Gutter guards do work, up to a point. A good one cuts down the number of cleanings a gutter needs, and none of them end cleaning. Whether one is worth it on a Michigan house comes down to the trees over the roof: leaves are the easy case, and maple seeds, pine needles, hard rain and ice are where guards struggle.
We clean gutters with and without guards. This post covers how each type behaves under Michigan trees, so you can judge one before you buy it.
Five kinds of gutter guard
Type | How it works | What testers or the maker say |
|---|---|---|
Screen | A plastic or metal grid with openings you can see, laid over the trough | Consumer Reports found fine mesh beat screens with larger holes |
Micro-mesh | A fine mesh on a frame over the trough | LeafFilter says its holes are 50 microns |
Reverse curve | A solid cover with a rounded front edge; water follows the curve into a slot and debris slides off | Consumer Reports found these shed debris well and struggled in a severe downpour |
Foam | A foam wedge that fills the trough; water soaks through it | GutterFoam says to clear it with a blower or hose every six months |
Brush | A long bottle brush laid in the trough | GutterBrush says upkeep means pulling the brushes and shaking them out |
The best independent test we know of is old. Consumer Reports left gutter guards outdoors for 16 months and reported in 2010, loading them with maple leaves and pine needles. The products have changed since then, so read it for how each type behaves.
Here's what it found. The professionally installed systems all shed debris well. Fine-mesh screens from LeafFilter and Gutterglove beat screens with larger holes, and one large-hole screen from Raingo let water pour out over the sides. None of the foam or brush inserts were good at keeping debris out.
Do gutter guards work in heavy rain?
Some handle it better than others, and none of them catch every drop in a hard storm. In Consumer Reports' 2010 test, the professionally installed guards all shed leaves well, and even the top scorer was only middling at holding a severe downpour. A guard topped with pollen or a mat of leaves sends more water over the front.
Here's what a hard storm looks like. For Northville, NOAA's rainfall estimates put about 0.37 inches in five minutes, or 1.15 inches in an hour, at a storm that comes around once every two years on average. That's a lot of water arriving at once at the front edge of a guard.
Two things make it worse. Fine mesh can film over: Consumer Reports noted that LeafFilter may need brushing in high-pollen areas. And on a cover that keeps leaves out, a mat can build on top and send water straight over the front, the pattern our Northville gutter page describes. If heavy rain is your worry, ask the installer how the product was tested and get the upkeep schedule in writing.
Do gutter guards work with pine needles?
Some designs keep needles out better than others, and the makers disagree about which. LeafFilter says only micro-mesh is proven to keep needles out. Gutter Helmet says needles fall through mesh covers and that its solid cover keeps them out. GutterBrush says needles catch in the top of its bristles and shake out later.
Each maker says its own design is the answer, so it helps to know the needles. Michigan's state tree is the white pine, and the Michigan DNR describes its needles as long and soft, growing in bundles of five. Needles like that slide through screen openings that stop a leaf, which is why the size of the opening matters more than the brand.
Read the claims with their source in mind. LeafFilter's page sells micro-mesh. Gutter Helmet's page sells a solid cover. GutterBrush's FAQ sells brushes. If pines hang over your roof, ask any installer to show you that product on a house under pines.
Michigan trees and Michigan winters
Oak leaves. Leaves are the easy case. In Consumer Reports' test, the installed covers and fine-mesh systems all shed them well. The catch with oaks is timing. University of Illinois Extension explains that oaks hold dead leaves through much of winter and drop them in late winter or early spring, so leaves land on top of the guard over a long stretch and sit there wet. Our West Bloomfield gutter page covers lots with several big oaks over one house.
Maple seeds. Red maple seed ripens from April to June, and the helicopters come down in May here. Gutter Helmet says seeds that land point-down stick in mesh and flat ones lodge in the openings. GutterBrush says seeds catch in the top of its bristles. Either way, someone has to clear them.
Ice. No guard stops an ice dam, because ice dams come from heat leaking into the attic that melts snow on the upper roof. When a gutter freezes solid, whatever is in it freezes too. GutterFoam's own FAQ says that when roof heat loss ices up a gutter, the foam becomes part of the frozen block. The fix is in the attic, and our post on how to prevent ice dams covers it.
Guarded gutters still need cleaning
InterNACHI, the home inspectors' association, says covered gutter systems can prevent excessive debris buildup and still need maintenance. The makers say the same in their own words. GutterBrush says all gutter protection under trees requires maintenance. GutterFoam lists a blower or hose pass every six months. Consumer Reports noted that its top do-it-yourself pick had to be checked for debris, which meant a ladder or a pro.
Fine debris and shingle grit still get in, and they settle in the trough and the downspouts. A guard over a plugged downspout still overflows. Our spring gutter cleaning post covers what builds up over a Michigan winter.
When we clean a guarded gutter, removable guards come off, the trough gets cleaned underneath, and the guards go back on. That takes longer, and it adds to the price. Some sealed or screwed-down systems can't come off without damage or voiding their warranty. If yours is one, we'll tell you, clean what we can reach and flush the downspouts.
So, are gutter guards worth it?
They can be, if you go in knowing what they do. Good ones cut down how often you need a cleaning, and none of them make it unnecessary. That's the line on our gutter cleaning page, and it holds for every type above.
Before you buy, ask the installer:
What size are the openings, and how does this product handle pine needles and maple seeds?
How does it attach? Consumer Reports says to make sure a system won't void your roof or gutter warranty, and LeafFilter says guards installed under the first row of shingles can.
What upkeep does the maker list, and who does it?
Can it come off for cleaning without damage?
If you already have guards, we'll clean under the ones that come off. If a guard system is working on your house, we'll say so and tell you to leave it alone. Our Novi gutter page answers the same question for the subdivisions there.
Questions people ask
Do micro-mesh gutter guards clog?
They can. A fine mesh keeps out more than a screen does, and fine debris and pollen can still coat the top. Consumer Reports noted in its 2010 test that a top-scoring micro-mesh system may need brushing in high-pollen areas. Grit and seed pods that get through settle in the trough and the downspouts.
Is it worth putting gutter guards on a house with oak trees?
It can be. Covers and fine mesh shed leaves well, and oak leaves are big. Oaks keep dropping leaves into winter and early spring, so leaves pile up on top of the guard over a long stretch. Plan on clearing the top, keep the downspouts flushed, and ask how the guard comes off for cleaning.
Do gutter guards cause ice dams?
No. Ice dams come from heat leaking into the attic, which melts snow on the upper roof so it freezes again at the cold eave. A guard doesn't change that. When a gutter freezes solid, anything inside it freezes too, and one foam guard maker says in its own FAQ that its foam becomes part of the ice.
How often do gutters with guards need cleaning?
It depends on the guard and the trees over it. The makers' own schedules run from a blower or hose pass every six months for foam to pulling and shaking out brush inserts when they fill. Check the schedule for your product, and have the downspouts flushed whenever the trough gets cleaned.
Get a quote
Tell us whether your gutters have guards and which trees hang over the roof through Get a Free Quote. We'll quote the cleaning, guards and all.
