*4 Year Update at end*
I am a 60 y/o woman and I just installed 50' of these A-M 6" gutter guards on my 5.5" gutters (with no help from anyone), and the whole job took me about 3-4 hours. They were a perfect fit, although I had to bend the back of them in some places in order for them to seat properly (due to my gutters not being even). The length/side that goes against the drip edge was easy to bend just by hand, but the entire guard is sturdy, and seem to really strengthen the gutters as well once installed. The total length I needed was 50' and this box of 50' fit perfectly...they have about a 1" overlap cut into one end of each 4' piece, so adding in extra inches/feet to account for overlapping is not necessary (in other words, the 50' box covered 50' of gutter including an inch or so overlap on each piece). Last year I paid a few hundred dollars to have guards installed on my front gutters, and I just noticed what a terrible job was done when I had to get on a ladder for other reasons ( a different guard was used, but very similar to this product). I ended up removing every piece and reinstalling it properly, so I already knew what tools I'd need to install these guards on my back gutters. I found that using a scratch awl & hammer to help start the screws was necessary, mainly on the drip edge side of the guard which is not pre-punched/drilled (this would be my only complaint about this product. Having pre-drilled holes, or at least an indent, would have helped greatly and I'd have given a 5 star rating. There ARE pre-drilled holes every several inches on the side that lays on top of the outer edge of the gutter.). Aside from a scratch awl & hammer I also used good set of tin snips, cordless drill, an extension "thing" (don't know what it's called) to hold a 1/4" hex shank screwdriver bit and #8 x 9/16" socket hex drive sheet metal screws (in the future I'll replace these with stainless, but couldn't find any at this time). These worked perfectly on the gutter edge side, and for the most part on the drip edge side...in a few places I had to use a 1" long screw because nothing about my gutters seems to be even. Depending on your type of roof you may be able install these by just sliding one side under your shingles and then securing the 'outside' to the gutter edge, but this wouldn't work for me...i secured both sides with screws. You could probably get by with 4 screws per section, but I put more to ensure they lay flat - and we're in a hurricane area. Properly installed, I can't see how leaves could possibly enter the gutters, or any other object aside from perhaps roof grit or something very small. Leaves will build up somewhat on top of the guards, which seems to be the case with most of them, but they're easily brushed off. Having extensively researched gutter guards, none seem to be a perfect solution...but these were definitely the right price, easy to work with, fit my 5.5" gutters and are definitely sturdy. I wouldn't expect to have to remove them to clean whatever might make it's way into the gutters anytime soon, but time will tell. We have oak trees that drop leaves 24/7/365 and the similar guards that I have on the front of my house seem to have done a decent job keeping the leaves out even with the poor install that had been done...so I expect these guards to perform as well or better. Instructions in the box show how to miter the corners...easy to do, and easy to cut with tin snips. *Update: It's Dec. 2023 and I stand by everything I said about these leaf guards - even bumped my rating up a notch to 5 stars. We've had zero problems with leaves or anything else clogging our gutters. They've literally been maintenance free. I do have to clean leaves off of the top of them at the corners twice a year, but that has nothing to do with the guards.
They have held up just fine & haven't rusted or had any other issues. Great product.
| Manufacturer | A-M Seamless Gutters, LLC |
|---|---|
| Part Number | AM-5050 |
| Item Weight | 6.4 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 47 x 5 x 0.5 inches |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Size | 5 Inch - 50 Feet |
| Color | Mill Finish |
| Material | Aluminum |
| Item Package Quantity | 13 |
| Number Of Pieces | 13 |
| Included Components | Gutter Guard |
| Batteries Included? | No |
| Batteries Required? | No |
