Posted on Fri, Apr 27, 2012 @ 07:30 AM
Live in and around the suburbs of Chicago? You may live in a classic four square with a
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| Photo by Payton Chung |
comfortable front porch, a historic bungalow or even a stately Georgian colonial right out of the movie Home Alone. No matter what you call home, people in Chicagoland deal with some gutter issues that you might not find in other parts of the country. Is there a gutter guard Chicagoland can rely on that will offer great protection and performance? We think so.
First, many homeowners deal with pine trees. Pine needles cause lots of problems for homeowners because loads of them pile up on roofs and work their way down into your gutters. There are a lot of steep pitched roofs as well as flatter hip style roofs around Chicago and pine needles take no prisoners, no matter the roof type. They'll quickly knit together over downspouts and cause a gutter clog.
There also seems to be a lot of helicopters from different trees like maples, ash and elms. Helicopters are flatter than pine needles and will stack more densely in a gutter. We've often seen homes where they extend a few inches out of the top of the gutter and just won't budge. There are instances where they'll cause a clog faster than pine needles.
Then, there's a Chicago winter. Homeowners from other parts of the country just don't understand the amount of snow that gets dumped all over the city and suburbs from Lake Michigan (maybe not the winter of 2012, but most years). It makes homeowners that want gutter protection great candidates for a heated gutter guard so that icicles don't form over entranceways during a long winter.
MasterShield is the latest generation of microfilter gutter guards from Alex Higginbotham, the original inventor of this critically acclaimed technology. It works on most roof types and uniquely self cleans from the roof oils that leach from asphalt shingles, an issue behind most gutter guard failures. It eliminates most if not all of the standing debris that typically gets stuck on gutter covers. Most systems sit flat and MasterShield is intentionally pitched with the roof so that airflow does most of the debris cleaning.
MasterShield is also made from a metal gauge similar to the gutter so it'll expand and contract just like the gutter itself. And when temperatures range from the heat of a Midwest summer to the frigid winter, this becomes an important feature. It means our panels won't separate over time which can leave a gap that could let in debris. We also are the only interlocking system to add more stability and protection over the entire gutter run.
This is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg on the features of MasterShield. To learn more in Chicagoland, just call our toll free number or fill out our form for a free estimate.
Posted on Mon, Apr 23, 2012 @ 07:30 AM
Is refurbishing your deck on your list of spring cleaning chores? Spring is an excellent time to clean the deck, after the danger of frost has passed but before the heat of the summer starts. (Washing a deck in hot weather can stress the wood). And if you've had your deck for a few years but never got round to waterproofing it, chances are that the deck is looking quite a bit battered by now. You probably hoped that whatever the wood had been treated with would protect it--but you can see that your deck has suffered from being outdoors.
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Waterproofng a new deck is like writing down the serial number of a new TV--something we know we're supposed to do but sometimes don't get around to doing. We get it--your life is crazy, you're working overtime, or on the road 40 weeks a year, and sometimes chores just don't get done. But now's a good time to get organized, get the deck cleaned, assess if water damage is affecting the wood, and decide whether strategies like sealing the deck and installing gutter covers can help protect your deck. These tips may help:
- Remove all loose items from the deck, including any plants in pots;
- Cover any plants growing around the deck.
- Sweep the deck and remove any debris trapped between the boards.
- Use a garden hose to wash away loose dirt. If you're using a power washer, don't hold the washer nozzle too close to the deck. Holding it against the deck may gouge the wood.
- Use a broom or stiff-handled brush to scrub the deck. Several commercial cleaners are available, but you may be able to get just as good results with a solution of laundry detergent and water.
- Wash down the deck with the hose or pressure washer to get rid off all traces of the cleaner.
- Allow the deck to dry completely--this may take 2 or 3 days.
- Seal the deck to protect the wood and reduce the amount of cleaning you will have to do in the future.
If your deck has mold, mildew and/or algae is attacking your deck, it will be take more work to clean.
- Bleach is a good choice to remove mold, mildew or algae. However, it's better to use an oxygen bleach like Stain Solver rather than than chlorine bleach to reduce the risk of discoloring the wood.
- Use gloves to protect your hands, and be careful not to spill bleach on any plants.
- If the growth on the deck is well-established, let the bleach solution sit on the wood for ten minutes before you scrub it off.
- If growth remains, it may be necessary to repeat the process.
- Rinse the deck thoroughly to get rid of any traces of bleach. Allow the deck to dry thoroughly before sealing it.
If you have to remove mold, mildew or algae from your deck, that could be a red flag for gutter problems. And let's be honest, if you've been too busy for deck cleaning, it's possible that you've put off gutter cleaning as well. Gutters need to be cleaned frequently in the spring and fall, as well as after heavy storms. It's a messy job that takes precious time that you just don't have, and it's easy to put this chore off.
A gutter clog can be like a dental cavity--the problem may be developing quietly out of sight while you continue to chew candy with no twinges of pain. But gutters that are slowly getting choked by debris are putting your house at risk for water damage problems. Mold on the deck is a comparatively minor inconvenience. Water behind your walls, flooded basements, weakened foundations, peeling paint, damp insulation in your attic--these are all water damage issues that can be very costly and painful to fix.
As you're doing your spring deck cleaning, think about whether it makes sense to stop water damage problems from happening in the first place. MasterShield's self-cleaning gutter protection system will take the nasty task of gutter cleaning off your too-long To Do list forever. MasterShield can't clean the deck for you--but it can make the job easier in years to come. And your home will be protected from gutter clogs that would make your busy life a lot more complicated than it should be. We guarantee our product--and we guarantee it will help to make you feel more organized this spring.
Posted on Fri, Apr 20, 2012 @ 12:04 PM
Happy Earth Day to all our readers! MasterShield salutes everyone who does their part to 
make the world a little greener, from the big organizations like Water.org (dedicated to giving the whole world access to clean water) to the household-hero recyclers like you, who take the time to do a conscientious job separating their plastics and their paper.
More Than Just Another "Awareness" Day
First celebrated in 1970, April 22nd was designated international Mother Earth Day by the United Nations in 2009. It is now celebrated in more than 178 countries across the world. And in many communities Earth Week, a week of environmental programming, has become popular. But come May, and it sometimes seems that the TV producers and journalists put their scripts away for another year. MasterShield, on the other hand, is a "green" company year round.
Proudly manufactured in the United States, our products have recycled content of more than 95% in our aluminum portion and at least 30% in the 316 stainless steel (a higher recycled content would not meet surgical grade standards). MasterShield celebrates Earth Day every day by being committed to supporting environmentally friendly practices.
"But What I Do Doesn't Make Any Real Difference, Does It?"
Sometimes it's hard not to wonder if what one person or one household does can really save the planet. If I use a tote bag for my groceries, is that really going to slow global warming? "If every household recycled three aluminum cans a day, it would save eleven trees"--where do they even get these statistics from? Well, we have one simple thing you can do that will really have an impact.
Water shortage is not something you hear that much about, surprisingly. It's surprising because the situation has reached the point where it's actually affecting our lives. Parts of Georgia are in a five-year-drought and some farms there won't survive this summer. According to the EPA, nearly every region of the country has experienced water shortages, and at least 36 states are anticipating local, regional, or statewide water shortages by 2013, even under non-drought conditions.
The average American uses a lot of water per day. Depending on where you live and how often you water your yard or wash your car, it could be as much as 400 gallons a day. If you're a gardener living in an area that may have water restrictions this summer, you will spend a lot of time looking at the forecast and hoping for rain. But have you ever noticed that a dry spell is often followed a violent rain storm that evaporates all too quickly for your parched yard?
One really practical thing you can do is to attach a rain barrel to your downspout where you can collect water from your gutter run. You'll be surprised how much you can collect every time it rains. Rain water is pure and free of chemicals that can harm your plants. MasterShield protects your gutter with a guard with a microfilter that finely filters rainwater and keeps it free of contaminants. It's a very easy way to "go green." And it's free, apart from the cost of the barrel--which could be offset by the savings in your water bill.
By routing the flow of rain water from your roof to your landscaping, MasterShield customers help to reuse a precious natural resource. And our unique filtration process keeps the rain water cleaner than any gutter water you could imagine (our filtration standards exceed municipal drinking water tolerances). By the way, if your household includes students who need to do a "green project" for school, this is a perfect way to illustrate rain water harvesting in a garden setting. And the project should include the fact that rain water harvesting is a great way to combat storm water runoff and stop chemicals leaching from our roofs and driveways into our waterways. It's a very practical way that you as an individual can make a difference.
And at your house and with your family it really will be Earth Day every day!
Posted on Wed, Apr 18, 2012 @ 07:30 AM
We do a lot of traveling around the country and see a lot of gutters. It shocks us how often they're not installed right. Most of the time, you'll find them shoved right underneath the shingles. That is not where they should be installed. You should see what happens to your shingles over time when they're installed this way.
Often, they don't extend out past the roof shingle edge at the side of your home, so water, following the path of least resistance, follows the edge and drips off the corner in a steady stream. This could have been avoided if the gutter extended just a little further past the roof.
Silly stuff. And avoidable if you know all about gutters.
Whether you're a new homeowner just trying to get your hands around general home maintenance or if you've got the best looking home on the block because you keep everything in tip-top shape, how much about gutters do you really know?
You know you need them to take water away from your home or water can cause damage. You may know that in many parts of the country, they handle more water than your indoor plumbing.
As it relates to how they're installed, there are the basics, like how much they should drop towards the downspouts. When we went searching, we couldn't find a comprehensive source of information in a simple format like a checklist you could quickly read and refer back to.
So we created it and you're welcome to a free copy by clicking on the button below link. We hope that you wind up teaching your local installer a thing or two because of it.
Posted on Mon, Apr 16, 2012 @ 07:44 AM
It might seem a little odd that we'd have a question for a homeowner looking at gutter covers this season. Mostly, homeowners want their questions answered and with our FAQs and blog posts, we're happy to oblige with an exhaustive education.
But let us pose a question that you should always keep in mind when you're considering a gutter cover:
‘Do you want to keep some of the debris out of your gutter, or all the debris?’
There's only one answer to this question, isn't there? Yet most gutter guards can't keep out
all debris, particularly the small debris that falls from budding trees each spring. Gutter guards with wide openings in them, like reverse curves, or open louvers and screens, they're all pretty good at keeping out the big stuff like leaves in the fall. But from oak tassels and husk-like covers to buds and maple helicopters, any and all of this budding material that trees are dropping right now is small and can get through most covers, leaving a layer of material that will decay and break down into great compost in your gutters and under the gutter cover. This mulch is a highly attractive place for insects like mosquitoes to breed and for squirrels to find a trough to drink from the pockets of water that will remain behind after it rains. Mulch in your gutters is also a ticking time bomb to a clog, the very issue that you were trying to solve in the first place.
MasterShield™’s philosophy is simple: gutter protection should let water into a gutter and nothing else. MasterShield uses a stainless steel filter with multi-patented, self-cleaning properties to shed leaves and debris particles barely visible to the naked eye. It is the only system being marketed today to offer HydroVortex™ Technology and the MicroVortex stainless steel membrane. In fact, you can't describe the reaction people have when they first see it perform. With HydroVortex Technology, we literally stop rainwater as soon as it contacts the filter, pulling all of the water into the gutter at a tremendous rate.
It makes sense to use a filter to separate liquids from solids, so long as the filter can self clean and doesn't become trapped with debris. By pitching MasterShield in a similar manner to your roof line, you'll let the wind flowing down your roof do most of the debris cleaning off the system since debris will react as if there were no gutter on your home.
Take a quick look at the short video we've posted and you'll see what we mean about how fast the water gets pulled through the filter and how you can pitch the product with the roof pitch to minimize maintenance.
Posted on Mon, Apr 09, 2012 @ 07:30 AM
Each spring, homeowners from coast to coast spend a combined total of millions of dollars or devote endless hours to erase the effects of a harsh winter on their landscaping. Rotting leaves have accumulated around root balls of most shrubs. Strong winter winds have caused mature trees to naturally prune themselves and litter shrub beds with branches and twigs. All of this debris should be carefully removed before shrubs are fertilized and mulch is applied. Plantings should be pruned of dead limbs to promote new growth as well. As part of this spring spruce-up, homeowners should also ensure they won’t have rainwater runoff from their roof, which can ruin their painstaking efforts to keep their plantings healthy and strong.
Shrubs and plants can easily become damaged or destroyed by rainwater overflowing from
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| You can't mow this. But when water overflows, it'll wash out any shrubs or landscaping you've got below. |
clogged gutters. Fertilizer and mulch can quickly be washed away to expose fragile roots. Of even greater concern is the extensive damage runoff can cause to a home. Gutters clogged with twigs, leaves, bee and bird nests have to cope with budding trees dropping seed pods, helicopters and tassels. Result? Gutter overflow, leading to flooded basements, insect damage from rotting wood or mold and mildew—all of which can require costly home repairs.
Gutter cleaning is seen by some as a painstaking hassle and by others as a potentially frightening experience. Either way, it's an age-old problem. Back in 1880, J.M. Hess decided to do something about it and received the first U.S. patent for a gutter protection system. Since then, hundreds of patents have been issued to solve the problem, but no product has been able to keep the interior of a gutter free and clear of debris at all times. Effective gutter protection solves the perennial problem of gutter cleaning, while offering peace of mind that your investment in your landscaping and home are preserved.
It’s a simple fact that leaves and debris, when wet, will follow water anywhere it goes. And that includes right around the curves of today’s most popular gutter cover systems—right into your gutter. If debris can get in through the cover, there is nothing to stop it from building up and clogging both your gutter and underground drains.
Most systems marketed today are based on how liquid adhesion works with reverse curve flow, a concept first designed and patented over 100 years ago. This design has been part of the public domain for more than 80 years, meaning anyone can put it to use for a gutter. Put in a minor tweak with special hangers or angles and dips and you can call it a patented system. But it doesn’t change the fact that it's a design that didn’t keep all debris out of a gutter in 1900. That design will still let in debris today.
And in addition to thinking about the best gutter guard option, you should consult your professional landscaper or local garden center for advice on the best fertilizers for your shrubs, plants and bulbs. Organic mulches will improve the soil as they decompose to offer plants and shrubs additional nutrients. Ensuring the quality of the soil and root protection are critical, so keeping water from your roof and gutters away from your plantings should be your first step to maintain your shrub beds so that they beautify your home for years to come.
Posted on Thu, Apr 05, 2012 @ 12:41 PM
Remember back to that tough conversation about the birds and bees you had when you were a kid? It was a little uncomfortable, right? Let's turn the tables and have it about gutter guards, because it's just as uncomfortable a topic for most systems to address without feeling a little awkward.
The most common gutter guards sold are solid aluminum or plastic covers. They slide underneath your roof shingles, or are in some way attached to your roof. Some are installed over special hangers. Most end with what is commonly called a "reverse curve" in the front that floats over the gutter lip. The gap that is created is intended to allow water into the gutter below. But the gap, which runs the entire length of the gutter run, is also big enough to allow small birds and wasps to fly in and find a nice, dry and comfortable place to build nests. The likelihood of getting nests may increase when the gutter guard is installed under the second course of shingles rather than the first. That's because the cover sits higher and less water can splash on its underside in the rain.
Bees and Gutter Guards
Often gutter guards become a virtual apartment complex for wasps, who attach their
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| You won't want to barbeque or lounge with a book with this over your head. |
paper-style nests under the cover. This can make the living areas around your home very uncomfortable, particularly near entrance ways or by decks and patios. No one likes when their outdoor event feels like it's been invaded by bees or wasps. Everyone winds up feeling on edge, fearing they're risking getting stung.
It's hard to manage controlling or ridding yourself of a colony. It's very difficult to get a spray under the cover to kill the insects. Most often, the system needs to be removed, cleaned of all colonies and then reinstalled to get rid of all the nests.
Birds and Gutter Guards
Openings in many systems are big enough for small birds, like finches, to get in and nest. One
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| The feathers make the bird look bigger than it is. It can get under a system like this to nest. |
particular one-piece gutter cover's brackets are installed under the guard and don't attach to the gutter trough. Over time, particularly on longer runs, the opening starts to yawn open and even bigger birds can get in to nest.
The First Bird and Bees Nest Guarantee
MasterShield's micro mesh gutter guard is different. It creates a completely enclosed gutter, one that an insect, even a mosquito, can't enter. Even if they could, they wouldn't find a dry place to nest because the water receiving area is directly above the open trough of the gutter. Every time it rains, the entire undersurface of the filter will carry rainwater into the gutter below.
MasterShield is so sure that it won't attract birds, bees, wasps or even small insects like mosquitoes to nest and breed we back our system with the first Bird and Bee's Nest Guarantee in the industry: your dealer will remove, at no cost, the nest or nests. For more than 6 years, we've never had an instance of a dealer having to make good on this promise because nothing has ever gotten in the system to nest.
No one wants a gutter guard with "benefits" especially ones that can make family events or a relaxing afternoon outdoors with a newspaper or iPad an uncomfortable time.
Do you have a story of having gutter guards and bees? Or having to deal with removing a bird's nest? Feel free to share it with us here.
Posted on Mon, Apr 02, 2012 @ 07:30 AM
Gutter guard pitch? Is it baseball season? Well, almost, but we're not talking that kind of pitch. We're talking roof pitch and that, in layman's terms, is how steep your roof is. In the industry, you'll hear roof pitch discussed in numerical terms, such as "four-twelve", "six-twelve" or "ten-twelve", which is the relationship of how many inches up a roof goes over a twelve inch distance. This creates the angle and the pitch of your roof.
Back to why it's important to mirror or match this pitch when your considering protecting your gutters. When a gutter guard pitch is at the same angle as the roof, the debris you're trying to keep out of your gutter reacts the same as it does as it rolls down your roof. Wind tends to blow things down and off your roof quite efficiently-- so long as you don't change the angle of the gutter guard. When you change this angle, you're more likely to create a shelf that can hold and trap debris. This typically has more of an impact in the Spring, when debris tends to be smaller and tends to gather in clumps, a result of trees budding. Fall leaves tend to be lighter and easier to blow away. If you're dealing with pine and fir needles, they tend to be heavier and are more likely to build up like Spring debris.
Your roof will give you a good indication if it and your gutter guard may hold debris. If debris naturally takes a while to shed from your roof, it will tend to take a while to shed off your gutter guard. What can impact debris? Low pitch, how much natural airflow the roof gets, if it has inside roof valleys or if the gutter ends against an exterior wall. On some homes, it can take months for a roof to shed debris, which isn't a problem for gutter guard pitch, so long as it's not creating a shelf. If your roof always looks clean, you'll have no issues with a gutter guard pitched at a matching angle.
We had some fun with our video to teach this point. Fun fact: MasterShield's inventor, Alex Higginbotham, wrote the music and lyrics to the song we used, and it's sung by country music singer, Chip Davis.
Posted on Mon, Mar 26, 2012 @ 10:31 AM
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| © ghz |
I recently ordered a Diet Coke on a flight. I haven’t had soda for a while so I was quite surprised to discover a change to Diet Coke that struck me. With the can twisted towards its contents, I saw 333 ml. Or, what really shocked me, 11.27 ounces.
What happened to the 12 oz. can of soda? Somehow it disappeared and I missed the whole thing. Am I the last person in America to notice this change? I sincerely hope not. And more importantly, what does Coke think it's doing or saving by taking away 0.73 ounces of soda, or one sip, from the can?
As I wrestled with the 11.27 oz. can of Diet Coke in my head, it also got me thinking the same thing had happened to leaf guards. People had started to make their products "less" than they had been in the past. And, if taking something away that people thought was a benefit (like a full 12 ounces of Diet Coke), how could you possibly make a potential customer happy? Why would you lower the bar on people’s expectations? Why would you try to sell it as if it was as good as it was?
The team at MasterShield has a different philosophy. Not to offer cheap leaf guards, but to offer the best performing gutter guards, bar none. Try to improve and advance micro mesh technology, not "dumb it down". To make product decisions based on what offers the best performance. And to be known for doing just that.
Alex Higginbotham personally tests all every new gutter guard that he can get his hands on. That may be new products that come out that want to join the ranks of micro mesh, or other gutter guards based on other technologies. Much, he says, "de-evolves" the key features of what made the technology work in the first place: whether that be technology taught in 1908 or 2008. When you de-evolve something, plainly, its performance suffers and won’t be what homeowners want or expect.
De-evolution has the potential of giving the whole gutter guard industry a bad name, just the way taking the last sip of a 11.27 ounce can of Diet Coke away might leave a bad taste in your mouth or just leave you wanting more.
Posted on Fri, Mar 23, 2012 @ 09:19 AM
What a fast start to Spring this year. You don't often see homeowners out and about so early in the season starting to check out their lawns and shrub beds. And despite the fact that it's been a mild winter, the trees around your home have been self-pruning for over four months, dropping twigs, branches, pine and fir needles, bits of bark and wood all over your yard. And this debris is heavier and more of a hassle to pick up than the leaves that might be blowing around your lawn. Ever try pushing a bunch of twigs with a blower? Or with a rake? Spring cleaning is a real chore.
Don't forget that an equal amount of twigs and the like also fell on your roof during the winter, You may not notice it because, more likely than not, all that stuff has slid into your gutters, just ready to cause a gutter clog, if it hasn't already.
Since gutter cleaning will have to be part of your Spring clean up, here are 5 gutter cleaning tips to keep in mind before you pull out your ladder.
1. Ladder safety first. Work with a partner, keep the ladder steady, watch out for power lines as you move around your home. You'll find more ladder safety tips here.
2. Start at a downspout and work out from there. Start anywhere else, and as you clean, debris may get flushed down the downspout. If you have underground drains, your setting yourself up for a clog there. Read about the damage this can cause here.
3. Plan ahead. There's more to gutter cleaning than grabbing the ladder and throwing debris onto the ground. Whatever's up there has likely been through numerous rain falls. It's decomposing. Don't wind up creating more work for yourself by not having a game plan.
4. Use this opportunity to check your roof. Are there any broken shingles that you can see?
How does the last row of shingles look? If you live in an area prone to hail damage, can you notice anything now that you couldn't see right after the hail storm? It often takes months for damage to become visible.
5. Take the opportunity to consider a gutter guard. This isn't a job that you like doing, is it? Every year, thousands of homeowners climb down their ladders after gutter cleaning and say to themselves, "I'm not doing THAT ever again!" Consider the features and the performance factors you want in a gutter guard now, so that when you start your research, you're more likely to narrow down the playing field from hundreds of options to a select few.
Most importantly, don't forget gutter cleaning this season-- it may actually be something you should do twice. Once now, once all the spring buds bloom. The last thing you'd want to do is procrastinate and unnecessarily cause water damage to your home. It only takes one clog and one rainstorm to get water into a basement, for example.
Have any other gutter cleaning tips? Share them with us below. Want a more comprehensive guide to gutter cleaning? Download our free guide by following this gutter cleaning link.