COMMERCIALRESIDENTIAL

Revised 6/21/07

Gutter Cover Information

Do Gutter Covers Work? – Yes, but like all things, not necessarily perfectly.  Properly designed gutter covers will keep most debris out of the gutters but will require some, more limited, maintenance.  One design forces the water to flow over the top of the gutter and then follow a radius at the outside edge where the water, due to surface tension, follows the radius to empty back into the gutter. Debris does not follow the radius and drops over the outside edge of the gutter.  Other system have channels, perforations, slots etc in the cover to allow water to drop into the gutter but leaves, pine needles and seeds cannot pass through the screens.

What kind of maintenance will need to be done? – In our experience, there is no gutter cover design that will be maintenance free.  The outside radius type systems still allow some debris into the gutter which could, over time, block your downspout outlets.  The screen type covers can trap leave stems, needles and other debris in the openings which, over time, can act as “thatching” which blocks water from entering the openings and starts to allow water to run over the top of the covers past the gutters.  In short, all designs will require some occasional cleaning but not to the extent of unprotected gutters.

Can Covers be installed on all gutters? – NO!  Houses with uneven or out-of-level eaves will not allow gutters to be installed close to the drip edge.  Since cutter covers extend from the outside edge of the gutter to the underside of the shingles at the drip edge of the roof.  If gutters are required to be more than approx 1 1/2 inches below the drip edge to get proper water flow to the outlets, most gutter covers cannot be installed.

Can gutter covers be installed on existing gutters? – Yes, assuming you don’t have a situation as explained in the paragraph above.

Are covers available in colors? – Some manufacturers do have colors other than white.  Check with your contractor for color availability.

What kind of problems could I expect? – Any gutter cover system could  increase the possibility of high velocity water in a heavy rainstorm flowing over the top of the gutters.

What cover system does BSR recommend? – We have researched all available systems on the market today and have chosen the Waterfall Gutter Guard  system that incorporates the radius and the screen type systems which provides the advantages of each system with fewer disadvantages.  This system is also very cost effective since some “franchise” type systems can be very expensive.  Click on the “Waterfall” logo above for more information.

How do I get an estimate for new gutter covers? – Just contact us.  Estimates are free.  A BSR representative will be able to help answer any additional questions you may have.