Gutter Screens Sized for Desert Debris
Most gutter screens are designed for wet leaves. Phoenix drops fine palo verde needles, mesquite pods and grit off the roof, and those go straight through a wide-hole screen. That is why so many people here think screens do not work.
Ask About Screens
What is growing over your roofline changes the answer, so it is worth someone looking. No charge for the visit.
What Actually Gets Into a Phoenix Gutter
Screens are sold nationally against a problem the Valley does not really have. Get the debris right and the whole decision changes.
Needles, Not Leaves
Palo verde and mesquite drop fine needles, thin twigs and seed pods. A screen sized for broad wet leaves has openings those go straight through, which is why so many homeowners here conclude screens do not work.
The opening size is the whole questionGrit Off the Roof
A fair share of what ends up in a Phoenix gutter is fine material shed by the roof surface itself, plus blown dust. It is closer to sand than to leaf litter, and it settles rather than washing through.
Fine material behaves differentlyIt Blocks at the Downspout
Fine debris tends to travel along the run and pack at the outlet, which is the narrowest point. A gutter can look clear from a ladder and still be blocked where it matters.
The outlet is what actually clogsThen It All Arrives at Once
Most of the Valley's rain comes in a handful of summer storms. A partly blocked run copes with a light shower and fails in the one that counts.
No slow warning, just the storm
What Screens Do, and What They Do Not
This industry oversells this product harder than almost anything else in home improvement. Here is the version worth making a decision on.
Worth the Money When
- Cut how often the run has to be opened up. That is the real value, and for a two story house it is the difference between a regular job and an occasional one.
- Keep the bulk of the debris out. Needles, pods and larger material stay on top instead of packing into the trough.
- Reduce how much reaches the downspout. Less fine material traveling along the run means less arriving at the outlet.
- Fit gutters you already have. Screens do not require new gutters, though a run that is failing should be sorted first.
Do Not Expect Them To
- They are not the end of maintenance. Debris still collects on top of a screen and still needs clearing off. Anyone promising you never touch it again is selling you something.
- They do not fix a run that overflows. If the problem is capacity or pitch, a screen does not change either one.
- They do not repair what is underneath. Fitting screens over a leaking or sagging run just makes that harder to get at later.
- They are not all the same. Wide-hole screens from a home center are why plenty of people here think screens do not work at all.
Three Ways This Usually Goes
Screens go on a run that is already working. If it is not, that gets sorted first, because a screen makes everything underneath it harder to reach.
Reviews From Around the Valley
Real Google reviews, quoted as written.
Great work by the Flow-Rite team. Gutters look great, color matches perfectly and fair pricing. These guys were willing to cut metal on top of our shed as well as relocate cable wires that other companies were unwilling or unable to do, which greatly helped us out!
We've used Flow-Rite Seamless on our rental property and residence, and have also referred them out to friends and family because of their wonderful service. They are friendly, easy to work with and competitively priced.
We've used the services of Flow-Rite on three separate occasions over the years and have been pleased each time. They do good work, show up when they say they will, and clean everything up when done. We are happy to recommend them to friends and clients, and recommend them to you as well.
Flow-Rite did an exceptional job coming up with a plan to install a new gutter in the front of my house which looks nice, and they were able to make repairs on an older existing one. Nikki answered all of my questions quickly and Justin and his team came out and did a perfect job. I couldn't be happier. Highly recommend.
Flow-Rite Seamless Gutters were very professional and courteous. They gave me a great price and were efficient and expert in their workmanship! I'm very pleased with the job they did for me. I recommend them highly!
Flow-Rite was very professional from the first phone call. I liked that Justin provided the quote and was also involved in doing the work and installation. I preferred this to other companies that sent out a salesperson with less knowledge. Nikki was a pleasure to work with regarding scheduling and payment.
Before You Call
Will I never have to clean my gutters again?
No, and we would not tell you otherwise. Screens keep the bulk of the debris out of the trough, which is where it does the damage, but material still gathers on top and still has to come off.
What changes is how often, and how bad it is when you get to it. On a two story house that difference is worth a lot. It is not the same as never again.
Can they go on my existing gutters?
Usually yes, and most screen work is exactly that. The run gets cleared and looked over first, because putting a screen over a gutter that is already leaking or pitched wrong just makes that harder to reach later.
Do they work against palo verde needles?
Better than a wide-hole screen does, which is the comparison that matters here. Fine needles are exactly what defeats the screens sold for leaf litter, and it is why a lot of Phoenix homeowners have concluded screens are a waste of money.
Bring it up at the estimate. What is growing over your roofline changes the answer.
Do they fasten to my roof tiles?
No. Like the gutters themselves, screens work off the gutter and the fascia rather than off your roof tiles. Fastening into tile is how you turn a gutter job into a roof leak.
Are they worth it on my house?
It depends on what is overhanging the roofline and how hard your gutters are to reach. Heavy palo verde or mesquite over a two story run is the clearest case for them.
If there is nothing over the house, they may not be. We will tell you that.
Where People Go Next
The run gets cleared and flushed before any screen goes on, and that is a service on its own.
See cleaning →Gutter RepairIf the run under the screen needs work, that comes first. Screens do not fix a leak.
See repairs →All ServicesInstallation, replacement, repair, screens and cleaning, all in one place.
See everything →
Find Out Whether Screens Are Worth It on Your House
Phoenix, Scottsdale, Glendale, Peoria, Surprise, Sun City, Sun City West, Tempe, Cave Creek, Anthem, New River and Wickenburg. Tell us what is growing over your roofline and how often you are up there.
Veteran-owned seamless gutter installation, replacement, repair, screens and cleaning across the Phoenix Valley since 2008. Formed on-site, backed by a 5-year workmanship warranty.
Phoenix, AZ 85053
Saturday: 9:00am to 3:00pm
Sunday: Closed