FAQs
Top 5 Questions
As long as you retain between a 5 and 25 degree forward slant (positive slope) on the gutter guard once installed and ensure you have the front edge of our gutter guard lay flat on the front edge of your gutter, then you should achieve optimal performance.
Note: Between a 5 to 25 degrees forward slant (positive slope) is also equal to approximately a 1/12 to 6/12 pitch. If your roof is steeply pitched or your gutter is hung low, it is recommended to drop the slope of the gutter guard to between 5 and 10 degrees.
Please visit our “How To Install” page on this website and watch the videos, you may find that watching a video or reviewing a guide that is intended for a different gutter-to-roof scenario than yours may have the guidance you need. If you still have questions Contact Us, our US based world-class support team has helped thousands of customers successfully install their gutter guards.
Please note, you need to ensure you retain between a 5 and 25 degree forward slant (positive slope) on the gutter guard once installed. Also make sure you have the front edge of our gutter guard lay flat on the top front edge of your gutter so you have no gap, otherwise you could have rainwater running over the gutter. It is very important that you install our product properly!
Find out if you have a 5″ or 6″ gutter first because that will determine what size of the gutter guard will fit your gutter. We sell a 5″ version that will fit gutters between 2″ and 5″, and we also sell a 6″ version that will fit 5″ to 7″ gutters. To get the size of your gutter, measure the top of the gutter, starting at the front top outer lip, straight back to the fascia, just under the roof line. Click here to get more info.
It is important to understand that no gutter guard is 100% maintenance free, however, our gutter guards require the least amount of upkeep of any other gutter guard in the industry.
A great way to clean off your gutter guard, is with the use of The Gutter Guard Brush. It’s designed to clean off any gutter guard without having to get on a ladder or roof. Just screw the brush on the end of any standard extension pole, then from the ground, reach up and brush it off. For more information and where to buy, visit www.TheGutterGuardBrush.com.
We recommend using a new/sharp pair of tin snips. Here is a pair that many of our customers have suggested. Get it here.
Yes, Total Gutter Guard passed both ASTM: E2768 and ASTM: E84-19b for Extended Duration Surface Burning Characteristics of Building Materials. The stainless steel guards can limit the surface spread of flame for at least 30 minutes, potentially protecting the home from further damage. Learn More
Purchasing
No. When the gutter guard is installed, it’s extremely difficult to see from the ground because of the sleek low profile design. The front aluminum extrusion that connects to the top of your gutter comes in the natural color of the aluminum finish, which is basically a dull silver color. The mesh is slightly silver in color, but will turn darker gray as time goes by.
A rainwater diverter helps disperse heavier flows of rainwater over a wider space of your gutter to lessen the chance of the water running over your gutter. A typical location of where you would install a rainwater diverter would be on your inside miter gutter (roof valley intersection). It does this by keeping most of the organic debris from piling up on top of the stainless steel mesh.
We have specially designed rainwater diverters you can purchase at www.RainwaterDiverters.com
Find out if you have a 5″ or 6″ gutter first because that will determine what size of the gutter guard will fit your gutter. We sell a 5″ version that will fit gutters between 2″ and 5″, and we also sell a 6″ version that will fit 5″ to 7″ gutters. To get the size of your gutter, measure the top of the gutter, starting at the front top outer lip, straight back to the fascia, just under the roof line.
Click here to get more info.
You can register online. Just click here.
Note: In coastal areas, warranty is reduced from 10 (ten) years to 5 (five) years due to heavy chlorides in the air, and the Extended Warranty does not apply. “Coastal areas” is defined as anywhere within 10 (ten) miles from the coast.
Overall, the 6” version is more expensive because there is 33% more stainless steel micro-mesh in the design. Also, the 6” version is actually 7.25” wide as compared to the Standard version which is 5.5” wide. The 6” version is also more difficult to manufacture than the 5″ version.
Installation
Note: When an install requires bending of the mesh, it is considered a non-traditional install, which will require a little more work and time.
To bend the stainless steel mesh, put the gutter guard between two boards, clamp them down, then manually bend the mesh with your hands to the desired angle.
The gutter guard is customizable. If your gutter is between 2″ and 4″, you can actually bend the gutter guard in half, back under itself, so that it’s half its width so it will fit the small gutter. When you install the gutter guard, try and retain between a 5 and 25 degree forward slant (positive slope) on the gutter guard once installed to ensure you have the front edge of our gutter guard lay flat on the front edge of your gutter so you have no gap, then you should achieve optimal performance.
Note: When an install requires bending of the mesh, it is considered a non-traditional install, which will require a little more work and time.
To bend the stainless steel mesh, put the gutter guard between two boards, clamp them down, then manually bend the mesh with your hands to the desired angle.
We currently do not have a dealer network set up for this, which is mainly because it’s not difficult to install, in most cases. You could call a local gutter or roofing contractor to do the installation, or anyone you know that is good with basic tools and climbing a ladder should work just fine.
Be sure to have the person you may consider go to our “How To Install” page on this website to review the videos and guides for the various gutter-to-roof scenarios.
As long as you retain between a 5 and 25 degree forward slant (positive slope) on the gutter guard once installed and ensure you have the front edge of our gutter guard lay flat on the front edge of your gutter, then you should achieve optimal performance.
Note: Between a 5 to 25 degrees forward slant (positive slope) is also equal to approximately a 1/12 to 6/12 pitch. If your roof is steeply pitched or your gutter is hung low, it is recommended to drop the slope of the gutter guard to between 5 and 10 degrees.
Click Here to see our install video and photos.
Please note, you need to ensure you retain between a 5 and 25 degree forward slant (positive slope) on the gutter guard once installed. Also make sure you have the front edge of our gutter guard lay flat on the top front edge of your gutter so you have no gap, otherwise you could have rainwater running over the gutter. It is very important that you install our product properly!
Click Here to see our install video and photos.
Please note, you need to ensure you retain between a 5 and 25 degree forward slant (positive slope) on the gutter guard once installed. Also make sure you have the front edge of our gutter guard lay flat on the top front edge of your gutter so you have no gap, otherwise you could have rainwater running over the gutter. It is very important that you install our product properly!
Click Here to see our install video and photos.
Please note, you need to ensure you retain between a 5 and 25 degree forward slant (positive slope) on the gutter guard once installed. Also make sure you have the front edge of our gutter guard lay flat on the top front edge of your gutter so you have no gap, otherwise you could have rainwater running over the gutter. It is very important that you install our product properly!
Click Here to see our install video and photos.
Please note, you need to ensure you retain between a 5 and 25 degree forward slant (positive slope) on the gutter guard once installed. Also make sure you have the front edge of our gutter guard lay flat on the top front edge of your gutter so you have no gap, otherwise you could have rainwater running over the gutter. It is very important that you install our product properly!
Click Here to see our install video and photos.
Please note, you need to ensure you retain between a 5 and 25 degree forward slant (positive slope) on the gutter guard once installed. Also make sure you have the front edge of our gutter guard lay flat on the top front edge of your gutter so you have no gap, otherwise you could have rainwater running over the gutter. It is very important that you install our product properly!
Click Here to see our install video and photos.
Please note, you need to ensure you retain between a 5 and 25 degree forward slant (positive slope) on the gutter guard once installed. Also make sure you have the front edge of our gutter guard lay flat on the top front edge of your gutter so you have no gap, otherwise you could have rainwater running over the gutter. It is very important that you install our product properly!
Click Here to see our install video and photos.
Please note, you need to ensure you retain between a 5 and 25 degree forward slant (positive slope) on the gutter guard once installed. Also make sure you have the front edge of our gutter guard lay flat on the top front edge of your gutter so you have no gap, otherwise you could have rainwater running over the gutter. It is very important that you install our product properly!
Click Here to see our install video and photos.
Please note, you need to ensure you retain between a 5 and 25 degree forward slant (positive slope) on the gutter guard once installed. Also make sure you have the front edge of our gutter guard lay flat on the top front edge of your gutter so you have no gap, otherwise you could have rainwater running over the gutter. It is very important that you install our product properly!
Click Here to see our install video and photos.
Please note, you need to ensure you retain between a 5 and 25 degree forward slant (positive slope) on the gutter guard once installed. Also make sure you have the front edge of our gutter guard lay flat on the top front edge of your gutter so you have no gap, otherwise you could have rainwater running over the gutter. It is very important that you install our product properly!
Click Here to see our install video and photos.
Please note, you need to ensure you retain between a 5 and 25 degree forward slant (positive slope) on the gutter guard once installed. Also make sure you have the front edge of our gutter guard lay flat on the top front edge of your gutter so you have no gap, otherwise you could have rainwater running over the gutter. It is very important that you install our product properly!
Click Here to see our install video and photos.
Please note, you need to ensure you retain between a 5 and 25 degree forward slant (positive slope) on the gutter guard once installed. Also make sure you have the front edge of our gutter guard lay flat on the top front edge of your gutter so you have no gap, otherwise you could have rainwater running over the gutter. It is very important that you install our product properly!
Each section has about 1/8-1/4 inch of mesh that extends over each end so that the sections can overlap each other slightly. If there is an issue where the mesh doesn’t lay flat over the adjoining piece of mesh, first try to flatten the ends of the mesh using a pair of pliers, or you can put a sheet metal screw between both pieces of mesh to fasten them down. Please avoid pushing down too hard so not to cause an indent or pocket in the mesh.
First, make sure to get the mesh very wet, then spray the water on the roof to see how the water comes through the mesh and into the gutter. Secondly, put some wet leaves or pine needles on the mesh, lots and lots of them and even some roof sand grit or some debris straight off the ground, then put a lot of water on the roof to see how it takes in the water through the mesh and into the gutter.
Our gutter guard is the only gutter protection system in North America that is UL approved for NSF P151 and NSF 372 for rainwater catchment systems.
NSF P151
Health Effects From Rainwater Catchment System Components has the following scope.
Scope: This testing covers gutters, barrier materials and/or catchment surfaces (coatings, paints, lining and liners) placed on roof tops and ground surfaces that come in contact with rainwater that is collected and used as drinking water.
NSF 372
ANSI/NSF 372 contains the lead content evaluation procedure originally detailed in ANSI/NSF 61 Annex G, as well as testing requirements and methodologies for material lead content analysis. The scope of the standard applies “to any drinking water system component that conveys or dispenses water for human consumption through drinking or cooking”.
This gutter guard is widely used in the rainwater harvesting industry as a pre-filtration system because of the fine micro-mesh used. It keeps the leaves, pine needles and roof sand grit from entering your rainwater storage tank. The whole size in the stainless steel micro-mesh is 540 microns, which complies with the ANSI 63-2013 standard for rainwater harvesting. With this size pre-filtration mesh for non-potable water use, there is no need for other pre-filtration filters, our gutter guard is all you need.
You shouldn’t have to remove our gutter guards unless you are repairing or replacing your actual gutter. In that case, removing our gutter guards that have been installed using the adhesive tape can be tricky. You would have to use a drywall knife and slice through the adhesive tape. This process may damage our gutter guards, so be very careful. If you anticipate needing to remove our gutter guards in the future for whatever reason, you may want to use the self-tapping screws that were provided as an alternate form of fastening the gutter guards to your gutter. However, if you end up only removing a section or two and you happen to ruin the sections, you can reach out to us and we will help you out with getting those replaced at little or no cost to you.
If your roof shingles or tiles are glued/nailed down at the roof edge, do not disturb the shingles, you can bend the mesh up or down in the back while retaining between a 5 and 25 degree forward slant (positive slope) on our gutter guard. Then you would screw the back mesh into the fascia, thus not having to slide it under the shingles. Once installed and ensuring you have the front edge of our gutter guard laying flat on the front edge of your gutter, then you should achieve optimal performance.
Note: When an install requires bending of the mesh, it is considered a non-traditional install, which will require a little more work and time.
Visit our HOW TO INSTALL on this website and view the following media associated with this FAQ:
- Install & Users Guide: Two Very Important Installation Rules so rainwater doesn’t run over your gutter on page 8.
- Install & Users Guide: How To Bend The Mesh on pages 9 and 10.
- Video and photos: How To Bend The Mesh.
Please visit our “How To Install” page on this website and watch the videos, you may find that watching a video or reviewing a guide that is intended for a different gutter-to-roof scenario than yours may have the guidance you need. If you still have questions regarding your specific installation, contact our customer experience team for support.
Please note, you need to ensure you retain between a 5 and 25 degree forward slant (positive slope) on the gutter guard once installed. Also make sure you have the front edge of our gutter guard lay flat on the top front edge of your gutter so you have no gap, otherwise you could have rainwater running over the gutter. It is very important that you install our product properly!
Find out if you have a 5″ or 6″ gutter first because that will determine what size of the gutter guard will fit your gutter. We sell a 5″ version that will fit gutters between 2″ and 5″, and we also sell a 6″ version that will fit 5″ to 7″ gutters. To get the size of your gutter, measure the top of the gutter, starting at the front top outer lip, straight back to the fascia, just under the roof line.
Click here to get more info.
Under the front aluminum extrusion is a strip of 3M Very High Bond double sided adhesive foam tape which acts as a barrier between the aluminum and the front lip of the gutter, so the metals would have a very difficult time touching each other. Where there is a presence of water, air and dissimilar metals, sometimes a corrosion can occur. If you are still concerned, you can always apply a coating on the mill finish aluminum. All hardware stores sell paint coating products that you can apply to a mill finish aluminum.
In a majority of the installations, the stainless steel micro-mesh doesn’t come in contact with the copper gutter because it’s installed between the front and rear mill finish extrusions.
Our expertise is in the relationship between our gutter guards, the gutter, and the roof shingles. Due to variations in every structure and its surroundings, we are unable to provide specific details on what safety measures you need for your installation. However, please ensure you take all safety precautions when working on your gutter (and roof) including but not limited to an adequate safety harness, scaffolding or a boom, where necessary. If scaffolding or a boom are not an option for you, then an extension ladder with a ladder standoff stabilizer may be an option. Please also be sure to secure and stabilize the footing of the ladder as well as following all other ladder safety guidelines. IMPORTANT: Please contact us further if you have fragile roof shingles that may not support the weight of a ladder standoff stabilizer for additional clarification. Note: A ladder standoff stabilizer, like the Ladder-Max, can be purchased from an online retailer and may be also available in some retail locations.
Performance
Yes. However, sometimes inside miters at the end of a roof valley can cause challenges for any gutter guard, causing rainwater to run over in a downpour. If that’s the case, you may want to install a perforated rainwater diverter along the edge of the roof on the inside miter. This will help break up and dissipate the rainwater over a wider area rather than at one point. Our rainwater diverter is made out of an aluminum material, perforated with small round holes and attaches to the end of your roof valley just above the stainless steel micro-mesh.
Rainwater diverters can be purchased at www.RainwaterDiverters.com.
However, the diverter will collect debris behind it, so at some point you would need to clean that out. You may be able to reach the brush up there and scrape some of it off. Cleaning behind the diverter is very infrequent. The diverter will significantly reduce the amount of brushing needed on the mesh.
A great way to clean off your gutter guard (or any gutter guard for that matter), is with the use of The Gutter Guard Brush. It’s designed to clean off any gutter guard without having to get on a ladder or roof. You just screw this special brush on the end of any standard extension pole, then from the ground, just reach up and brush it off. For more information and where to buy, visit www.TheGutterGuardBrush.com.
STEP 1: Evaluate your gutter guard installation. You need to ensure you retained between a 5 and 25 degree forward slant (positive slope) on our gutter guard once installed and ensure you have the front edge of our gutter guard lay flat on the front edge of your gutter. If not, a gap between the underside of the front edge of our gutter guard and the front lip of your gutter can cause rainwater to run over the gutter.
If Step 1 does not apply, then try Step 2.
STEP 2: Look on top of the mesh and see if there is any debris on it, generally the first cause of rainwater coming over the gutter is because there is a lot of debris on the mesh. It really varies, but sometimes trees can shed tiny debris during certain times of the year that may cause rainwater to drip over the edge of the gutter. Generally speaking though, the combination of wind and rain blows off most of the debris.
Because of your topography, if your home is situated in such a way that wind and rain doesn’t offer the benefits of blowing off most of the debris, you may have to lend a hand and clean some of that off from time to time.
A great way to clean off your gutter guard (or any gutter guard for that matter), is with the use of The Gutter Guard Brush. It’s designed to clean off any gutter guard without having to get on a ladder or roof. You just screw this special brush on the end of any standard extension pole, then from the ground, just reach up and brush it off. For more information and where to buy, visit www.TheGutterGuardBrush.com.
STEP 1: A great way to clean off your gutter guard (or any gutter guard for that matter), is with the use of The Gutter Guard Brush. It’s designed to clean off any gutter guard without having to get on a ladder or roof. You just screw this special brush on the end of any standard extension pole, then from the ground, just reach up and brush it off. For more information and where to buy, visit www.TheGutterGuardBrush.com.
If Step 1 is not sufficient, try Step 2.
STEP 2: Install a perforated rainwater diverter to help break up and dissipate the rainwater over a wider area rather than at one point. Our rainwater diverters are made out of an aluminum material, perforated with small round holes and attaches to the end of your roof valley just above the stainless steel micro-mesh. For more information on rainwater diverters and where to buy, visit www.RainwaterDiverters.com.
However, the diverter will collect debris behind it, so at some point you would need to clean that out. You may be able to reach the brush up there and scrape some of it off. Cleaning behind the diverter is very infrequent. The diverter will significantly reduce the amount of brushing needed on the mesh.
If Step 2 is not sufficient, try Step 3.
STEP 3: If your roof is so steep and slick, whereby the rainwater races down like crazy to the inside miter point, chances are there is nothing out there that will be able to disperse that amount of fast running rainwater in a satisfactory way, not even a diverter.
Moss will grow on anything, except copper and zinc for the most part, so the answer is yes. Moss can grow on any gutter guard and roof. There are several types and brands of moss fungicide products available at nursery and hardware stores.
Though we are sharing some information on moss control products, we do not endorse or guarantee the performance of any of them. Here are a few links that provide some possible solutions:
http://bryophytes.science.oregonstate.edu/page24.htm
http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/outdoor-projects/how-to/a1685/4217233/
http://www.zincshield.com/home.html
Lilly Miller Moss Out
http://www.mossout.com/roofs.htm
Wet & Forget
http://landing.wetandforget.com/save-on-wet-and-forget/?gclid=CIuekYHsu8ECFcJDMgodBwsARQ
A good way to determine if moss is going to grow on your gutter guard is if moss is already growing on your roof, then it is possible that it will grow on the mesh as well. There are a couple gutter guards that use mesh on the market that claim their ‘mesh’ doesn’t allow moss to grow on it, and that’s not true. Unless the mesh is made of copper, or maybe has some type of zinc coating on it, then maybe it won’t allow moss to grow on it.
We use a 30mesh (that is 30×30 holes/square inch) which is more effective than smaller hole sizes at keeping out pollen. The 30mesh that we use is the perfect size for managing rainwater into the gutter while keeping out all the leaves, pine needles, and even the roof grit. If pollen ever did clog an area of the micro-mesh, you can unclog it with a gutter cleaning brush like ours found here.
For steeply pitched roofs (8/12 pitch or greater), it is recommended to drop the slope of the gutter guard to between 5 and 10 degrees. This will cause some natural resistance to aid in slowing the rainwater that is coming down the steeply pitched roof.
About 99% of the time the small roof sand grit will not clog the mesh. You can have challenges with inside miters (inside gutter corners) where there is high accumulation of small debris and rainwater that congregate at the bottom of the roof valley. These areas will need to be brushed off from time to time. In the straight runs of gutter, generally speaking, when the rain drops come down, they splash the roof sand grit off. There will always be a little grit there in that front trough, but it cycles off the mesh, over the gutter and onto the ground and is replaced by other grit coming down the roof.
Under the front aluminum extrusion is a strip of 3M Very High Bond double sided adhesive foam tape which acts as a barrier between the aluminum and the front lip of the gutter, so the metals would have a very difficult time touching each other. Where there is a presence of water, air and dissimilar metals, sometimes a corrosion can occur. If you are still concerned, you can always apply a coating on the mill finish aluminum. All hardware stores sell paint coating products that you can apply to a mill finish aluminum. We have sold millions and millions of feet since 2010 and never received a complaint of corrosion in this situation, ever.
In a majority of the installations, the stainless steel micro-mesh doesn’t come in contact with the copper gutter because it’s installed between the front and rear mill finish extrusions.
You should never have any problems as long as you have a good understanding of how our product works, which may include some periodic tender love and care. Please understand, of all the gutter guards in the industry, and Robert has been in the guttering industry since 1996, his gutter guard products requires the least amount of maintenance than any other gutter guard in the industry.
A great way to clean off your gutter guard (or any gutter guard for that matter), is with the use of The Gutter Guard Brush. It’s designed to clean off any gutter guard without having to get on a ladder or roof. You just screw this special brush on the end of any standard extension pole, then from the ground, just reach up and brush it off. For more information and where to buy, visit www.TheGutterGuardBrush.com.
The front trough acts as a motivator for the water to go straight into the gutter rather than dripping over the side. Other micro-mesh gutter guards that do not have a trough, and are flat, tend to have water go straight over the gutter causing dripping and unsightly staining on the side of your gutter.
As for debris collecting on top of the gutter guard, with a combination of the wind and the rain, most of the debris typically just blows and washes right off of our gutter guard. However all gutter guards do have to be maintained periodically. Most people blow or brush any remaining debris off of the gutter guard.
We offer “The Gutter Guard Brush” for cleaning off the tops of any gutter guard. For more information visit The Gutter Guard Brush.
Visit our HOW TO INSTALL tab on this website and view the following media associated with this FAQ:
- Install & Users Guide: How To Take Care Of Your New Gutter Guard on page 11.
Type 304 is considered an austenitic stainless steel, which is generally regarded as non-magnetic in the annealed condition, having higher chromium content. Nickel is also added to keep the stainless steel from cracking.
Maintenance
This is where discolored streaking appears on the front side of a gutter due to rainwater dripping over the sides. This can happen whether you have a gutter guard installed on your gutter. However, this tiger striping can be more prevalent on the front of a gutter if a gutter guard is installed.
Ironically, you are more apt to notice tiger striping once you install gutter guards since you may not have been assessing your gutters in the same way before.
If you are noticing any tiger striping with gutter guards installed, then there are a few things you can do to reduce it from continuing to occur or eliminate it altogether:
- Clean off any debris that may be sitting on top of the gutter guards, which typically be done from the ground using The Gutter Guard Brush on the end of any standard extension pole.
- Make sure the gutter guards are installed correctly. Sometimes a minor adjustment to the gutter guards is required to eliminate rainwater running over the front of the gutter. Refer to the page of the Install Guide that addresses “removing the gap and trough depth”.
- If there is a high volume of rainwater flowing down the roof valley(s), leading to an inside miter and/or from an upper downspout onto the roof surface leading to a straight run of a gutter, then you may want to consider installing a perforated rainwater diverter on the roof side of the gutter.
The streaking can be removed with Simple Green or other non-abrasive (non-alcoholic) cleaning solution.
Visit our HOW TO INSTALL tab on this website for more information.
STEP 1: A great way to clean off your gutter guard (or any gutter guard for that matter), is with the use of The Gutter Guard Brush. It’s designed to clean off any gutter guard without having to get on a ladder or roof. You just screw this special brush on the end of any standard extension pole, then from the ground, just reach up and brush it off. For more information and where to buy, visit www.TheGutterGuardBrush.com.
If Step 1 is not sufficient, try Step 2.
STEP 2: Install a perforated rainwater diverter to help break up and dissipate the rainwater over a wider area rather than at one point. Our rainwater diverters are made out of an aluminum material, perforated with small round holes and attaches to the end of your roof valley just above the stainless steel micro-mesh. For more information on rainwater diverters and where to buy, visit www.RainwaterDiverters.com.
You shouldn’t have to remove our gutter guards unless you are repairing or replacing your actual gutter. In that case, removing our gutter guards that have been installed using the adhesive tape can be tricky. You would have to use a drywall knife and slice through the adhesive tape. This process may damage our gutter guards, so be very careful. If you anticipate needing to remove our gutter guards in the future for whatever reason, you may want to use the self-tapping screws that were provided as an alternate form of fastening the gutter guards to your gutter. However, if you end up only removing a section or two and you happen to ruin the sections, you can reach out to us and we will help you out with getting those replaced at little or no cost to you.
You can register online on this website on the “Register” tab.
Note: In coastal areas, warranty is reduced from 10 (ten) years to 5 (five) years due to heavy chlorides in the air, and the Extended Warranty does not apply. “Coastal areas” is defined as anywhere within 10 (ten) miles from the coast.
Moss will grow on anything, except copper and zinc for the most part, so the answer is yes. Moss can grow on any gutter guard and roof. There are several types and brands of moss fungicide products available at nursery and hardware stores.
Though we are sharing some information on moss control products, we do not endorse or guarantee the performance of any of them. Here are a few links that provide some possible solutions:
http://bryophytes.science.oregonstate.edu/page24.htm
http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/outdoor-projects/how-to/a1685/4217233/
http://www.zincshield.com/home.html
Lilly Miller Moss Out
http://www.mossout.com/roofs.htm
Wet & Forget
http://landing.wetandforget.com/save-on-wet-and-forget/?gclid=CIuekYHsu8ECFcJDMgodBwsARQ
A good way to determine if moss is going to grow on your gutter guard is if moss is already growing on your roof, then it is possible that it will grow on the mesh as well. There are a couple gutter guards that use mesh on the market that claim their ‘mesh’ doesn’t allow moss to grow on it, and that’s not true. Unless the mesh is made of copper, or maybe has some type of zinc coating on it, then maybe it won’t allow moss to grow on it.
This is a popular question. Robert has been studying, researching and testing stainless steel micro-mesh and its performance since 2003, so he can honestly say he has a thing or two to say about this. Way back in the beginning, he used a 90mesh, which is a common term for the size of mesh being used. A 90mesh means 90×90 holes per square inch, which is a whopping 8,100 holes per square inch. Wow, that keeps everything out. But that small hole size is more prone to clogging in higher pollinated areas, which means more maintenance would be needed, requiring it to be brushed.
So Robert continued his research, and after several years of testing different mesh (hole) sizes, he found that the 30mesh worked the best for keeping out pollen, that is 30×30 = 900 holes per square inch. However, 30mesh is much more expensive than 90mesh and even 50mesh, so gutter guard manufacturers typically won’t use 30mesh so they can keep their costs down, even though it’s better for the homeowner. The 30mesh uses almost twice as much stainless steel than 50mesh and almost four times as much as 90mesh.
When Robert’s competitors found out how well his testing did on 30mesh, they now sometimes use 30mesh on inside miters (inside gutter corners). The 30mesh also helps with excessive rainwater flow during heavy storms.
Overall, the 30mesh is the perfect size for managing rainwater into the gutter. It still keeps out the roof sand grit, pine needles and of course the leaves. If pollen ever did clog a hole in this mesh, it’s easy to unclog by brushing it off, that’s because the hole size is just large enough for a bristle from a brush to poke through it when brushing it off. However, that’s not the case with 90mesh and 50mesh, pollen is much more difficult to brush off from those mesh sizes.
Generally speaking, rainwater will pass through the mesh just fine on a steeply pitched roof, however, there can be circumstances that may aggravate the performance in this situation. Such as debris piled up on top of the mesh; an inside miter (inside gutter corner) that accumulates a lot of rainwater from the roof valley; a solid flat surface like metal sheet roofing panels whereby rainwater tends to flow faster. If this is a problem, remember that it will be a problem with any gutter guard, and you may consider installing a perforated splash guard or diverter on the edge of the roof (not the edge of the gutter). If it’s possible to install the gutter guard at less of an angle may be advantageous, but is not always possible. If it’s installed at an angle of 5 to 10 degrees (1/12 or 2/12 pitch), it will cause some natural resistance to slow the rainwater down when it comes down the steeply pitched roof.
In instances where installing at an angle of 5 to 10 degrees due to a steeply pitched roof, you may have to brush off the gutter guard a little more than normal. But then the opposite is true as well, because of the steep pitch, debris is more likely to blow off more than normal.
About 99% of the time the small roof sand grit will not clog the mesh. You can have challenges with inside miters (inside gutter corners) where there is high accumulation of small debris and rainwater that congregate at the bottom of the roof valley. These areas will need to be brushed off from time to time. In the straight runs of gutter, generally speaking, when the rain drops come down, they splash the roof sand grit off. There will always be a little grit there in that front trough, but it cycles off the mesh, over the gutter and onto the ground and is replaced by other grit coming down the roof.
You should never have any problems as long as you have a good understanding of how our product works, which may include some periodic tender love and care. Please understand, of all the gutter guards in the industry, and Robert has been in the guttering industry since 1996, his gutter guard products requires the least amount of maintenance than any other gutter guard in the industry.
A great way to clean off your gutter guard (or any gutter guard for that matter), is with the use of The Gutter Guard Brush. It’s designed to clean off any gutter guard without having to get on a ladder or roof. You just screw this special brush on the end of any standard extension pole, then from the ground, just reach up and brush it off. For more information and where to buy, visit www.TheGutterGuardBrush.com.
The front trough acts as a motivator for the water to go straight into the gutter rather than dripping over the side. Other micro-mesh gutter guards that do not have a trough, and are flat, tend to have water go straight over the gutter causing dripping and unsightly staining on the side of your gutter.
As for debris collecting on top of the gutter guard, with a combination of the wind and the rain, most of the debris typically just blows and washes right off of our gutter guard. However all gutter guards do have to be maintained periodically. Most people blow or brush any remaining debris off of the gutter guard.
Robert Lenney invented “The Gutter Guard Brush” for cleaning off the tops of any gutter guard. For more information visit The Gutter Guard Brush.
Visit our HOW TO INSTALL tab on this website and view the following media associated with this FAQ:
- Install & Users Guide: How To Take Care Of Your New Gutter Guard on page 11.
Freezing Conditions
It’s important to note that icicles can form on ANY gutter guard, including the possibility of ice dams.
CAUTION: ICICLES & ICE DAMS can form on your gutter during freezing conditions. Icicles can break and cause serious bodily harm. Properly installed, operated and maintained heating elements on your roof and gutter can melt icicles and ice dams. Use a licensed electrical contractor in good standing for installing any heating element products.
YES. Snow melting and running down your roof can run off the side of the gutter and refreeze on the ground below when you have any gutter guard installed. Water frozen on surfaces can create slipping hazards and cause serious bodily harm.
CAUTION: ICICLES & ICE DAMS can form on your gutter during freezing conditions. Icicles can break and cause serious bodily harm. Properly installed, operated and maintained heating elements on your roof and gutter can melt icicles and ice dams. Use a licensed electrical contractor in good standing for installing any heating element products.
Snowmelt can drip off the edge of your gutter and potentially refreezes on the ground, which could create a tripping or slipping hazard. When it’s not freezing outside and there is snow on your roof melting away, snow melt gradually comes down the roof and can slide across the mesh and off your gutter. If that happens and you have concerns about this, you should remove the gutter guard in those areas. This anomaly of snowmelt runoff can happen with all gutter guards.
We manufacture our gutter guards with a ‘thick wire’ 30mesh (larger, more rigid wire size) as its standard size mesh. That means it’s stronger for withstanding larger hail than other gutter guards. However, depending on the size of the hail, it can damage even 30mesh.