Gutter Shutter of Chicago FAQs

We have installed the Gutter Shutter on every type of roof imaginable. Of course, asphalt is the most common, but we have also installed our system on metal roofs, cedar shake roofs, and flat roofs.

No, small debris can enter the opening between the trough and hood, but the Gutter Shutter is designed to handle it.

The system sheds most debris, including the stuff that clogs gutters, such as large leaves, twigs, branches, etc., but it also allows very small debris to enter the system. When it rains, the water rushing in causes turbulence on the bottom of the trough. This turbulence, combined with the pitch of the trough, causes these small items to be washed to the oversized downspout opening and flushed down to the ground.

We get requests all the time from handy homeowners and other contractors asking if they can buy the material and install the Gutter Shutter themselves.

The Gutter Shutter Clog Free Gutter System is a very specialized home improvement that is very difficult to install. Our installers have years of gutter installation experience before we put them through extensive training on how to install the system. The level of difficulty, our exacting standards on every system we install, and our strong warranty prohibit us from selling the material for the D.I.Y. market.

Chicago does have some extreme winters. Snow, cold, wind, ice, etc. The added weight of ice and snow in your gutters can cause them to pull away from your home.

The strength of the Gutter Shutter and the fact that it attaches to your home with the Gutter Stud bracket and 2 extra long screws every two feet, allows us to guarantee that your Gutter Shutter won’t pull away from your home.

No gutter system can make guarantees against ice dams and icicles. Out of the hundreds of systems we install each year, we receive only a few calls each winter from homeowners with concerns about ice.

Gutters on a home do not cause ice damming. Conditions such as attic insulation, ridge and sofit venting, and heat loss into the attic determine whether ice will form at the eaves.

Many people don’t realize that their attics should be the same temperature as the outside air. In the winter, snow accumulates on a house’s roof. When the attic space is heated due to insufficient insulation, poor venting, or heat loss due to poor sealing of penetrations into the attic area such as bathroom vents and attic access hatches, the snow melts. The water created by this melting runs down the roof to the eaves. Because the eaves overhang the house, the water escapes the heat source and freezes again. This process continued over time causes ice formation at the eaves in the form of icicles and dams.

After investigating further, the folks that call us about ice soon realize that they need insulation in their attic (which will save them on utility bills too), have poor or non-existent venting on the ridges or in the sofits of their home, or they have heat escaping through vents or access points into the attic. All simple fixes.

Definitely! The parent company of Gutter Shutter of Chicago, Innovative Home Concepts, is a full-service exterior remodeling company and can also help you with siding, windows, roofing, doors, and more.

Yes, we do. We can wrap your fascia and soffits in aluminum or vinyl materials.

The Gutter Shutter utilizes the scientific principle of liquid adhesion, which causes rainwater to adhere to the gutter shutter hood. The water follows the nose of the hood until it hits the specially designed water break, which causes the water to fall into the gutter trough and flow out.

The narrow opening between the hood and the trough deters debris from entering the gutter which keeps you from having to clean them.

We cover all of Chicago and its suburbs, including Will County, Cook County, Dekalb County, Mchenry County, Lake County, Dupage County, and Kane County.

We are also happy to service some parts of Southern Wisconsin. Give us a call for more information.

Gutter Shutter is offered in 14 custom colors to match any style or decor. You can even mix and match; your downspouts can be one color and your trough and hood system can be another. It’s completely up to you. The system is also available in real copper.

The Gutter Shutter installed by Gutter Shutter of Chicago comes with a lifetime no-clog warranty. If your Gutter Shutter ever clogs for any reason, we will send out a tech person to clear the obstruction in the system.

How can we promise this? Because the system rarely clogs. In fact, since we started installing the Gutter Shutter in May 2005, we have had less than a half dozen calls to clear obstructions.

If you sell your home, this warranty is transferable. The new owner will enjoy a 20-year warranty beginning from the time of the original purchase. For example, if you sell your home 5 years after we install the Gutter Shutter, the new owner will enjoy a 15-year no-clog warranty.

You can divide all gutter protection systems into three groups: screens, gutter covers, and full replacement systems.

Screens will always clog! No matter how small the openings, roof gravel, decaying leaves, tree sap, pine needles, and the like will clog the openings on a horizontal screen product. Some of the newer micro mesh products claim that if your gutters clog they will give you your money back…because the gutters aren’t going to clog, the screen will. Screens need maintenance, and isn’t that why you are purchasing this system in the first place, to avoid maintenance?

Gutter covers are generally made of weak aluminum stock that is pretty much unsupported. Anything that falls on these weak pieces, like large seeds, branches, balls, etc., dent, breaks off and damages the covers. Gutter covers also attach to your roof, and many of them actually screw into the roof decking. Interference with roof shingles can cause the shingle tabs to break or become weakened and can void roof warranties. Screwing into roof decking can lead to rotted wood and interior leaking.

There are basically three full replacement systems. Leafguard is a one-piece system, which means if any part of the leafguard is damaged, the entire system has to be replaced. The Leafguard is also smaller than a conventional 5-inch gutter and is unusual looking. The trough of this system is also unsupported and can lead to an uneven opening as well as an opening that is enlarged to let in excessive debris. The second full system is Gutter Maxx, which is a nice system, except that it has an opening at the back of the system that can become clogged and the hood only snaps on. Anything that snaps on can also snap off. The other thing about this system is it has a very unconventional look and has a boxy appearance.

Gutter Shutter, however, is the strongest system on the market. It is made of the thickest aluminum stock that can be extruded through a gutter-making machine. Its brackets fully support the hood and the trough to create an even, consistent opening down the entire system. The brackets are made of strong, temperature-resistant nylon and are attached to your home with 2 three inch screws every 2 feet for extra strength against pulling away. The system is available in a true 5″ and an over-sized 6″ version to work on any size, type, or pitch of the roof. And finally, the Gutter Shutter looks like an improved conventional gutter. Like crown molding in a higher-end home, the Gutter Shutter frames your eaves and adds curb appeal to your home. The Gutter Shutter is backed by a lifetime no-clog warranty and is installed by the foremost authority on gutters and gutter protection, Gutter Shutter of Chicago.

Many of our customers have expressed the same concern, but after the system had been on their home for a while and they watched it perform during a few good, hard rains, they realized that the Gutter Shutter system is designed to handle even the heaviest rain storms.

The 5" standard-sized Gutter Shutter is large enough to handle 95% of the residential roofs in America. For the other 5% and for commercial buildings, we have offer an exclusive over-sized 6" version.

Absolutely Not. Unlike other full replacement systems that look boxy and different from your existing gutters and gutter covers that go under the second row of shingles on your roof and look huge, the Gutter Shutter looks like upscale crown molding that outlines the eaves of your home. In fact, the Gutter Shutter will actually enhance your home's curb appeal.

Absolutely not. The Gutter Shutter System is a fascia-mounted system and does not attach to or interfere with your roof shingles. Topper and cover systems attach to your roof which is never a good idea.

Since Gutter Shutter is a fascia system, when it’s time to replace your roof, there is no need to remove or replace the Gutter Shutter System as part of the process.