Ask the Engineer About Foam Inserts as a Gutter Guard
Posted: Saturday, August 20, 2011
by Richard Kuhns
Stress Management Institute
Foam inserts for gutter guards--do they work? In my opinion as an engineer the best applications for foam are a great quality mattress or for packing materials but not gutter protection devices.
Can you pretend that you are a blossom? Along with many of your blossom friends you drop into a gutter that has a foam insert. Both you and all your friends are beautiful blossoms, however, your reign as a blossom is nearing an end. Why?
Now what's in store for you? Are you going to be blown away? Dislodged somehow and fall to the ground? Or will a bird, squirrel, or raccoon step on you?
Let's remember that foam makes and excellent mattress. But what about the wind? Is it going to lift you off this comfortable mattress and set you air born once again? Think for a moment, how might this occur? You are lying flat on this cushion right on top of the gutter. Wind blowing downward from the roofing simply skips over the gutter and goes off into space. Wind whipping toward the gutters will simply knock you into the rear portion of the gutter. Wind blowing along the length of the gutter will simply move you along the gutter--perhaps some of your friends with become air born, however, you have no place to go and are stuck in the gutter. And if you've been wetted by a few rain drops there's no fluff in you to sail away--you're just a soggy mess. And after you dry, you've been flattened on the comfortable mattress. What comes next? Answer: you're going to deteriorate into tiny pieces and accumulate on that comfortable mattress. In time many of your friends will come to your party and all of your together will just shut all holes and openings in the foam and keep rain water from getting into the gutter.
The engineer suggests that you forget about foam inserts. Do you think leaves in the Fall would be much different? Don't think so. It will simply be more of you accumulating quicker.
The engineer will suggest that the answer to keeping leaves and blossoms from getting into the gutter is a solid top gutter cover.
Google "Niagara gutter guards" and you'll find one such type. Again, if you're a blossom you'll fall onto the top of the gutter guard|You'll drop onto the top of the gutter cover if you're a blossom]. If you're dry, a slight bit of wind will blow you away--no comfy mattress there for you. But if you're wet and soggy, you're going to lay flat onto of the leaf guard and not be blown away. The only problem is that rain water will drag you along as it flows downward and into the gutter. In reality within a few minutes you will gently be washed along as you hug the shape of the leaf guard. And you know where you will go? Answer: Into the gutter most of you go along with the rain water and if there are a bunch of your from a real big close tree, then enough of you will get into the gutter to clog it. The engineer will tell you that if your tree is at least one hundred feet away and the prevaling winds blow away from your home, then the Niagara type of gutter protector will work fine.
Instead of one long fin as the Niagara gutter protector if you Google "Care Free vinyl gutter covers" you'll see a row of louvers. Suddenly the chances of a blossom getting to the ground is much easier. Only a few of you will get washed into the gutter than with the Niagara kind of leaf guard
Yet if you ask the engineer for the best leaf guard, I'll suggest to you it's a two row louvered gutter guard. Yes, Mr, or Mrs Blossom, can you imagine two rows of louvers instead of one or none? Go ahead and Google "double row louvered gutter guard" and you'll find a bunch of articles written by me --wow I write a lot. Let me save you some time, just Google "The Number One Gutter Protector" or "Waterloov Gutter Guard" and right there you will notice two gutter guards with two rows of louvers.
Now Mr. or Mrs. Blossom, what are your chances of getting into that gutter and causing mayhem?If you ask the engineer, the answer is zero. In the worst case scenario if you are wet you will wash onto the front louvers and cover several of them, but guess what?
Mr Homeowner, the owner of your tree, can easily see you there and save you from an eternal life of being stuck on a gutter guard by using his telescopic pole and brush to dislodge you and send you on your way to the ground to be with your buddies.
Yes if you ask me, the engineer, which is the best leaf guard or gutter protector to allow blossoms and of course leaves reach their intended destination--the ground I'll tell you it's the two row louvered gutter cover--nothing else. And would you believe that within a couple dollars per foot, most gutter guards all sell for around the same dollars?
Richard Kuhns B.S.Ch.E. Engineer and inventor of better gutter guards at http://www.carefreegutters.com/ and the best gutter guards at http://www.Waterloov.com and http://www.NumberOneGutterProtector.com
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