How do you clean out LeafRelief gutters? Sooner or later they are going to need some cleaning. It looks like they are screwed in place, which could be a real hassle - depending on how many screws are invloved.

Greg

Thanks John. I have requested a list of installers in my area. I think what you say about the licensing costs makes a lot of sense. If I didn't need new gutters anyway, I would probably go with something similar from lowes or home depot. I had a reference one of those sorts of products from a major manufacturer that is available for do-it-yourself installation, but I can't find it right now. I know at least one section of my gutters is undersized and I suspect the rest of them are too, so I am just going to get a pro to replace them all for me anyway.

Not to hijack this thread, but I wonder if you could comment on one thing that is bothering me about my gutter needs. Based on what the home inspector said when we moved in, our roof probably only has 3-5 years left in it at most. It isn't leaking, but there is always a lot of grit in the gutters and it looks like it has seen better days. I could replace it, but I don't want to be overly proactive about it. Unfortunately I need gutters right now - especially on one front section where they are undersized. I have two concerns about getting the gutters now. The first is that will they get 'ruined' when I do have the roof done, and the second is about the shingle overhang. It seems to me that my existing roof has an excessive shingle overhang. I would say the shingle extends close to 3 inches from the end of the roof line (fascia board). Is that excessive? Will it interfere with the new gutters? I am also wondering whether I should have the fascia boards under the gutters capped while the gutters are off. Is that something you sometimes do along with the gutters? New siding is on my list, but the roof is definitely going to be done first. Any thoughts on these issues would be appreciated.

Greg

Thanks John. Getting the roofer to guarantee the gutters sounds like a good idea. I'd probably want to weed out the outfits who wouldn't be willing to do that anyway.

Greg

Deer180

I applaud you for searching out other products with both good quality and price. Something that I look for myself. I would have reservations too if it cost as much as a new roof. After research of my own, I believe that Leaf Relief provides both of these for you. I installed it on my own house and have had no problems. One thing that I thought I would mention is the look of several of the gutter protection products. Some of the gutter protection products really "stick out" and bring your attention immediately to the gutters which is something that most people that I speak with find less than appealing. Curb appeal is one thing that every realtor talks about when listing a home and that's one more benefit of leaf relief, it works and you don't even see it. You just see the gutter as you normally would when looking at it from your yard.

Dave Farnham

Delcogreg,

I'm in your area too and just sent for the brochure and list of contractors in my area. We do not have a lot of luck with contractors so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

John, here are some links that may be helpful to those here in this forum researching gutter protection products. As you know the process of choosing a gutter protection product can be somewhat confusing to many homeowners with so many to choose from and so many different designs. Important issues to consider when purchasing a gutter protection product are: how is the product installed, how long is the warranty, how strong is the company offering the warranty, what is the material made of and how long will it last, how much water will the product handle, has the product been independently tested and what were the results, costs, etc.
Here are the links that may be helpful: (* items are products that are installed by a dealership and/or franchise).
* 1. Gutter Helmet - www.GutterHelmet.com
* 2. Gutter Topper - www.GutterTopper.com
* 3. Gutter Filter - www.GutterFilter.net
* 4. Leaf Solution - www.Leafsolution.com
* 5. Leaf Filter - www.Leaffilter.com -
* 6. Leaf Guard www.Leafguard.com
* 7. Gutter Pro - www.GutterPro.com

8. Water Fall - www.water-fall.cc
   * 9. Leaf Proof - www.LeafProof.com
   * 10. Water Loov - www.waterloov.com
9. The Gutter Brush - www.TheGutterbrush.com
   *12. Gutter Cap - www.GutterCap.com
10. Leaf Relief - www.Leaf-Relief.com
    The links above are not a complete list of products on the market but most are the major players in the gutter protection market offering no clog warranty's. I hope this helps those of you that are researching different gutter protection options.
    Dave Farnham

JeffW,

Your right, you can buy leaf covers at Home Depot, Lowes, or almost any home improvement store. Many of the products that you can buy are effective for some homeowners but there are other situations where they are not as effective. A lot of the products performance depends on:

1. How many trees are around the home
2. What types of trees and debris are involved
3. Is the product a good product?
4. Is it being installed properly?

A good gutter screen performs pretty well in keeping out the large leaves but not so well in keeping out smaller debris like maple seeds (helicopters), pine needles, twigs, etc.
You could probably categorise gutter protection systems into two categories.
(1) There are the "do it yourself" products (less expensive) which you can buy at your home improvement store, most of which come with no guarantees against clogs.
(2) There are products that you can have a contractor install which do come with a manufacturers warranty against clogs, and usually a much better design and a product that is more effective, depending on which type of gutter protection your contractor is installing.

I think it also depends on the homeowner too, some homeowners don't mind climbing a ladder, and some homeowners just hate climbing a ladder, and it can be dangerous, especially if the home is up high and the ground is not level.
I guess another thing worth mentioning is that a lot of the products that you can buy at your local home improvement store are vinyl products. What happens a lot of times with these vinyl products is, squirrels like to chew through them and make nests in gutters or try to make a way up into the roof for nesting. We have cleaned out a lot of gutters to find dead squirrels and birds that have had vinyl covers with holes chewed in them. Again, they work for some folks and other they don't.

I'd love to know what you all think of the new "gutter stuff". Its a rather hard foam, filter like material with a flat top and / shaped bottom that fits right into the gutter. Supposedly rain goes through and its density keeps other things out to eventually blow away. There is only one distributor in the area--no competition. I haven't gotten a real estimate, but was quoted about $10.50/linear foot installed by a rep at local home show. They justify the cost by checking and/or correcting the pitch of present gutters. Can be self-installed, but think it voids warranty and saves very little. Actually looks easy to install. Check out "gutterstuff.com" Thanks, Sandy

Given the price most of the various companies selling gutter protection (of any kind) are trying to get, you could probably bank the money and pay for having the gutters cleaned twice a year for a very long time.

Brickeyee,
I would agree with you if you are talking about someone who may be moving within a 5 year period. Assuming that the average gutter cleaning may cost $75.00 on average per occurrence that would cost a homeowner $150.00 per year. After 5 years a homeowner has spent $750.00. Our average gutter protection job is around $900.00. So after a 5 year period I believe it is more cost effective to have the gutter protection.
There are other things to consider too, such as, you just paid to have your gutters cleaned and the very next day you get a good wind storm which has just blown fresh new leaves in your gutter. More than likely the leaves are going to work their way to your downspout and clog your gutter again, so the $75.00 you just spent to have your gutters cleaned has now gone to waste. No one can really tell you how long your gutters stay clean after you have them cleaned.
The other thing worth mentioning is, liability, the more often you have someone climbing up and down a ladder and your roof the more risk there is in an accident. If you hire a neighborhood kid to come and clean out your gutters you open yourself up to all sorts of legal liability's.
With all that said I hope it makes more common sense to use gutter protection.

Dave

No ot does not. The price is ridiculous for the material being installed, and eventually enough junk makes it into every one of these systems to require a regular manual cleaning. Pine needles being one of teh worst. The surface tension of the water carries them in very nicely, along with smaller leaves (beech is one example).
You have also nicely neglected the time value of the money, and there are plenty of fully insured companies around almost every major city that will clean gutters out.

Nice try at a sales job however. I hope you are not seeking business on this site, since it is a vioaltion of the rules of use.

Thanks Dave - I'm under trees, get a lot of debris, and put the covers on years ago (didn't need to climb on the roof, just up to the level of the gutters). I have LOTS of trees above, also LOTS of squirrels but none seem to like the taste of plastic, and the small debris that gets through seems to rinse right out the bottom.

Perhaps some of the 'gutter helmet' like products are like "Monster Cable". since so many people sell it, it "must" be worthwhile 8->

Thanks John. I have a small piece of it too. I sprinkled a bit of potting soil on top since it was handy and contained tiny bits of stone, like roof agrigate. The stones and some of the dirt stayed in the crevices but sure it would take a long time to clog. Brickeye, $75. isn't bad but last time I tried, the company estimates all ran over $100 and up. And There are just too many times each year for debris other than leaves. Those spinners are nasty and there are loads of maple trees around here.We get trees sprouting up there. I really need to do something. I'll check out all those sites. Did check leaf relief but it looks like a whole new gutter instead of retro-fit and ours are not that old. Sandy

Alcoa is in the business of selling products. Have you ever heard of a business publishing a test that the product failed? They all must be the best engineers in the world to have everything work, as designed, every time.
I have looked inside gutters with about a half dozen different versions of the 'leaf protectors' on them. Not a single one has been perfectly clean.
How many of your 500 jobs have you returned to and inspected? A lack of complaints in 3 years could easily be explained by the fact theat the devices are somewhat efefctive at excluding larger debris. It will take longer for the smaller debris to build up to a level to cause consumers to start calling.
A lack of independent testing pretty much calls into question the reliability of the claims made for these 'wonder products'.

How do you propose to keep the holes clear?

No. It ignores the problem that occurs with any small openings exposed to run off. They clog up with particles that almost match the size of the holes, just like any other filter type media.
This product looks like another bomb.

Alcoa stuff looks Ok I would like to stick some on the back gutter system of my house where leaves are a problem and try it out for them on a trail basis, I will need about 50ft. Most of the time I just reach down and scoop out any debris in the gutter system when on the roof for something else (antenna adjustment/solar panel inspection/roof inspection etc)only takes a few minutes but hey some folks are physically unable to perform roof work and certainly can benefit from such a product. Are the Alcoa people doing any test trials (free product) Looks like plain ole perforated anodized aluminum maybe .020? with a couple of bends in it. I would guess about 1 dollar per foot would cover the material costs? I noticed that the install instructions call for the gutter to be level front to back and have the correct slope along the length, I laughed when I saw that, most gutter systems are far from being level or sloping correctly. I bet these installers are making more money prepping gutter systems (extras) than actually installing gutter guards!

Luckily i am not the typical layman,. I am a professional engineer. Your claims about clearing of holes are absolute BS. Any device that provides restricted openings of a small size eventually clogs with debris. Period. If Alcoa has found a way to prevent this they could make billions of dollars in the filter industry, why waste money on simple gutter protection? Even the backwashing of limited orifices never clears 100% of the debris.
Slaes to poorly informed consumers using buz words and BS results is pretty common.
The product is nothing more than another version of gutter screeens, and will have all the prolems they have.

Hi Folks:

I'll expose my bias right up front (sorry John Allen). I'm Tim Staub, and I own Elko Products, the maker of the Elko GuttaGard. Since 1983, we've sold more than 20 million feet of GuttGard nationwide.

The gutter protection market is the biggest consumer rip-off in the home improvement market. Folks (mostly older folks and women) are paying thousands of dollars to get a piece of metal put over their gutters. New gutters cost about $2.50 - $3.00 per foot. But gutter protection costs from $8.00 - $25.00 per foot.

GuttaGard can be installed by a DIY'er with nothing but a butter knife . . . for about $1 per foot. It's solid aluminum (no holes, no mesh, no mess) and it can handle at least 6" of rain per hour (the average rainfall in the US is 30" . . . only Louisiana gets more than 6" of rain . . . per MONTH!). With the new Gutter Genius clip, it can handle gale force winds without dislodging.

Check us out online (google "GuttaGard" and you'll find us). We have a free online publication called "The Consumer Guide to Gutter Protection" that will enlighten and hopefully entertain you as well.

Call our toll free line and ask for me. I'll be happy to talk with you directly.

Best Regards,

Tim Staub
President
Elko Products Company

I will ask the same question that Breenthumb asked - what do you guys think about Gutter Stuff, the foam you insert into the gutter?

Threadjack: OK, I'm a SWF 54 yo that just spent this afternoon up on a ladder cleaning out my neighbor's d*mn pine needles. Gina's not in FL now, but in NJ -summer house. Got to thinking: What about aluminum (not fiberglass) screening like you put in windows, bowed up? Sure, some would fall straight into the screening, but seems to me if they didn't hit straight on they would just bounce off??? I'm sure a lot would accumulate on the roof above the screening, but they wouldn't clog up the downspouts. What y'all think?

I have sold many of the products available with pretty disappointing results over the years. I gave some claims in my sales pitch on some previous products that now have me cleaning "helicopters" out of the products slots on a half dozen homes every spring to make up for my unintentional false promises. That made me very careful about choosing another product.

About 3 years ago, I found a product that seemed really good so I started carrying it because I could see no obvious way it could fail. I have had real good luck so far though with the product, though more time will have to go by to see it's real longevity.
It's called Leaffilter. http://leaffilter.com
It is a vinyl extrusion with a stainless steel screen insert that is so fine that not even shingle granules get through.
My only concern with it is on houses with pine trees as I wonder whether pine tar will ever clog it. There are not many houses where I live with pine trees, so I don't have much to go by. The manufacturer says pine tar won't clog it because it's self-cleaning because of the suction action through the filter screen, but I'll believe it more after some more time goes by and I see it for myself.
Other than that concern, I've been real happy with the results.

Gina in FL,
You are on the right track when thinking about aluminum and how it can help. There is a product called Leaf Relief put out by ALCOA. It has been independently tested against pine needles, small debris, and leaves and proven to be successful against them. It is a completely aluminum product that seals the gutter but has very small perforated holes small enough that it does not allow pine needles or maple helicopter leaves to enter into the gutter(or leaves). It does rely on some wind to blow off the debris. It handles more water than most products and even handles 161 inches of rain per hour on a 10 foot run of gutter when covered with wet leaves. In comparison, the cost is less expensive than most all products plus you will have a 10 year no clog, warranty from ALCOA. This should keep you off a ladder AND give you a no clog warranty. We install it in the St. Louis area (leafreliefstl@aol.com) and Cincinnati area (leafreliefcincy@aol.com) and have had great results and homeowners are happier with a lower price and same results as other "no clog" products on the market that have warranties. Hope this helps!
Dave

I had Leaffilter installed on my house almost 2 years ago and so far I have not been thrilled. I will agree that the Leaffilter Membrane does keep everything out of the gutter, but in my experience, that will evertually include water as well.

I admit we do have pine trees in the back yard which is why I thought the Leaffilter system would be more effective. And yes it does keep the pine needles out of the gutter. But I do not know if it is the pollen or pine tar or what, but I have too many areas where water just seems to flow right over the membrane and off the edge of the gutter. I tried washing a section of the membrane with detergent, which the Leaffilter website now says might be required in high pollen areas, but that did not seem to help either.

I also have had a number of areas where the membrane will come loose and start hanging out of the gutter. It could be it was never installed properly, but I have had the installer out twice to put the membrane back in the gutter.

I am not sure how much of the problem is the product and how much is poor installation, but based on my experience, with both the product and our installer, I would not use either again.

Draymore,

I'm just curious do you have the vinyl or aluminum version of Leaf Filter? The reason I ask is the vinyl version has been done away with and so has the nylon mesh / membrane that they were using because of defects. If you have the aluminum version with the surgical mesh then you have the latest version. I do know if you are experiencing problems with the old vinyl version, Leaf filter should replace it with the new aluminum system (just call or email them, or your installer). I know this because I use to be a Leaf Filter dealer years ago and I am getting ready to replace a system that I did over 4 years ago.

We install Leaf Relief by Alcoa now here in Cincinnati and St. Louis and have had good results over the last three years.

Anyway I didn't know if the info. above would help your situation but thought it may be worth mentioning.

John

I am pretty sure it is aluminum or some sort of metal. It does feel like a screen.

It seems however that beside getting clogged, that much of the membrane is just slid under the edges of the base that supports it. It is glued in in a few place, but mostly it seems free to slide out, and it has come out. Unfortunately getting the installer to come out and repair it had been very difficult. The Leaf Relief does look better in the respect. It look like the membrane is more permanently attached to the supporting base.

I looked at the Leaf Relief and it seems to be similar in concept to Leaffilter. They too only warranty against the gutters overflowing due to the gutters themselves getting clogged. They say nothing about a warranty against the membrane getting clogged and water just flowing over the edge of the gutter.

The question is can anyone really make a filter that will pretty much only allow water in, but will not get clogged. I am beginning to have my doubts.

Draymore,

I think the main differnence between Leaf Relief and Leaf Filter is the opening size. Leaf Filter advertises that even a grain of shingle grit won't enter the gutter which to me is no big deal because grit doesn't really cause a problem. You do get shingle grit in your gutter with Leaf Relief.

As far as pine needles I think Leaf Relief has an advantage over Leaf Filter in that Leaf Filter's fine mesh can cause pine tar to build up (and block the fine screen openings) because the mesh is to fine. Pine tar does not seem to be a problem with Leaf Relief because of the larger opening. But, the opening of Leaf Relief is to small to block things like pine needles and maple seeds. I think the sieve or holes plays a key factor on how well some of these products work.

I also had gutter helmet installed,they are ICE MACHINES which would be ok if I sold ice or we were in hell! Oh wait,these things have made my life hell. What a waste of money.I have ridge vents and soffit vents they still claim lack of venting is the cause but also state they are not venting experts.I called after the very first snow and they still couldn't get out to see the byproduct of their product.They came in May! All these companies know there is a problem with aluminum snow and sun, without sun I don't get hardly any icicles my house is overbuilt with 6" walls and more than enough insullation and venting,they just fail to fully disclose what you might be in for,and our safety and satisfaction means nothing to them compared to our money.I am currently involved with the bbb and am going to go to arbitration.People need to speak up and try and unite around this blatant misrepresentation of these products

Hey DelcoGreg,

To clean Leaf Relief guards, just get a ladder, get your leaf blower, climb the ladder to the roof, find a good place to sit, turn on the blower, and blast that debris to kingdom come. It works for me.

All right you guys. After 30+ years of seeing, hearing and researching roofing, gutter and gutter covers, I think I can give some insight.
First, remember that the sun gets very hot and it's rays are destructive. Anything other than metal that goes on a roof or in your gutter, deteriorates quickly. Even tar was not meant to be exposed on a roof. Read the labels.
If you have screens, fabric, or vinyl covers on your gutters, you will have problems. The screens will catch every piece of debris flying in the air. And that debris can fly for miles - leaves, pine needles, etc. We have seen hairy gutters like you wouldn't believe. Hairy gutters? My term for gutters with screens in them which are so filled with pine needles that they appear to have hair growing in them.
We had a gutter clean out which consisted of scraping out the vinyl cover which had "melted" into the gutter and was completely blocking it.
And unless they have come out with a mega new product, fabric filter strips deteriorate very rapidly.
Do NOT blame the covers for every situation which occurs. All of the products will work to a degree. Nothing is foolproof. If your roof catches debris, get it swept off routinely. I have seen roofs covered with pine needles and leaves and twigs and the homeowners complaining that the gutters and covers were no good. For goodness sake, nothing could stand up to that kind of neglect.
The most important thing a homeowner can do is look up. Look at your roof, your overhang, your gutters. If you see something going on, be proactive and get it checked out.
In regards to the gutters and new roof. You have to be very careful when doing a roof and even then, damage can still occur to the gutters. At a minimum, make sure that you watch them clean the roof debris out of the gutters before they leave. Include that in your contract. The nails can catch debris and make a real mess of your gutters. Your best bet would be to get new roof, then wrap and gutters. With a 25-40 year shingle, you would be set for a long time.

I got metal gutter screens (at Big Orange) in 3 foot sections. They clip onto the edge of the gutter and the other edge lays on the roof. They keep out most of the leaves, and when you want to clean out the gutters, they just flip out of the way.

I don't remember the price, but they were very inexpensive.

I found a very good review webpage from an investigative news network, they go in a good amount of depth about cost, quality and durability... gutter helmet did not preform so hot. ( http://gutter-comparison-protection-covers-review.ncreview.org/ )

- Anna

Here is a link that might be useful: Gutter Protection Covers Reviews & Cost Comparison

THE ONLY WAY TO SOLVE YOUR GUTTER PROBLEM IS TO GET RID OF THEM, AND PLANT APPROPRIATE SHRUBS TO BREAK UP THE WATER FALL. THE ONLY PLACE YOU NEED A GUTTER IS WHERE YOU ENTER YOUR HOME. ALL GUTTER GUARD PRODUCTS ARE ALL SCAMS OR MISSGUIDED HOPE OF A SOLUTION. I PERSONALLY GET ON MY ROOF AND BLOW OUT MY GUTTERS ABOUT 5 TIMES EACH, DURING THE SRING AND FALL. I'M GETTING TO OLD FOR THIS. I'M GETTING READY FOR A NEW ROOF AND WILL HAVE ALL BUT A FEW SPOTS WITH GUTTERS REMOVED FOR GOOD. LIFES TO SHORT TO WORRY ABOUT LEAVES BACKING UP, AND OVER FLOWING WATER ON FACIA BOARD, CAUSING ROT. GUTTERS ARE A HUGE HASSLE. SHORT PLANTS AND SHRUBS ARE ALOT CHEAPER, AND WILL ADD TO THE APPEARANCE OF YOUR HOME

bob, so, no concerns about getting water in your basement?

"THE ONLY WAY TO SOLVE YOUR GUTTER PROBLEM IS TO GET RID OF THEM, AND PLANT APPROPRIATE SHRUBS TO BREAK UP THE WATER FALL. "

Obviously written by a person who only has experience living in houses built on slabs, and likely in very well draining soil.

Put a basement in anything but sand and you are very likely to need gutters (along with perimeter drains and gutter leads) to move the roof drainage far enough away to avoid a wet basement.

The installation costs of the gutter guards remains grossly excessive in many locations.

I have gotten quotes over $15,000 in Northern Virginia.

Needless to say it is far more cost effective to hire a cleaning company twice a year.

Well, living in a tree filled area, with three stories, I fell for the GH pitch, only to find six months later that water was just rolling over the gutters onto the ground. When I called the 'lifetime' warranty, I found my sales person had left the business, although the company then sent someone out who asked if I wasn't given the 'nozzle' when we had them installed. I said no, what nozzle, and he said the nozzle that you might periodically have to use to blow out the crud. Nice sales pitch on never dealing with getting up there to clean again. If is sounds too good to be true, it is. Dumb dumb dumb on my part. I can't speak for the other brands, but this was gutter helmut.

I live in a 2 story house with a basement surrounded by large trees. A couple of deep valleys in my roof cause a great deal of run off in the back which has damaged my siding and deck. The height is too much for me to even think about climbing up there to clean them. The frequency of rain here in Georgia precludes me from calling someone out to clean out my gutters after each rain fall. I've tried screens but they become clogged almost immediately. A gutter guard representative has quoted me a price as high as the new roof I just had put on. A gutter topper sales person has recommended replacing my 4" gutters with 6" then topping them off. At a price about 1/2 of the gutter guard people. Needless to say I'm pretty fed up with the whole situation, but I must do something before attempting to repair and paint my siding.
Any suggestions??

"The frequency of rain here in Georgia precludes me from calling someone out to clean out my gutters after each rain fall. "

Why do you think you need to clean them after each rainfall?

Even simple gutter screens made from aluminum will keep out most junk.

For the most part anything that makes it past them will wash out with a hard rain.

Quotes from Sept 28, 2011. Southwest Michigan.

I have no gutters currently. My roof is rectangular gabled. My fascia is 48 ft X 32 ft. I've gotten four quotes for 5 inch continuous gutter including two 3X4 downspouts.

First quote 700 dollars. Company not listed with the BBB. Teenager came in a beater truck to make the quote and offered nothing in writing... said he'd email it if i wanted. He did not know, nor could I find out subsequently what the gauge of material was.
Probably not allowed to name names here but this was a very well known outfit nationwide.

Third quote was 920 dollars. Respected local contractor with lots of commercial references and A+ BBB rating. .032 ga continuous 5 inch.

Second quote was between the two above, but using .027 ga and less well known contractor with little commercial experience/references.

Fourth quote was from another nationwide well known name specializing in leaf guard systems. .032 continuous 5 inch gutter. Snap Lock fastening system. Leaf guard system. Sounds great. But... wait for it...7400.00 dollars. Holy @#it. Minus the leaf guard system.... 3800.00 dollars. Minus the SnapLock system.... 1900.00 dollars.

All quoting contractors above were checked for insurance/bonding, warranty, etc and were comparable. The fourth quote offered essentially the same quality and content as the third, for 1000 dollars more. Easy choice.

However.... I really do like the idea of the SnapLock system for three reasons.

**It does not pierce the rear of the gutter at any point, eliminating potential leaks into the fascia/screws/fasteners.

**It separates the back surface of the gutter from the fascia board by about 1/4 inch preventing water from remaining trapped against the wood and promoting rot. This is especially important since my fascia is processed wood and prone, if the sealing layer is damaged, to absorb water.

**It allows a 50 ft run of continuous .032 inch gutter to expand and contract along its entire length without affecting the fasteners at all.

It's too bad that there are not some competing alternatives to the SnapLock system. I can find nothing online. It's a great idea, but as an option it is no more than a single narrow strip of extruded aluminum added behind the gutter combined with modified hangars for attachment Approximately 150 dollars in additional material costs for the installer, quoted to me at 2900.00 dollars beyond my previously highest quote!!!!! And SnapLock is exclusive to the vendor mentioned above (quote four).

I found this info on the Gutter Helmet website, hope it's helpful! http://www.gutterhelmet.com/faqs.cfm#q4