Can someone shed some light on this; solid gutter guards with no opening to allow rain water to enter into gutters. The only perforations are at small areas at valley ends. Could this be a homemade system to keep out debris rather than just removing the gutters. This is mid florida and gutters are not typically needed. Thanks
There is nothing wrong with those leaf diverting gutters.
The rain will end up in the gutter just fine.
Michael, thanks for the reply but please take a second look; the guard is solid with no perfs and they extend out equal to the outer lip of the gutter. We have very dense heavy rains that will just shoot right over onto the ground. The only place for water to enter is at the valleys.
Very cool design and I just started recommending them for areas that have allot of leaves and pine needles. There are several different kinds being sold on the market and work on the principle of cohesion of water molecules or surface tension to run the water into the gutter system.
I think you are missing something. Do you have a decent side profile shot?
I see a slot between the gutter and the cover. Surface tension makes the water flow around the bend in the cover. They work slick.
If you think they don’t work there should be an obvious drip line below the gutters.
Also think of the profile. It is designed to slow the water down by providing a lip every inch.
I agree with Michael look for the overflow pattern.
Here is another photo looking straight down
I found a few more photos
They didn’t show up on last post
Post them.
Note the algae growth on the patio in the last photo, bear in mind, when it rains here, it comes down in sheets not drops. I’m having a hard time believing that the rain would not just run right over the top of these things regardless of surface tension or the ripples. thanks for all your comments.
The hydrogen bonds in water allow for its high surface tension. The slope and ridges in the cover slow the velocity of the water so it does not run right off the cover. The tension keeps the water together as it moves around the curve and into the gutter. It is possible that it’s installed wrong but it does not look like that from the photos provided.
The surface tension of water allows it to defy gravity in capillary action. That is how water gets to the leaves of trees from the roots and any other situation where water travels up. Sticking together over the form of the cover is not hard to believe when you understand the properties of water.
A good experiment to prove it is try to spray water over the surface of a smooth beach ball and see if you don’t get soaked from the water tension.
I’ve done a little research on them in the last few minutes and you’re all correct but some of the unbiased sites also stated that they can/will overflow during periods of heavy rains of the type that we do have here. They also stated that eventually accumulations of small debris and shingle granulars will find their way to the gutter which will then need to be cleaned out at some point. I guess (and have always thought) that there is no perfect system to eliminate the need for gutter maintenance. Thanks to all for the help.
Actually there is one that does provide this but I have never seen it tested so I can’t speak to its ability to be maintenance free.
I can’t remember the name either. It works by preventing any debris with sponge control that has fungal bacteria protection.
Allows only water to go through the sponge into the gutter system.
http://www.americangutterfilter.com/Gutter-Filter-Comparison.aspx
Works best with leaves, less so with pine needles and doesn’t work worth crap with fir needles. Once installed, you can’t clean your gutters without disassembly. This means any dirt , dust and algae will collect and dry in the bottom of the gutters with no way to clean them. Yellow jackets love the overhang to nest. And in very heavy downpours, some water will overshoot the edge.
Works on water tension.
Theres another one called gutter brush, looks like a giant pipe cleaner. Supposeldly big itms get stuck on top and dry out and blow away, small items like sand etc can flow down the downspout. Never seen it after the season or two to see how it works.
2 homes this year with the in-filled gutters.
They degrade after xx number of yours and are 5 to 7 dollars a foot without installations the owner said.
They block up with slush around freeze and winters thaw freeze cycle real work the wooden components within there proximity.
Damage to the fascia board and deck over hang on both homes I inspected.
I used my awl to probe the plywood deck. It was worn in appearance and dry rotted…
Biggest defect is installation of gutters and the lack of fascia and deck protection.
JMO