Reverse Curve Leafguard by Englert
Would you want this on your house?

How the Competition Fails
(Common Types of "Gutter Protection")

I. REVERSE CURVE

This is a generic term for numerous brands of the oldest and most common type of gutter protection systems on the market. They rely on the “adhesion qualities” of water to “stick” to a gutter cover while making a 180 degree turn into the gutter through a horizontal slit at or near the face of the gutter. Width of the slit is usually about 3/8 inch.

1. The first system of this type was patented in 1908 by George Cassens.
2. Today there are some 75 - 100 or more variations on the market.
3. Some of them work very well in a light to medium rain, if you have no trees near your house.
4. After 100 years, it is still the most common type on the market.
5. Most of the major companies are still selling it.
6. There are vastly superior products on the market using 21st century technology.

1. "All the water goes in the slit." Don't believe it! We can prove otherwise or you can prove it yourself.
2. "No debris goes in the slit." None of their demo models have debris on the roof.
3. "LIfetime warranty" . . . against clogs - period!!!!!

1. Clogs are rarely a major problem - especially with their big oversized downspouts.
2. There are three other inherent and more serious problems with any "reverse curve system".

The first is overshoot during a heavy rain. Water adhesion works fine with “reverse curve” systems but according to some of their websites only up to about 50 inches per hour (at the gutter). A moderately heavy storm of 0.5 inches (1/2 inch per hour as measured in your rain gauge) falling on a 20 foot roof span (240 inches measured horizontally) is putting 120 inches of water per hour at your gutters. (240 times 0.5 = 120).  At 50 inches per hour, the other 70 inches is going on the ground, assuming clean, properly installed gutters and using their own numbers. Of course, you are not likely to be outside where you can observe it during this kind of storm.

The second problem, especially in a slow rain, is that small debris (seed pods, bark chips, helicopters, oak tassels, pine needles, small leaves, etc., etc., etc….) gets wet and “adheres” to the curve just as the water does and flows into your gutter. The debris that doesn’t wash out will rot and decay in a few weeks. Then you have an insect and bug problem. These critters are not wood friendly to your house. If you have ever cleaned gutters, you know what I’m talking about.

In addition, the wet debris slows the drying process and frequently creates a third problem - that being acceleration of water rot and decay of wood components adjacent to your gutters (ie: soffitt, fascia or worse).

These are not just infrequent problems created by inadequate, poorly performing gutter protection systems. We know they are commonplace because we’ve seen them in numerous customer homes where major carpentry repairs have to be made. BEEN THERE - DONE THAT. If you don’t believe us, ask any roofing contractor.

Most of the big boys still handle this obsolete 100 year old concept in so-called "gutter protection". It works reasonably well if you have no trees near your house and they can usually provide good referrals because some of their customers have zero to few problems. Unfortunately, in this segment of the "gutter protection" industry, patently false claims, high pressure sales tactics, and outright dishonesty are common even though some dealers will make an effort to clean out your gutters if you have a problem.

Major players still peddling this type of product are as follows:

Leaf Guard by Englert (See picture above)
Gutter Helmet
K-Guard
Gutter Guardian

II. FOAM FILLER PRODUCTS

In recent years, several foam items have become available and they look great at the home shows. For most of them, we believe you get a better product when it’s new, than the obsolete 100 year old reverse curve systems, and at a better price, but one consultant in answer to a question about Gutter Filler, on November 29, 2007, said "I tested a product nearly identical. It failed in less than 18 months.”  A better value?

These products are cheaper and easy to install but you better let your lawyer take a look at the warranty. They typically (like most reverse curve systems) have one or more “weasel clauses” including exclusions for “installation workmanship not done by a professional” and for “crusting”, where the top surface becomes hard and brittle after about 1-2 years, due to the sun and the elements. Can you imagine the problems this would create with sharp pointed pine needles, shingle grit, and numerous other small debris items, for example. You can plan on replacing it every couple of years. A better value? Shrinkage is another problem mentioned on one of their websites.

Major Players Selling This Product

Gutter Filler
Gutter Fill
Gutter Filter
GutterStuff
GutterStuff®Pro

III. HYBRIDS

WATERFALL

Based on this writer’s experience, The Waterfall system (patent #5,010,696) is the grandest “gutter protection” fraud inflicted on the American homeowner.

My first experience with their “product” was with an educated professional near Asheville, NC. She had recently bought the house in a retirement community and observed that in a rain, the water came over the gutters like they were not there.

She had found our product on the Internet and called me. I was in Charlotte at the time (about 2 hours away) and drove to see her early the next morning. She was rather distraught over the situation and signed a contract that morning with us to replace her Waterfall (how's that pun?).

Two days later, I went back to Asheville to assist our installers with the installation and to get some hands-on experience with replacement of a product that was new to me.

When we removed the first Waterfall panel, we realized that her gutters were full of debris and shingle grit (one or more inches deep in most places in the bottom of her gutters). It seems to me that anyone with a double digit IQ could see and understand that the previous owner(s) had been sold a dishonest bill of goods. The last I heard, the company is still selling their junk.

WATERLOOV

Our take on the Waterloove system is that it is a modified reverse curve system. Our knowledge is limited with this system as it is not a major player, at least not in our part of the country. It is probably a slight improvement over the major reverse curve brands, but from pictures we've seen there seems to be three significant design deficiencies:

1. The double row of short slits instead on one long slit will tend to break the adhesion and create more over shoot.
2. Small debris that doesn't go into the gutter will still get snagged and block these slits creating even more overshoot as seen on the Internet pictures above.
3. Where your gutters are high against the underside of your roof shingles (away from the downspouts), the design of this product requiring a taller front side (where the slits are located) will create a reverse water flow. We see fascia and soffitt rot as an increased risk with this product.

IV. MICRO-MESH SCREEN

LEAF FILTER

Pure and simple, we think the stainless steel mesh products are the best on the market. We think Leaf Filter's principle problem is its vinyl frame. Based on what we have seen with numerous other vinyl products, the sun and the elements will take their toll. Warping is going to eventually be a problem.

GUTTER GLOVE

Based on extensive experience, we believe Gutter Glove is the best product on the market. It is quality through and through and this writer has considerable experience installing it.

It is still not maintenance free, but customer's love it ---- if they can afford it. Everyone cannot afford a Mercedes or a Lexus.