QUESTION FROM adamsmartschan

I have gutter covers made of an aluminum latticework covered by a very fine mesh screen. I'm getting a fair amount of leaks in the middle of long stretches of gutters; it seems like water is rolling right over the covers and off the side, rather than going into the gutter and out the downspout. Is there a way to prevent this?

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD

Dear Adam:

Since the design of your gutter covers includes a very fine mesh screen, the cause of your problem of water rolling over the covers could be that oils from your roof have begun running down and coating this fine mesh screen. And once this starts to happen, this oily surface will begin to trap very tiny particles, which eventually will begin to restrict the mesh screen to the point that water starts to flow over the mesh, rather than it all going through it.

To avoid this problem you would need to periodically clean the oil off of the screen. Depending on the type of roofing materials you have, you can test various detergents or solvents that will remove the roof oil from the mesh screen, without damaging the finish on your gutters.

Hope this is helpful.
Home Wizard