Clint's Leaf Guard Review
Over the years many different leaf guard products have been developed and with each manufacturer claiming theirs is the best, choosing the right one can be difficult. After 20 years in the industry and being a licensed roofer myself I have had first hand experience with all of these leaf guards. I would like to point out I am not contractually obliged to use any particular leaf guard and have tried to make this as independent as possible.
Over the years many different gutter protection systems have been made available and I will review some of the more popular ones.
Please note: we are not obliged to use any particular product. These ratings have been formulated from our personal experience in this field.
The 6 main leaf guards
Metal Clip-in Gutter Protection
This system has been around for approximately 20 years and is still popular. While the design makes sense, this system still requires regular maintenance.
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Porcupine Sit-in Gutter Protection
The porcupine is an ingenious and effective way to stop leaves from settling at the base of your gutters, reducing the frequency of cleaning. Being an open design (see diagram) regular maintenance is still required meaning you still have to remove and re-install as necessary.
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Plastic Fixed-on Gutter Protection
This is Australia’s most popular choice for gutter protection with a great design removing the need for regular maintenance. The leaf screener is fixed to your roof and a Colorbond® trim is fixed to the top edge of your gutter. This creates a ski slope effect, making it easy for leaves and other debris to blow off.
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Aluminium Fixed-on Gutter Protection
Based on the same design aspects as the plastic fixed-on gutter protection, but being aluminium has taken it a step further by offering a 100% fire-proof screener. Having won an Australian Design Award it is considered the crème de la crème of the industry, proving itself to have ticked all the right boxes.
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Metal Hidden Gutter Protection
The principal of this design is simple and effective achieving its aim of little or no maintenance. It accomplishes this by encasing the gutter with an exterior box. It can look a bit bulky on some homes and is relatively expensive compared to other products.
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Metal Flow-Over Gutter Protection
This system has won design awards and was on the ABC program “The New Inventors”. Its design is basic physics, allowing water to follow a curvature which drips back into the gutter, leaving debris to sit on top, unable to enter the guttering system. Yet to stand the test of time, although seemingly practical it does leave a few questions unanswered.
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