The main types
- Plastic or metal screen — cheap, snaps in. Large openings pass small debris, and shingle grit and seed pods clog the mesh itself.
- Foam inserts — a wedge of foam filling the trough. Traps debris inside the gutter, degrades in sun, and holds moisture against the metal.
- Brush — a bottle-brush laid in the trough. Catches everything in the bristles and is difficult to clean out.
- Reverse-curve / surface tension — water wraps around a nose while debris falls off. Works until heavy rain overshoots the curve entirely. We do not install these.
- Micro-mesh — fine stainless mesh over a rigid frame. Passes water, blocks debris down to shingle grit. This is what we install.
Why micro-mesh for Kansas City
The local tree mix decides it. Oak tassels in spring, maple helicopters, sweetgum pods, and pine needles are all small enough to pass straight through a standard screen and fine enough to sit on top of a solid cover. Stainless micro-mesh has openings small enough to stop them while still passing the 3 to 4 inches per hour a KC summer storm can deliver.
What guards do not do
No guard makes a gutter maintenance-free, and any company promising that is overselling. Debris still collects on top of the mesh and needs an occasional brush off. Guards also cannot fix an undersized system — if your gutters overflow because the outlets are too small or the pitch is wrong, adding guards changes nothing. We would rather size the system correctly first.
What it costs
Professionally installed guards run $5 to $15 per foot depending on the system and the gutter it is going onto. The LeafBlaster Pro system we install carries a lifetime no-clog warranty and does not require roof penetration.