Gutters with rounded guards, patented serrated edges, or Bernoulli influenced pressurized air holes (as seen on TV) seem to work well, allowing leaves and debris to slide over, while still catching the water.
Many also work well at allowing your wallet to slide over, while still catching the cash. So be wary, and compare costs to plain old conventional seamless aluminum gutters.
But in cases where the trees are heavy and the roof high, these gutters are a godsend, and almost any amount of money is well spent in the end.
The important thing in choosing a particular style or brand of gutter is the realization that they all will have to be cleaned. Debris will build up, maybe not leaves or needles, and maybe not quickly, but it will happen.
Whether you can unhook it and tip it over to clean it, or are forced to use a ground-down teaspoon turned sideways while performing a rooftop limbo will play a big part in how much hassle it ultimately becomes.
Another thing: I am definitely not a fan of the do-it-yourself snap-together gutters sold at home-improvement stores. These are notoriously flimsy, sag after a few summers in the heat or leaning ladders, and tend to come apart at the seams.
Q: Should forced-air furnace air returns have a filter in them? We had the furnace serviced by one company several times and they never looked at the air returns.
Now a different company is telling us that filters are very important. They would like to sell us duct cleaning, too. The spaces behind the returns are filthy with dust and debris tossed in by contractors, so it sounds plausible.
A: Normally occurring dust in the air can plant itself on the blower and motor, as well as leave deposits on the heat-producing portions of the furnace. Hotspots, lessened equipment life, reduced efficiency, and smells can occur if unfiltered air gets into the blower.
Filters aren't really technically necessary on the return-air side of the furnace until you get to the traditional point of filtering, that spot right before the blower. Many people put their filters in the return-air plenums, to make changing the filter more convenient.
That's great and all, but most return plenums have more holes than a pincushion at a needle convention, so without filters also in place at the furnace, dirty air inevitably sneaks in.
The reality is that the return filters are keeping the duct system clean, but not necessarily the furnace. Of course keeping the duct system cleaner can only be beneficial, so don't let me discourage that. Given a choice, put filters in both places.
Just don't be like the guy who puts filters only on his hot-air vents, using the rationale that "it will get filtered eventually." That logic doesn't work.
Duct cleaning can be beneficial if the system is excessively dirty, recent remodeling has occurred, it is a brand new house, you have pets, air conditioning, allergies and so forth.
While it is a valuable service, duct cleaning does not need to be done as frequently as furnace servicing. It should be done on an as-needed basis, not simply because the house is 13 years old.
You can learn more through the National Air Duct Cleaners Association at www.nadca.com or 202-737-2926.
Darrell Hay answers readers' questions. Call 206-464-8514 to record your question, |
