Leaf Guards offered by GutterWorks.Com
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GUTTERWORKS .COM offers this Aluminum 5" 6"  product in 5 Powder coated colors, Black, White, Brown, Clay, Cream, Wicker & Mill finish. Click here for more information Both the expanded metal leaf guard and the Premier Gutter Cover are installed by sliding the back under the leading edge of the roofing material, the front of the leaf guards are placed on top and against the top front lip of the gutter and then secured with three 1/2" long self-taping Zip screws. (see top right picture below)  7" Gutter Guard come in 4' sections Mill finish SEE CATALOG for pricing Click Here For a Installer Near You PREMIER GUTTER COVER Premier Gutter Cover Premier leads the way and others only which they could follow!! Cut away side view shows installation & low profile. End cap view. This Product is the easiest and most functional leaf guard product you will ever install!! Premier Gutter Cover works with any Steel Roof & Heat Tape applications! Designed to shed tree debris and take water under any application!! No other leaf guard gutter cover product takes the fast, high volume of water that will come off a steel roof regardless of pitch like the Premier!! In fact its the only hooded cover that will.   Need a Quality Leaf Guard product that allows you to address the problem of ice damming? Premier is the product you are looking for!!! Any retro-fit heat tape product can be used with the Premier Gutter Cover. SEE CATALOG for pricing Click here Click Here For a Installer Near You PREMIER GUTTER COVER Premier Gutter Cover is not a cover, not a screen but the best of both. It great design gives you first of all the protection of a hooded gutter cover system and the ability to take large amounts of water . This product recommended for the toughs debris problem.   A. Powder Coated paint, 4' sections, all Aluminum construction.   B. No water over shoots this product regardless of roof pitch or roofing material, not even off a steel roof regardless of roof pitch.   C. Water entrance opening, 1' of expanded metal.   D. Vary low profile.   E. Easy to install, lays under the bottom layer of roofing material, and secured with 1/2" screws to the top lip of the gutter. The Big Mouth used with any quality leaf guard will give you clog free gutters. Colors white or brown. Click here and see how & why it works.

What you might want to know before you select a leaf guard.
Leaves and tree debris are one of the most common reasons that your home's rain gutter system will fail you.   We believe that that when you select a leaf guard system always select one that is installed on top of the gutter not down in the gutter.  Its a fact, once tree debris gets down into your gutter and is exposed to water and dirt, it will not dry out, it will not blow out, but it will become matted and its there until you climb the ladder and take it out as compost.

  Large Debris ( Leaves, Twigs and Pine Needles) are the Bad Boys when it comes to clogging gutters, they do not move or flow once in the gutter and traps the smaller material. In many cases if your problem is with only small debris ( small pine needles, seeds, etc.) installing larger 3x4 downspouts will help solve your problem.

  Larger debris may at times lay on top of your leaf guard and this is a concern to many people but it is not a problem, this allows it to dry out and will shed itself over a short time.

Before you install a internal device over the gutter opening to the downspout, you should always evaluate the amount of tree debris that your gutters are exposed to, and they should be used accordingly. If you have a moderate to large amount of debris, you will not be happy with the performance of products like the ones that fit down over your downspout openings. As the water nears the opening, it will suck the debris to these devices which then becomes matted and will plug them up and restrict the water flow and with no flow you have no cleaning. Instead of a plug in the downspout, its at the opening, that is the only advantage, bottom line, it's still plugged and a stagnant pool of water. Water flow is what's needed to carry this small debris down and out your downspout and keep your gutter system clean so up grading to 3" x 4" downspout on 5" gutter will give you better water flow, greater water capacity, and less plugging. A lot of bang for the buck!

Our testing results and experiences.

1. Almost all leaf guards or gutter covers allow some form of debris to enter the gutter. Those that keep even the smallest debris out work well in warmer climates, but glaze over with ice in the cold climates of the country.
With hooded water adhesion style gutter covers the water does adhere to the cover (some better than others) and the water flows down into the gutter while shedding the larger debris. However the untold secret is that the small debris will stick to the water and follows the water around and down into the gutter.

2. The size of the outlet from the gutter to the downspout is a very instrumental part to keeping gutters flowing. The clog always occurs at the outlet first, than backs up. If your outlet plugs you no longer have flow and water slowly seeps through the clogged outlet and sediment build up in the gutter occurs. Water flow is a erosion causing action, if you have water flow your gutters will self clean.

3. The oversized outlets will not bridge over with small debris, but allows all small debris that entered the gutter to flush down the downspout, if the sticks and leaves are kept out of the gutter by a installed quality leaf guard. Another plus for oversized outlets is that it increases draining capacity.

SUMMARY: Of the 30 + different kinds of gutter guards or gutter covers marketed today, to my knowledge only one or two will keep your gutter completely 100 % clean. Having said that, some problem with icing over with these products do occur. Evaluate your situation first, use simple common since, and buy a proven quality gutter guard product (which is installed over the gutter) that will keep the large debris out (leaves, twigs, seeds) and allow the small debris, which enters the gutter, to flow down and out the downspout. There are many products marketed today that feed on the American Dream (there has to be a better way). They are sold with a great marketing program that feeds on the American Dream, but do not work!

One other comment on gutter cleaning. I get countless request for information about  products that allows you to remove debris from your gutters while standing on the ground. I ask you. How do you clean something when you can't see what your doing? Ever go to a car wash and wash it with your eyes closed?
  In my opinion it's just another group of products using the same marketing program to fill the demand of the consumers American Dream (there has got to be a better way). We do not sell these products. We believe that you must be able to see what you are doing to accomplish the task, which requires climbing a ladder, getting on the roof, or calling a professional to clean them.

Dennis J. De Nooy

    Below is a brief summary of leaf guard products on the market today and my personal comments of the products.

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Roll screen:
 Available in rolls of 20'-25', both aluminum and plastic. Price $3-$5 per roll. Comments: Hard to install, hard to secure, short life span, but cheap.

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Sectional:
 (My Favorite) Available in aluminum, plastic, and steel. Comes in 3'-10' sections, 3'-4' sections most common.
1. Comes with diamond, round, square and louvered shaped openings.
2. Some are self-locking, some require securing with screws to the leading edge of the gutter with the back laying under the first row of shingles. 
3. Comes in a wide verity of widths even 6" to 8" commercial gutter, with special order for larger gutter (steel material).

 Price $.30--$.75 per foot for 5" & 6" gutter. Comments: A wide range in quality, style, colors & price. 3'-4' sections  easiest  to install. Great for the D-I-Y home owner. Most bang for your buck. Note: Never secure these leave guards to the roof, just to the front top lip of the gutter . You never want to place any holes into your roof shingles from the top!

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Water Adhesion Styles:
 These come in solid and semi-solid cover style. The water adheres to the gutter guard surface and follows the leading edge around and down into the gutter and sheds the leaves in the process. Available in aluminum and plastic, comes in a wide range of colors and styles. Can cost from $2-$15 per foot installed. Comments: A bit more difficult to install, with some installed only professionally. Some franchise companies offer guarantees of no plugging .

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1. Water Adhesion gutters: This system is made by roll forming machines. The gutter and the leaf guard are all one piece and one continuous length, A seamless gutter-leaf guard system. It is installed only professionally. Comments: . Professionally installed only, with many being franchise companies.

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Always remember when you purchase a leaf guard product, there are many things to consider:

Installation: Safety First !! This can be a nightmare! Remember you are up on a ladder (not the best of working conditions). You will find that a product that comes in sections and is ridged will be the easiest to install properly.

 Security: Once you've worked all afternoon to install your new leaf guard, you don't want to pick it up out of the neighbors yard the first day you experience some windy weather. Believe it or not, the wind will blow leaf guards off, and not even touch the debris in the gutter, so secure it.

 Quality: Your labor cost will far exceed the product cost. If you have to replace your gutter guard in a year to two, your actual cost will be three times that of an excellent quality product. DO IT ONCE AND BE DONE WITH IT, IT'S CHEAPER!

 Style and Shape: Select guards that  plane from your roof . If it domes or sags, it will hold debris rather than shed it. If debris is allowed to form where the leaf guard meets the roof it may cause ice damming in winter if left unattended. Find a product with the right size openings, a to large opening will allow larger material to become lodged.

Right size             To large

 More about our gutter guards
Our Gutter Guard Products fulfills all the requirements that a superior product should have. They can be used on K-style, box style, and half-round style guttering, and is available in Aluminum to fit 5-inch and 6-inch gutters.

	Picture shown with our white gutter guard.
This is a before and after picture taken of a installation we did in Montezuma, Iowa. 1999  (Dennis De Nooy)

  More about our gutter guards

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Front Street Manufacturing
Gutter Works
400 Broadway St
P. O. Box 38 - Barnes City, Iowa 50027-0038
1-888-376-6871 Toll-Free Order Line
E-Mail: mailto:frontstr@zumatel.net

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