Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Leaf Filter

Hello all, just wanted to give you guys a heads up if you have been considering calling the company called Leaf Filter to put screens on your Eavestroughs to eliminate having to clean out the leaves that clog them up.

Well after seeing their ad, 1000 times, I decided to call them and ask for a price. They sent a guy to my home to look at the project so he could give me a price. I agreed.

I own a custom home so there are many angles and a lot of cuts so I expected that it would not cost a couple of hundred dollars, I figured a couple of thousand dollars, 5K at tops.

So after he was looking at my Eavestroughs, he knocked on the door and wanted to discuss the project, so I invited him in and made some coffee and we sat down to discuss the cost of installing their Leaf Filter system.

After I asked him how much it would cost at least 10 times, he finally told me. $22,000.00!!!!!!

After spitting up my coffee, I told him that I was good and it was nice to meet him.

Unbelievable! I just thought I would let you guys know in case you were thinking about calling them to install their system on your home.

Cheers ~

I don't know about eavestroughs but I clean my gutters with a battery powered leaf blower. I got a lot of trees around my place. Does the job very well.

But I ain't scared of heights.

MAGA!

Gutter Guards are the new Carters Little Liver Pills.

Only 1000 times? You must not watch much TV! Around here, the sister scam to the various gutter protections are the bathroom remakes.

You could buy enough stainless mesh gutters guards from Lowes to do your house for probably $1,000.

I heard they were expensive, but holy crap!

Holy [bleep] Batman! What's their profit margin? We don't do gutters here, as they need heat tape throughout to keep them from exploding during our winter months.

'
Betcha these would cost a king's ransom

LeafGuard

We went with LeafGuard, cost was $3,300. for our 3BR ranch home.

One of the neighbors got a high bid of like 7k and when he wouldn't buy they re figured the price down to 5k. I've done three houses and I'll do #4 this year for about $1,200. each with aluminum Gutter RX. I haven't been on any of those first three houses to blow out the gutters since I used the Gutter RX coverings and they are all draining fine. Jamming up the down spouts was the worst and a thing of the past now.

I've gone fully around the carousel on these issues.

There are good DIY products out there for those who are capable... the ss/aluminum ones available at Home Depot are pretty nice and you can get "wider" ones from the manufacturer if your gutters are not standard sized. They were not that hard to install depending on the height of your gutters. Some of mine I had to install from the "roof" side and you have to be pretty careful or else your project will become MUCH more expensive at minimum!

My experience with the covers has been "mixed" thus far. They are plenty durable and keep out the leaves as well as the fine grit that comes off the shingles over time. The latter was a huge problem for me and was quite "heavy" in the gutters as well as not always that easy to clean out with water or a blower. Add in the fact that "cleaning" usually meant getting up on the roof again... My biggest complaint now was totally unexpected. When it gets cold (0 to 20 degrees) with snow, as things melt on the roof the water "freezes" again as it runs over the SS "pores" and creates icicles which I had gotten away from with the gutters/heat tape by themselves!!! They put their own stress on the gutters with weight and raise the chances of "ice dams" depending on how your heat tape is installed.

It seems like you can't win!!! Every "solution" has brought a new set of issues.

Consider your age, location, weather before taking the plunge. IF I were in a slightly warmer/drier location with less snow and a shorter winter. my set-up would be almost perfect, BUT I am not!

If I did it again, I would let my landscaping technique and material help with water coming off the roof when it does, use limited heat tape on northern exposures for any snow, and keep the gutters to a minimum over doors, etc. including the garage (sans downspouts, too).

An honest, experienced installer could be very helpful BUT many/most are just trying to pedal a product or service and run up the bill, IMHO.

Agree.

Advice- if not planning to replace all the gutters just add the mesh leaf guards yourself - If roof access is not a dicey thing. I did not install from the roof side but on a ladder. Not very dangerous or difficult in my case. If getting new gutters ask a local installer if you can buy the mesh and have their guys install it. Plenty will do it. Seems crazy to pay guys to do an install but then have to do work yourself.

I had to order the oversized mesh guards but DIY'd about 70 feet worth for about $200 IIRC. Don't get the super chincy plastic ones.

Our first bid was crazy like yours, one of those "we need the wife and husband to both be present". After the hour long shpeel I was told first that he would knock off $1500"...to which I replied if he was knocking off $1500 I wasn't interested in hearing the balance. Patently absurd bid.

I have a massive red oak that drops tons of leaves, acrons, and fuzzies and my older smaller gutters were forever clogged. I haven't cleaned my gutters in a few years now. Worth it.