Gutter guards are only as good as the debris they are up against, and Utah has three kinds that defeat most of them. Cottonwood seed is fine enough to pass through screens. Scrub oak leaves are small, curled and come down in volume. Pine and spruce needles slip through almost anything with an opening. Here is what works for each.
The Five Guard Types
Micro-Mesh
A fine stainless steel mesh on an aluminum frame that fits over the gutter. Water passes through; everything down to pollen stays on top and blows off. Handles cottonwood seed, oak leaves, pine needles and roof grit. Installed cost $18 to $30 per foot. The only type we recommend under all three problem trees.
Aluminum Screen
A perforated or expanded aluminum panel. Stops large leaves; lets cottonwood seed and pine needles through, and small oak leaves lodge in the openings. Installed cost $8 to $12 per foot. Fine under big-leaf maples and sycamores, not under cottonwoods or pines.
Foam Inserts
A wedge of porous foam pushed into the gutter. Clogs with seed and needles within a season or two, grows seedlings, degrades in sun, and has to be pulled out to clean the gutter underneath. We do not install it and spend part of every fall removing it.
Brush Inserts
A bottle-brush that sits in the gutter. Traps needles and seeds in the bristles. Same problems as foam.
Reverse-Curve
A solid hood that uses surface tension to carry water around a lip while leaves fall off. Works on simple rooflines in light rain; overshoots in the hard summer storms the Wasatch Front gets, and pine needles ride the water around the curve. Sold by a few national brands at $20 to $35 per foot.
By Tree
Cottonwood
Holladay, Murray, Sugar House, the Jordan River corridor, Kaysville and Provo. The seed fluff passes through screens and packs into foam. Micro-mesh is the only guard that keeps it out, and the fluff blows off the mesh once it dries.
Scrub Oak
The bench from Draper to Bountiful, Alpine, Highland and the canyon mouths. Small curled leaves that come down all at once in October and lodge in screen openings. Micro-mesh, with a rinse from the ground once a season.
Pine, Spruce And Fir
Park City, Heber, Alpine, Ogden Valley, the Cottonwood canyons and any valley lot with mature evergreens. Needles shed all year and slip through screen and around reverse-curve hoods. Micro-mesh with a fine enough weave, and heat tape underneath on shaded eaves.
The Payback
Professional cleaning twice a year runs $400 to $800. Micro-mesh on a typical home is $2,900 to $4,800 installed and needs an occasional rinse. Under trees, the guards pay for themselves in about five seasons; with no trees nearby the payback is slower, and we will say so at the estimate. Full math on the guard cost page.
What To Check Before Guards Go On
Guards go on clean, properly pitched gutters that are securely hung. If the gutters sag or the hangers have pulled, fix that first or the guards will hold water in the low spots. We check pitch and hangers on every guard estimate and quote repairs separately.
More on our gutter guards service page.
Ready for a number on your own house? SwiftHand Gutters gives free, itemized estimates across Salt Lake, Utah, Davis, Weber, Summit and Wasatch counties. Request a free estimate or call 801-784-6712.
