When you look at the various metal dome cover gutter protection systems, they all look very similar. But there are subtle differences that make a big difference in effectiveness. Gutter Roof’s design has earned a proven performance record since the patent was first granted in 1993. Over the years, we have learned from our own experiences and from the mistakes of our competition to make improvements in our system.
We knew that even though a squared-off nose configuration was less expensive and easier to make, a fully rounded nose configuration will get more water into the gutter without rain flyover.
Most of the gutter protection systems have the nose aligned with the inside lip of the gutter. Unfortunately, debris bounces on the gutter lip and into the trough. If the nose is aligned past the outside lip of the gutter, then there is the issue of inconsequential drips after a rain. So we chose the best of both worlds and aligned the nose flush with the outside lip of the gutter. Consequently, we minimized incidental debris bouncing on the gutter lip and getting into the gutter, and the drips after the rain stops.
High profile systems use brackets for installation. The use of brackets raises the gutter protection up from the gutter making it more noticeable on the roof line. We had a difficult experience with designs using clumsy brackets because it was hard to get proper nose placement when you are making adjustments every 5 feet. So we opted for a low profile design that attaches to the lip of the gutter and follows the contour of the roof. Low profile systems are easy to mount, blend in better with the roof line, and can be mounted to more roofs than systems using brackets. Adjustments can be made every 18 inches so it is easy to follow a run of gutters that has been distorted by normal house settling.
Low profile systems do have some drawbacks. A low profile system requires slots to allow incidental debris that might get blown into the trough to get flushed out. We had seen several systems with slots 2” or less. These systems work well in area of light debris, but fail miserably in areas with a moderate to high volume of debris. Most of these small slot systems have disclaimers in their warranties requiring that the homeowner flush out the trough. Flushing out the trough is not acceptable because it requires maintenance that the homeowner was trying to avoid. A serious issue is that flushing out the trough requires balancing on a ladder to get to the second story gutters. This is a problem for homeowners who want to avoid injuries associated with getting up on a ladder.
Our first system had 5 inch slots, but we had some issues in areas of the country with long pine needles. We found that a 7 inch slot was optimal for handling the longest of pine needles.
.019 gauge aluminum panels are a standard of many gutter protection systems. But we had too many problems with panels collapsing under heavy snow loads during the winter, or warping in the hot summer sun. This posed a dilemma. If you use too heavy of a gauge, the panels won’t lay flat and debris can get in under the panels and clog the gutter. We solved the issue by using a .025 aluminum alloy comprised of 10 different elements. Alloys are very strong yet thin enough to lie properly during installation.
We wanted to improve the curb side appearance of the gutter protection. We found the answer with a roof granule finish. The roof granule finish allows the product to blend in well with many types of asphalt shingles. Another benefit is that the rain water is slowed down by friction of the roof granules. This system holds water better than any other dome system available.
A great quality product can be negated by a poor installation. We didn’t feel comfortable with installers learning on the customer’s home. We have some proprietary installation techniques that can be only taught in a classroom setting. So we invested in an installation training center at our Chicago facility. Here we have classroom training with three rooms of practical application, with each room getting increasingly harder. Installers have to demonstrate proficiency in a room before moving on to the next room. The factory certification installation training prepares installers for every roof scenario that they would encounter.
Most warranties are designed to protect the manufacturer by use of fine print negating all that was promised in the regular print. Our warranty is very simple and devoid of fine print.
This Post Is From GutterRoof.com’s Gutter Protection Article Section