:25:00 +0000

In my previous posts I wrote about gutter screens, micro mesh gutter guards, fin type gutter covers, fin type of gutter guards, dispersal units and flip clean gutters. In this post, we'll look at what one inventor patented in 1983 that takes the fin type gutter cover system to its logical endpoint.

The main problem with fin type covers is that they do not provide any way to filter out large debris from washing into the gutter along with the rainwater. This type of system also requires the use of some type of clip to connect the cover to the gutter and control the dimension of the opening.

This inventor in his original and subsequent patents envisioned a solid top and a rounded front nose just like the fin type leaf guards but instead of a single long fin he added a vertical front which has two rows of interspersed louvers or fins without creating a trough. So you might say it has many many fins of limited size each of which is approximately 3/4" in length and limits the size of debris that can enter into the gutter. The addition of a vertical front also enable the solid top portion to be attached to the gutter without the need for clips.

What makes this improved system work is a combination of gravity and surface adhesion plus a unique screening system. Gravity carries the water and debris downward and surface adhesion causes the downward flowing water to adhere to the louvers and be guided into the gutter. The interspersed fins effectively reject larger debris flowing along with the water into the gutter.

Because the amount and size of louvered openings debris entering the gutter is limited to such a small size that the gutters inside never accumulate sufficient debris to cause a problem or clog. There is no chance of any debris falling into the gutter and very little chance of debris blowing or washing into the gutter.

Other inventors have tried to overcome the fin type covers' problems by extending the lines of the nose curve into an S curve that attaches to the gutter lip. This approach eliminates the need for clips and somewhat filters the debris but the bottom portion of the S curve creates a trough which collects large debris that washes over the nose and either clogs or needs to be cleaned by hand from a ladder.

The inventors vertical faced multi-fin idea is now the Waterloov gutter protection system which has been successfully protecting raingutters in the harshest of conditions for twenty years. Where this design excels is in leaf and debris conditions that overtax the other types of gutter protection.

Ask the Engineer about Flipping Gutters

noreply@blogger.com (Eavestrough) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:10:00 +0000

In the last several posts I looked at what makes gutter screens, hooded fin type gutter guards, hooded fin type with a sieve trough gutter covers and rain dispersal units work. Now we'll look at what makes the flipping type of gutter work.

Some inventors reject the whole idea of using screens or covers to keep gutters clean in favor of finding better ways to clean gutters. Wouldn't it be nice if you could just empty the gutter all at once safely from the ground?

Gutters that flip just like with the rain dispersal units, the existing gutters need to be removed before the product can be installed.

And now as I think of it, one of the fin types that I discussed in an earlier post also requires that perfectly good existing gutters be removed and replaced with and all-in-one leaf guard. The gutter and the gutter cover are made of one continuous piece of aluminum. If you want to see how effective they are just click here to see photos of them after a year of two of service.

Back to the flip clean system. Existing gutters are removed, special brackets are installed to which the new gutters are attached. The hangers are hinged such that the entire gutter can flip downward and dump its contents by using a long pole to release the gutter. It then can be pushed back and locked into position.

What makes it work is gravity alone. Whatever falls into the gutter is simply dumped. The problems with this device are that you can't see what is in the gutter before you dump it so if you forgot to dump it last year, you might end up with a putrid dam of water on your head. The gutters are also known to warp rendering the invention useless. And of course if you have twenty gutters on your home, each one has to be dumped.

Where the old gutters turned a corner the new gutters cannot. In order to be dumped each run of gutter must be a separate unit which interrupts the smooth clean appearance that continuous gutters normally have. Also second and third story gutters may be very difficult to reach to unhinge.

This gutter flipping approach to cleaning gutters does keep the homeowner off ladders but it certainly doesn't eliminate cleaning gutters or make the chore much easier. Only solid top gutter covers can do that.

Ask the Engineer about what makes Rain Dispersal Units work.

noreply@blogger.com (Eavestrough) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:11:00 +0000

In past posts I've been talking about the evolution of gutter covers. While most inventors were working to improve screens and solid top leaf guards there were a few who followed a different path. These few asked why improve on gutters when you can replace them with a product that forces rainwater away from the foundation and isn't a trough to collect debris.

Rain Dispersal units have been around for years. At first glance they look like they might be the answer to eliminating the chore of cleaning dirty smelly gutters. But they is a risk in that you have to remove your existing gutters completely in order to install the dispersers and if they don't work, then you're stuck with removing them and having to pay to have gutters reinstalled.
In other words, you'd be back to square one and out of pocket a considerable amount of water and money. At least if you choose the wrong gutter covers or leaf guards, you still have your gutters intact.

Well, let's take a look at rain dispersers and what makes them work. And then what could go wrong with them.

Basically the rain dispersal system is a series of angled vanes mounted horizontally to your fascia board. In theory as the rain water flows off the roof it hits the vanes with sufficient force (kinetic energy) to disperse the water droplets outward away from the foundation of the building.

They look promising until you ask yourself a couple of questions. What happens in slow rain fall when the rain water just drips off the roof-line? And what happens to the leaves and twigs that fall onto the dispersal fins?

Remember that what makes the device work is gravity and kinetic energy. Dripping water has insufficient kinetic energy to disperse in the vanes. It simply drips onto the vanes and drips from them straight down onto the ground leaving a drip line all around the foundation.

And what about the wet debris that lays on top of the unit? It blocks off the vanes so the rain water as it hits the dispersal unit is not dispersed but simply runs off onto the ground.

Again, maintenance involving the use of a ladder is required to clean off the top of the dispersal units. Certainly not a solution to ladder free maintenance.

Ask the Engineer More about How Gutter Guards Work

noreply@blogger.com (Eavestrough) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:59:00 +0000

In the last posts I covered screens, membranes, filters and the hooded fin type of gutter cover.

In search of the perfect gutter guard inventors needed to improve upon the fin type of gutter guard since it allowed too much debris into the gutter in mild-to-heavy debris conditions. What they did was add a trough along with a sieve in the bottom of the trough. They added it to portion of the gutter guard that extended downward into the gutter to limit the size of the debris that is allowed into the gutter. Basically it's a trough with openings to allow water into the gutter.

It seems like a step into the right direction. The inventors dilemma was what size to make the openings in the trough. If the openings were too small then all of the debris that would normally enter the gutter from the fin leaf guard accumulates in the trough and clogs. If the openings are too large than the debris can enter the gutter and clog. Each manufacture of this type of cover arrived at their own determination of what the optimum size of the openings should be. In reality there is no optimum size because what works for one type of debris (large leaves) doesn't necessarily work for another (pine needles) type of debris.

After it deteriorates in the trough a sufficient amount of debris still gets into the gutter to clog the gutter.

What makes the fin and trough type of gutter guard work is the use of surface adhesion just as with its predecessor (the fin) and gravity. The inventors reverted back to the screen type which operates only by gravity in the trough in their attempts to advance the the technology in a significant way but failed to doing so.

Again, maintenance involving the use of a ladder is required to remove the gutter guards and clean the downspouts and reinstall the gutter covers. Maybe a slight improvement over basic fin type gutter guard, but not a solution to ladder free maintenance.