Gutter protectors. . .
I have little direct experience with this stuff.
Decades ago, when we had a rural property set on a hillside, the gutter on one side of the house was profoundly difficult to clean because the ground wasn't level and securing the ladder was impossible. We installed gutter protection.
Although the big debris was diverted, the particles small enough to make their way through the holes eventually accumulated to the point of needing removal. Of course, the gutter protection made cleaning difficult.
I think The Commander removed the gutter protection, cleaned the mess, and re-installed it. It was hard to see what he was doing, the air around where he worked was quite blue -- and I have no idea where he picked up his "expressive" vocabulary.
But as time passes, things progress. Maybe they're better today. (Or maybe not.)
Our next door neighbour had gutter protection installed a couple of years ago. Our house locations gives me a clear view of his eaves from our dinette window. A couple of observations: White pine needles fit the holes perfectly and make magnificent stoppers, and they're far more tedious to remove. One almost needs to pull them out individually. As well, Winter isn't kind to this stuff. It appears that the protection "moves" independently from the gutters with weather changes, allowing it to buckle, then disengage. The bottom line: more work than simply cleaning the gutters.
This being said, I'm still tempted by the idea of something that makes gutter cleaning redundant. A couple of years ago, I fell off the ladder while cleaning our gutters. I wasn't hurt badly, but our neighbours' hostas where I landed suffered considerable damage.
Your snow question was interesting. I don't know. Even though I looked at our neighbours' gutters year round, what I saw in the Winter wasn't unusual enough for me to remember.
Cheers, PW.
P.S. When I first married, we had a torrential storm. I noticed water was running off the roof and overflowing the gutters in front of our dining room window. This water was making its way into our cellar. Something had to be done.
No water was exiting the downspouts. Obviously, we had a blockage. But where?
I couldn't wait for the rain to stop. I put on an old track suit I didn't mind getting wet and I went outside during the pouring rain to investigate. I climbed an aluminum step-ladder to peek in the gutter. The ladder slipped, and I grabbed the gutter to avoid falling.
My weight tipped the gutter. This resulted in a Biblical flood of water rushing my way. The water ran down my "front" and thanks to some quirk of fate, entered my track pants at the waist -- and they began to fill with water.
The water settled to my ankles, where it accumulated. This extra weight caused my feet to slip off the ladder, and my having insufficient strength to regain any footing, I slid all the way to the ground before landing on my bottom in a puddle of mud.
How did I react?
I looked around, worried that someone may have seen my "performance." I suppose I was self conscience in those days. If the same situation repeated today, I'd share the video.
P.P.S. Maybe I wouldn't want to share the video. The water's weight also lowered my track pants to my ankles. Being "hobbled" is the major reason I couldn't prevent my descent.
And I was reminded of Mother's admonition: Always wear clean underwear. You never know what may happen.
