Do Foam Gutter Filters Work

It s a foam material that you can install in your own gutters with no special tools.

Do foam gutter filters work. Inserts have proven to do a very solid and affordable job of keeping debris out of gutters and are effective with a wide spectrum of debris from needles to leaves. Good ones keep your gutters clean and can eliminate flooding and damage to your home. This product features a gutter filter insert. Gutter stuff foam filters do not work avoid gutter stuff foam filters are designed to keep debris such as leaves and roof moss from getting into the gutters and causing a blockage.

But consumer reports tests find some don t work well. Instead it features flat bottom foam to absorb the water and allows it to pass through the gutter conversely the upper part of the surface filters and block all the debris. This foam or sponge acts as a trap by intending to filter any large debris out of the water that flows down the gutter. Gutter filters have no way of self cleaning from oily residues and over time they build up on and through all of the cellular walls of the foam until they become a solid surface.

They are one of several new leaf gutter guard filters on the market see a more comprehensive list of other gutter guards here. It is designed to allow the pores within the sponge like material to let water pass through to your gutters and down your downspouts. A solid surface that s turned your gutter into something only 1 2 inch deep and not connected to a downspout to give the water somewhere to go. It s supposed to last nearly forever and the basic idea is that the foam fills the gutter and prevents leaves and debris from getting in.

However a foam gutter guard collects water just like a sponge and often times becomes trapped within the guard. Sponge gutter guards are a do it yourself product and can be found at most home improvement stores. The foam filters are a petroleum based product and will also allow other petroleum based products such as roofing oils from asphalt shingles to cling to this product. Gutter foam filters are not easy to remove once installed.

The foam is very porous and so water soaks in and travels through the gutter unobstructed. But do they actually work. Sunlight and other natural elements cause the foam to become hard and brittle. Foam filters employ the principle of displacement there is nowhere for the debris to go because the gutter is mostly filled with this material.

Most sponge gutter guards consist of an open cell polyurethane insert or an insert made of foam. There are all types of gutter guards. Not only does gutter guard foam only last for a few years it is also ineffective. So you will not find any screen or mesh surface in this gutter guard system.