Mesh gutter covers *will* stop leaves and other large debris from getting into gutters but large amounts of pollen (a few pine or cedar trees close to the house) can and will plug the screens quickly. They can be cleaned easily with a brass brush, but don't expect them to be maintenance-free... they're not. You will still need a high-quality ladder. The problem is worse with low-end DIY products as the low-chromium stainless steel screens age and begin to rust, and they *will* rust. Stainless steel is not stain-free and as always you get what you pay for. Buyer beware.
It's not just large amounts of pollen that can block the mesh, a heavy drop of oak sap can as well. It's sticky, very difficult to remove from lawn furniture, and on top of micromesh gutter covers, it hardens like fiberglass resin.
Going to check with my neighbor, who just installed them with many Large oak trees in his backyard, but some reviews show with this type of guard they May tend to build up leaves on top of them, I have a high pitched roof , but wondering when you bend them down if they will collect more debris on top of them
@@zabajart I haven’t had any issues with leaves. I have a little debris from my shingles in the corners where they meet, but that’s it. Easy to clean off, and keep on rocking and rolling! They have been fantastic for us.
I just ordered these. I am curious, have you done any follow up on these? My concern is winter. I live in the NE area (Massachusetts to be exact) and I was wondering how these perform with snow and possible ice damns.
I have yet to do a follow-up. I need to though, because they do a fantastic job in the rain. As far as snow goes, I have yet to experience that. I'm in NC and we didn't get any this winter. I imagine that they would do just fine, but also up north might be a completely different animal.
I hope those work out ok for you. I will say that between your steep roof pitch and how fine the micromesh is I think you’re at risk for the micromesh getting clogged and rainwater running over the edge of your gutters especially during hard downpours. I live in Michigan so I have snow and ice to worry about so i don’t think I could use that product because the small spacing between the micromesh will freeze up and clog it. I just used rolls of 1/4” galvanized hardware cloth from the hardware store (much cheaper than the Atlas product). I feel 1/4”spacing in the hardware cloth mesh is plenty small enough to keep debris out that might clog the gutter and is big enough to avoid clogs that would cause rainwater to run off the edge of the gutter.
Hey there! I appreciate it. So thankfully they have been fantastic. I need to post my new video of them in a heavy downpour from a few weeks ago. They have done a fantastic job for me. They seem to keep the vast majority of rain operating through the gutter properly. Sounds like you have it figured out for yourself which is great. You just need something that works for you and the cheaper you can do it, the better 😂. We don't deal with too much ice down here in the south, just occasionally. So luckily not my major concern.
any thoughts on not undoing the adhesive and leaving the tape side and just use the screws in case you need to unscrew them for any reason if you need to clear anything under the cover?
Absolutely. The manufacturer says that's completely fine I believe. It's really your choice between screw or adhesive. I chose to do both just because I'm OCD. But to be honest, just using screws is probably the wiser choice. If I ever have to take one off or adjust something it will be a pain. That adhesive sticks very well.
Hi Matt, for a roof that steep (greater than 27degrees), the gutter guard people suggest bending the guard also on the roof side so there is a drop. I believe this is to slow the water down so it will drain through the mesh better. How are the results of your install? Do you feel too much water is running over the gutter guard? Cheers.
Hey Matt! So far so good and we've had some heavy rain. The bend at the gutter is pretty dramatic, so I feel it's enough to keep it in the guard without jumping right over like a ramp. Time will tell for sure, but I felt that doing another bend at the top was going to lift my shingles too much.
@@lawrencegraham0 I went ahead and did the bend as recommended. I first installed only one to see how it looks. It lifted the shingles a little so I added a second bend so the metal edge would slip beneath the shingles. That worked great BUT it was twice as much work putting TWO bends in each gutter cover. And without a sheet metal bender, it’s a LOT more work than just slapping them in without any bends. Anyhow, it took me maybe 5 hours of bending and then 30 minutes of install on a single story gutter, for 28 feet. But I’m happy. On my second story roof which has a steep pitch, the contractor didn’t bend them as recommended. I’m guessing that only persistent people like myself who bothered to read the directions bother to do this. Haha. I look forward to my first hard rain to see how they perform. I’ve seen a lot of runoff on my second story roof (though the gutters are always clean) so I’d like to compare the two install techniques. I don’t blame anyone for skipping the bending unless I’m paying for a good job. :-). A professional with a sheet metal bender will not be slowed down very much. Maybe I’ll post back here and let folks know if that deeper pocket I made caused a large improvement.
@@scifithoughts3611 let me know how it turns out! Doing that second bend could potentially assist quite a bit. When I was looking at it the amount of distance it raised my shingles I don't think will affect the performance too much. I had about 140ft I had install, so it was a pretty long run. I like you did a test piece and messed with the different bends, which is ultimately how I ended up where I did
@@whiteknightcat Yes. That two pieces of lumber plus two clamps (I recommend clamps with quick release) is the method recommended by the manufacturers (at least Atlas and EasyOnGutterGuard). And two clamps to keep the guard sandwiched during bending. This is what I did but it’s a LOT more work than simply tacking them on. In my case I needed to use two bends per segment. So it becomes a 4-6 hour job instead of 1 hour job, but those are he breaks. (And I needed a rubber mallet). You either do it the “right way” or you don’t. Professionals have a much nicer metal bending rig which makes this maybe a two hour job. :-) All that said, if you share the links to how these others bent their guards, maybe they discovered a better way. If I had two workbench vices, maybe that would have made things a little easier. But I only had 30’ of gutter to work on so it was a pretty short job. Oh, by the way, some of my gutters already had a gutter guard done by pros. They didn’t bother to put the extra bends in even though the roof was over 30 degrees steep. Water does spill over when it rains hard but I honestly don’t know if it’s a big deal. I need to shoot a comparison video between the two installs but I really am not sure how a little more water splashing over really matters.
You having the solid metal strip flat with the gutter will now collect debris where the screen and the solid metal strip meet . It seems all gutter guards keep the debris out of the rain gutter but the debris stays on top of the gutter guard
In order to make a good seal with the gutter I prefer it flat. I will use a brush once a year and get up there to clean it. Very small issue in the bigger scheme of things.
I just bought this yesterday! Your video definitely helps me feel like I can do it!!!😊 thanks.
I'm glad it was helpful 🙂. Good luck with your install!
Thank you for a great instruction. Very helpful
Great job! Thanks for the time you took.
I see sun light on them and that’s a great thing for these so they dry up fast. Show us in 2-4-6 years if your able to.
Super helpful video!
Thanks for the video! Great tips... while I don't have the mesh, I bought Atlas and it's a good guide.
Not a problem! I’m really glad it was a good guide!
Mesh gutter covers *will* stop leaves and other large debris from getting into gutters but large amounts of pollen (a few pine or cedar trees close to the house) can and will plug the screens quickly. They can be cleaned easily with a brass brush, but don't expect them to be maintenance-free... they're not. You will still need a high-quality ladder. The problem is worse with low-end DIY products as the low-chromium stainless steel screens age and begin to rust, and they *will* rust. Stainless steel is not stain-free and as always you get what you pay for. Buyer beware.
It's not just large amounts of pollen that can block the mesh, a heavy drop of oak sap can as well. It's sticky, very difficult to remove from lawn furniture, and on top of micromesh gutter covers, it hardens like fiberglass resin.
Going to check with my neighbor, who just installed them with many Large oak trees in his backyard, but some reviews show with this type of guard they May tend to build up leaves on top of them, I have a high pitched roof , but wondering when you bend them down if they will collect more debris on top of them
@@zabajart I haven’t had any issues with leaves. I have a little debris from my shingles in the corners where they meet, but that’s it. Easy to clean off, and keep on rocking and rolling! They have been fantastic for us.
I just ordered these. I am curious, have you done any follow up on these? My concern is winter. I live in the NE area (Massachusetts to be exact) and I was wondering how these perform with snow and possible ice damns.
I have yet to do a follow-up. I need to though, because they do a fantastic job in the rain. As far as snow goes, I have yet to experience that. I'm in NC and we didn't get any this winter. I imagine that they would do just fine, but also up north might be a completely different animal.
I hope those work out ok for you. I will say that between your steep roof pitch and how fine the micromesh is I think you’re at risk for the micromesh getting clogged and rainwater running over the edge of your gutters especially during hard downpours. I live in Michigan so I have snow and ice to worry about so i don’t think I could use that product because the small spacing between the micromesh will freeze up and clog it. I just used rolls of 1/4” galvanized hardware cloth from the hardware store (much cheaper than the Atlas product). I feel 1/4”spacing in the hardware cloth mesh is plenty small enough to keep debris out that might clog the gutter and is big enough to avoid clogs that would cause rainwater to run off the edge of the gutter.
Hey there! I appreciate it. So thankfully they have been fantastic. I need to post my new video of them in a heavy downpour from a few weeks ago. They have done a fantastic job for me. They seem to keep the vast majority of rain operating through the gutter properly. Sounds like you have it figured out for yourself which is great. You just need something that works for you and the cheaper you can do it, the better 😂. We don't deal with too much ice down here in the south, just occasionally. So luckily not my major concern.
any thoughts on not undoing the adhesive and leaving the tape side and just use the screws in case you need to unscrew them for any reason if you need to clear anything under the cover?
Absolutely. The manufacturer says that's completely fine I believe. It's really your choice between screw or adhesive. I chose to do both just because I'm OCD. But to be honest, just using screws is probably the wiser choice. If I ever have to take one off or adjust something it will be a pain. That adhesive sticks very well.
I have had to remove some gutter guards from very steep roofs.
Hi Matt, for a roof that steep (greater than 27degrees), the gutter guard people suggest bending the guard also on the roof side so there is a drop. I believe this is to slow the water down so it will drain through the mesh better. How are the results of your install? Do you feel too much water is running over the gutter guard?
Cheers.
Hey Matt! So far so good and we've had some heavy rain. The bend at the gutter is pretty dramatic, so I feel it's enough to keep it in the guard without jumping right over like a ramp. Time will tell for sure, but I felt that doing another bend at the top was going to lift my shingles too much.
@@lawrencegraham0 I went ahead and did the bend as recommended. I first installed only one to see how it looks. It lifted the shingles a little so I added a second bend so the metal edge would slip beneath the shingles. That worked great BUT it was twice as much work putting TWO bends in each gutter cover. And without a sheet metal bender, it’s a LOT more work than just slapping them in without any bends. Anyhow, it took me maybe 5 hours of bending and then 30 minutes of install on a single story gutter, for 28 feet.
But I’m happy. On my second story roof which has a steep pitch, the contractor didn’t bend them as recommended. I’m guessing that only persistent people like myself who bothered to read the directions bother to do this. Haha. I look forward to my first hard rain to see how they perform. I’ve seen a lot of runoff on my second story roof (though the gutters are always clean) so I’d like to compare the two install techniques. I don’t blame anyone for skipping the bending unless I’m paying for a good job. :-). A professional with a sheet metal bender will not be slowed down very much. Maybe I’ll post back here and let folks know if that deeper pocket I made caused a large improvement.
@@scifithoughts3611 let me know how it turns out! Doing that second bend could potentially assist quite a bit. When I was looking at it the amount of distance it raised my shingles I don't think will affect the performance too much. I had about 140ft I had install, so it was a pretty long run. I like you did a test piece and messed with the different bends, which is ultimately how I ended up where I did
@@scifithoughts3611 I've seen another video where the homeowner just used two scrap pieces of lumber as his bending jig.
@@whiteknightcat Yes. That two pieces of lumber plus two clamps (I recommend clamps with quick release) is the method recommended by the manufacturers (at least Atlas and EasyOnGutterGuard). And two clamps to keep the guard sandwiched during bending. This is what I did but it’s a LOT more work than simply tacking them on. In my case I needed to use two bends per segment. So it becomes a 4-6 hour job instead of 1 hour job, but those are he breaks. (And I needed a rubber mallet). You either do it the “right way” or you don’t. Professionals have a much nicer metal bending rig which makes this maybe a two hour job. :-)
All that said, if you share the links to how these others bent their guards, maybe they discovered a better way. If I had two workbench vices, maybe that would have made things a little easier. But I only had 30’ of gutter to work on so it was a pretty short job.
Oh, by the way, some of my gutters already had a gutter guard done by pros. They didn’t bother to put the extra bends in even though the roof was over 30 degrees steep. Water does spill over when it rains hard but I honestly don’t know if it’s a big deal. I need to shoot a comparison video between the two installs but I really am not sure how a little more water splashing over really matters.
do you need to screw it in? or using the sticker side would be sufficient
Using the 3m stick side would be sufficient. I highly doubt they will come off if stuck on properly.
Surprised that ladder didn’t slide on you with that angle 😂
Haha, nah mate, it was fine. Concrete would be a different story. But works fine in the grass.
You having the solid metal strip flat with the gutter will now collect debris where the screen and the solid metal strip meet . It seems all gutter guards keep the debris out of the rain gutter but the debris stays on top of the gutter guard
In order to make a good seal with the gutter I prefer it flat. I will use a brush once a year and get up there to clean it. Very small issue in the bigger scheme of things.
What’s the coast?
Be careful on that ladder. Your angle is way too shallow.
Appreciate the concern!
I saw that your gutter is installed OVER your drip edge..... not good
Are you talking about the actual gutters? Or the guards that go over the gutters?
@@lawrencegraham0 The actual gutter looks like it's put over top of the drip-edge
Impact gun? NO you need a drill
The screws that it comes with it are self-tappers. A self-tapper is a screw that drills its own hole when rotated by a drill or impact.