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Gutter Screens


Have you ever put screens on your gutters but didn’t get the results you wanted? If yes, then you don’t want to skip reading this blog.

About the Test

Before we discuss the test results with you, we think it is important for you to understand how our test underwent.

We tested four different types of screens including:

  • Perforated Metal Covers
  • Contractor-Grade Micro Mesh
  • Big Box Store Micro Mesh
  • The Leaf Guard

We installed all these screens one by one on a make-shift sloped roof. To test the gutter covers’ screening ability we used:

  • Sawdust (representing large debris)
  • Dirt
  • Dried tree leaves

Test Results

Let’s see how each of our gutter screens performed against some common debris that comes flowing with the rainwater

Perforated Metallic Gutter Covers:

These all-metallic gutter covers are durable and strong. You can easily get them from any big box store for $2 a foot.

The performance of these gutters in our tests was as follows:

  • The gutter successfully filtered sawdust from the flowing water
  • It also kept the leaves from getting into the gutter. Any leaves on the screen will dry up over time and will be blown away by the wind
  • The perforated metal covers could not keep the finer dust from going into the gutter. It allowed the remaining dirt to drain through the screen

In conclusion, the screen is good enough against larger debris and leaves. But it will take a year of normal rain and you will have a gutter clogged with finer dirt.

Contractor-Grade Micro Mesh:

You can only get your hands on this $4 per foot micro-mesh screen if you have a contractor’s license. It has a 3/8 or half an inch groove, which is one of its drawbacks because the groove will lead to debris build-up in the groove leading to a clogged screen.

Here are the test results of this micro-mesh screen:

  • The screen managed to keep the sawdust from going with the water flowing in from the makeshift roof
  • The leaves stayed on the screen and didn’t pass into the gutter either
  • This gutter screen held the finer dirt better than the previous screen. However, it got stuck into the fine mesh of the screen and over time, it may clog the screen

The screen filtered the dirt and leaves well. But we saw that some of the dirt accumulated in the groove of the screen. This accumulation will contribute to clogging and you will find yourself going up the ladder to unclog it.

Big Box Store Micro Mesh:

The big-box store micro-mesh screen appears a little flimsy, but this $3.14 screen does its job well. Believe us, we tested!

Here are its test results:

  • The big box stores micro-mesh screen restricted sawdust from passing through or flowing over the screen
  • It also kept the leaves out of the gutter
  • It showed the most promising results against finer dirt and kept a major portion of it from flowing into the gutter

This three-buck micro-mesh screen worked better than all the other screens that we have discussed before it.

Leaf Guard:

The leaf guard, or the Cadillac of gutter screens as we like to call it, comes at $30/foot. But is it worth its price?

Let’s see what the test results say.

  • The Leaf Guard prevented the leaves from getting into the gutter
  • Sawdust, however, flowed with the water into the gutter
  • The finer dirt also went straight into the gutter

The most expensive of all the gutter screens showed the most disappointing results. With all the dirt that leaf guard is allowing in the gutter, you will be unclogging it sooner than you can imagine.

Our Verdict

After testing four of the most common gutter screens we saw that the $3 micro-mesh screen from the big box store is the clear winner.

If you want to know more about gutter screens, check out the video that we made on this topic. Who knows? We might have shared some insider tips regarding gutter covers there too!

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