Carlisle Gutter Replacement & Gutter Guard Installation

Micro-mesh, solid cover, and screen guards

Gutter guards are not one product. Screens are the cheapest: perforated metal or plastic that drops into the gutter and blocks leaves. They stop the big debris and pass shingle grit, seeds and pine needles, which then accumulate underneath where they are harder to reach than before. Solid covers, sometimes called reverse curve, use surface tension to carry water around a rounded nose and into a slot while debris continues over the edge. They work well when installed at the right pitch and can be overwhelmed in very heavy rain, letting water shoot past the opening. Micro-mesh uses a fine stainless screen over a rigid frame. It blocks nearly everything, including grit, and passes water at a high rate provided the mesh is kept reasonably clear. It is generally the most effective and the most expensive. The critical point applies to all three: a guard does not add capacity. A gutter that is undersized for its roof will still overflow with a guard on it, just without the leaves. Fitting guards to an undersized system is a common way to spend money and change nothing.