The complete guide
A Buyer's Guide To Gutter Guard Mesh
The job nobody wants to do twice a year
Cleaning gutters is cold, wet, awkward work. It is done at the top of a ladder, usually in November, with a hand full of black sludge. Most people put it off. Some put it off for years.
The trouble is what happens in the meantime. Leaves fall into the gutter and rot down into a dense, soggy layer. Moss from the roof slates joins them. Rain washes the lot along to the outlet, where it packs into the top of the downpipe. Once the outlet is blocked, the gutter fills like a bath and spills over the front edge or, worse, over the back edge and down the wall.
Water running down a wall is how damp patches and stained render begin. An overflowing gutter can also soak the fascia board behind it. A small strip of mesh is a cheap way to make all of that less likely.
How gutter guard mesh works
The idea is as plain as it sounds. A gutter is an open channel. A gutter guard is a cover for that channel with holes in it.
Rain lands on the roof, runs down to the eaves and drops onto the mesh. Water passes through the holes into the gutter and flows away as normal. A leaf is much bigger than the holes, so it stays on top. In dry weather the leaf dries out and the wind takes it. In wet weather it sits there until someone brushes it off.
Either way, it is not in the gutter, and it is not on its way to the downpipe.
What you get with this roll
This is a single roll of flexible plastic mesh. It is 18 cm wide and 8 metres long.
The maker says it unrolls easily and can be cut to length with a pair of ordinary scissors. That matters more than it might seem. Metal guards need tin snips and leave sharp edges. A mesh you can cut with kitchen scissors is far easier to fit around brackets, corners and the odd-length runs that every house has.
Fixing hooks are included to hold the mesh in place. Here the maker is inconsistent. One part of its description says 15 fixings and another says 10. We cannot tell you which is right, so count them when the pack arrives.
The maker states that the mesh resists rust or corrode. It is plastic, so that is what you would expect.
The roll is light. The pack measures 19.8 x 13 x 12.6 cm and weighs 400 g.
Three things are not stated by the maker: the colour, the size of the holes in the mesh, and the type of plastic. If the colour needs to match your gutters, ask us before ordering.
Will it suit your gutters?
Start with a tape measure.
Measure across the top of the gutter, from the front lip to the back edge where it meets the fascia. The mesh is 18 cm wide. It needs to be wider than the opening it covers, with a little to spare so that it can curve and be hooked on. Many house gutters are narrower than 18 cm across, so there is usually width in hand. The maker does not list particular gutter profiles, so judge it against your own measurement.
Then measure the length of each run. Add the front and back of the house together, plus any extension or garage. One roll covers 8 metres in total. Allow a little extra for overlaps where two lengths meet. Many homes will need a second roll.
Finally, look at what is falling on the roof. Broad leaves from sycamore, beech or ash are what a gutter leaf mesh handles well. Pine needles and fine seeds are much smaller. Because the hole size is not stated by the maker, we cannot promise how it copes with those.
Fitting it
Clean the gutter first. This is not optional. If you cover a gutter that is already half full of silt, you have simply hidden the problem. Scoop out the debris into a bucket, then run a hose along the gutter and watch the water go down the downpipe. If it backs up, clear the outlet before you go any further.
Measure each run and cut the mesh to length on the ground. It is much easier and much safer than cutting at the top of a ladder. Roll each cut length up loosely so you can carry it.
The maker does not give step by step fitting instructions, so what follows is the usual approach for a roll of this kind. Lay the mesh along the top of the gutter so that it covers the opening from front to back. Let it curve gently. Use the hooks to hold it in place, spacing them out along the run so that no long section is left loose. Where two lengths meet, overlap them by a few centimetres.
At a bracket, snip a small notch so the mesh sits down around it. At a corner, cut the two ends at an angle so they meet neatly.
When a run is finished, pour a jug of water onto the mesh to see that it runs through and away.
Working safely at height
This part matters more than the mesh.
Use a ladder that is in good condition and long enough that you are not standing on the top rungs. Set it on firm, level ground. Have a second person hold the foot of it. Never rest the ladder against the gutter itself, because plastic gutters flex and can crack. A ladder stand-off that rests on the wall is the proper way.
Do not overreach. Move the ladder instead. It is slower, and it is how people stay on ladders.
Stay well clear of overhead cables. Do not work in wind, rain or frost.
Wear gloves. Gutter sludge is dirty, and old gutters can have sharp edges and loose fixings.
If the gutters are above first floor level, or the ground is sloped or soft, hire a gutter contractor. Fitting mesh is a small job for someone with the right access equipment.
What a gutter guard will not do
It is worth being honest about the limits.
A gutter guard does not make a gutter maintenance free. Leaves that land on the mesh can build up into a mat, especially where two roof slopes meet. When that happens, rainwater runs across the top and overshoots the gutter. So the mesh itself needs a brush now and then.
Fine material still gets through. Grit off concrete roof tiles, dust and small moss fragments will wash into the gutter. It builds up slowly, but it does build up. Lift a section of mesh once a year, look underneath and flush the gutter if it needs it.
A guard also does nothing for a gutter that is sagging, leaking at the joints or sloping the wrong way. Those need to be repaired first.
Looking after it
Check the gutters twice a year. Late autumn, after the leaves are down, is the important one. Spring is a good time for the second look.
From the ground, look along each run for any section of mesh that has lifted or slipped. From the ladder, brush off anything sitting on top, check that the hooks are holding and feel the mesh. The maker gives no figure for resistance to sunlight or frost, and any plastic left outdoors will age. If a section has gone brittle or has torn, cut a new piece and replace it.
After a storm, a quick look from the ground is enough to see that everything is still in place.
Comparing gutter guards
There are several kinds of guard on the market, and the best gutter leaf guard for one house is not the same as for another.
Rigid clip-on guards are made for one gutter profile and are neat when they fit. Brush guards sit inside the gutter and are quick to drop in. A roll of mesh like this one is the flexible option. It is cut to suit, it copes with odd lengths and awkward corners, and it is light to handle.
If your gutters are a standard size and easy to reach, any of the three will do the job. If your house has a mix of runs and corners, a cut to length mesh is the simpler thing to work with.
The short version
Gutters block because leaves and moss collect in them and wash into the downpipe. A mesh over the top keeps most of that out.
This roll is 18 cm wide and 8 metres long, in flexible plastic that cuts with ordinary scissors. Fixing hooks are included, though the maker quotes both 15 and 10. The colour, the hole size and the type of plastic are not stated by the maker.
Clean the gutter before you fit it, cut the lengths on the ground, and take ladder safety seriously or hire someone. Then check it twice a year and brush off what lands on top.