Is there any effective leaf protection screens for spouting you guys recommend?
Until recently we had three Silver Birch trees dumping their leaves & seeds which meant I was emptying four buckets of leaves out of our spoutings - I'm keen to learn about preventative ideas.
We have a decramastic type tile roof, so I'm guessing this will complicate things?
golfdiver,
Mar 23, 11:34pm
I'm in the roofing industry OP , and have had a bit of experience with most of the systems out there. Your very best answer is the chainsaw. If you can't bring yourself to do that, there are a few options. 1. bottle brush system eg hedgehog.= totally useless. 2.) coated metal mesh) also useless as the birch seeds go right through it and as it is riveted on you can't remove it to clean it out ever again. Also you lose your roof warranty the instant they fix it to the roof. 3.) gutter guard style like the plastic mesh sold at hardware stores. no good for birch. 4.) Profiled foam inserts. I've found this to be the best system and it comprises of a triangular shaped section of very coarse foam which fits into the gutter tucking under the edge of the tile and fitting snugly under the lip of the gutter. It can be removed and cleaned if required and most leaves blow off the top while the water drains right through. I've seen it in some very heavy downpours and it works well. If you collect water for drinking you may need a more expensive version than the one sold at Mitre 10 mega stores.
jane310567,
Mar 23, 11:41pm
interesting golfdiver - we had the gutterguard mesh and it lasted one season - the snow or the UV broke it up - what a waste! Will check out the foam tho - never heard of it.
ira78,
Mar 24, 12:39am
I had a look at that foam stuff, seems like it might be a lot better than the mesh. I find the mesh probably helps some, but then whatever gets through it ends up trapping underneath.
I should look closer at the foam stuff.
bobwyn,
Mar 24, 1:05am
See if you can get or borrow hire a wet vac vaccume cleaner so easy to clean spouting out with one of them.
sooby,
Mar 24, 1:28am
cheers golfdiver. Do you have a photo or link of the Profiled foam inserts?
just to clarify - we got rid of the birches, so now only have to deal with bigger leaves
lythande1,
Mar 24, 3:26am
Yes. Because while all those mesh things keep out large items, you'll still end up with sludge in it. composting stuff. Then you have a hell of a job trying to clean the spouting out cause of the fence over it.
Why not just clean it out anyway. oh, yeah. Effort.
iluvmuse,
Mar 24, 3:41am
I've used the foam too and think it is the best of a bad lot. It still silts up eventually with fine dust and the Mitre 10 stuff is about $10 per metre . I just have it over the down pipes as they are tricky to unclog.
Will having snow straps installed void the warranty on a new roof too?
golfdiver,
Mar 24, 7:52pm
It will pay to ask your supplier regarding the snow straps. I know about the guttermesh because our suppliers put out a statement clarifying the situation.
golfdiver,
Mar 24, 7:54pm
I have a sample piece of gutter with the foam inside it sitting in front of me but not sure how to upload a pic to this thread.
madam127,
Mar 24, 11:18pm
This is the stuff you're talking about. I clean gutters every now and then for customers and have yet to see an effective long term gutter guard. The solid metal ones seem best but the cost is in the thousands to install I believe.
They come in about 5 or 6 different shapes to fit different guttering systems.
nzjay,
Mar 24, 11:25pm
Wow. how simple is that! Easy to get out every 5 years or so for a check!
sooby,
Mar 25, 1:33am
Cheers madam127!
Our uPVC spouting has support stays @ about 600c/c, would this foam go under them or stop short?
jane310567,
Mar 25, 5:48am
what about snow straps - can they fit with them?
iluvmuse,
Mar 25, 6:02am
should do its very soft and scrunchy.
golfdiver,
Feb 22, 3:44pm
You just run a sharp blade through and cut a slot for the brackets
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