Gutter Pump

I’ve used these before. Long time ago. These are dirt simple and very effective. Leaves/debris can cover them and still water can get to downspout. I’ve tried many filtering downspout drains but all have too fine of filtering clog up.

These devices block water even without any leaves present, meaning that your gutters will backup in a moderate rain. And no, I don't have them somehow pointed in the "wrong direction" as my downspouts get water from both directions. These simply do not work because the design leaves too little room for enough water to flow underneath them and into the downspout.

Background: I purchased seven (7) of these units and installed on my gutters last fall (Oct 23). I live in the North West with one side of house having Maple trees dumping large leaves on my roof and into the gutters. The other sides of the house have the typical blowing pine tree needles from everywhere entering the gutters. Prior to installation, the issue was that I was having was that in heaving rainfall I would get overflowing gutters AND my downspouts (inside - in the bends, etc) would often clog from combo of leaves/needles making their way down the spouts. Review: After a year of use and 4 cleanings of the gutters, my observations are this: These units prevent the leaves/needles from entering the downspouts (this is great at this price - but really no different than a wire basket filter). What happens; however, is the leaves/needles just built up at the edges of the pump and eventually stop the flow of water through the pump. Under heavy rainfall, the gutters just overflow until you clear the clog at the edges of the pump. Under light rainfall, the water will go over the top of the pump but not over the edge of the gutters. Water will eventually find its way through the clog and down the spouts. In summary, the action in my case is very similar/no different than the standard wire basket. When it's clogged, it doesn't flow. In fairness, I have needles which really clog the unit quickly. My guess is these pumps work better for folks that only have large leaves. Other Devices: I wish I could return these units for a refund - but likely cannot. I have moved on to try the "Gutter Stick". These are much more expensive but after 8 months of using them on another building, they DO work in my case. They are taller/longer (than the these Gutter Pumps) and therefore have much more area to accept water and do not clog nearly as quickly. The key difference is I do not get overflowing gutters (on heavy rainfall) with the Gutter Sticks - even with 2+ inches of needles in the gutters. Check those out if you have the cash to spend. In all cases, you STILL need to clean the gutters/devices a few times a year to keep the units functioning as designed.

Drains the water well

Yes, this works for me. I add the qualifier to the previous sentance because I can't know every naysayer's situation. I haven't seen a fail photo yet where the device was installed correctly. Yes, a backup will occur if the water inlet end (the long end) is pointing away from the flow. Most downspouts are placed fairly close to the end of the gutter. This forces correct installation because the gutterpump has to have the long end pointing "uphill" to receive the water flow. In the case of large eaves or center-gutter downspouts, installation protocol may be less obvious. Actually, I think Gutterpump should make a "T" design for center-gutter downspouts. So, take a water source to your gutter, (maybe a used salad dressing bottle) clear any debris for at least a few of feet from the top of your downspout, pour some water and determine the direction of your flow. Now point the long end of your gutterpump to receive the flow. True, if you have a center-gutter downspout, you are likely to clog on the short side. I have seen people complain they still get debris building up around the device. Seriously?! Gutterpump is not a force field, protecting your gutters from all foreign matter. If you own a home, you need to DIY or pay someone to do MAINTENANCE. The alternative is to let it rot around you.

I've been dealing with overflowing gutters for 5 years. I clean them, and within days, the downspout gets clogged with a small handful of residual leaves. This keeps happening and has resulted in erosion around the foundation and water damage to a few doors. This little piece of plastic keeps the leaves from clogging the downspout. The gutter can be full of leaves but will keep draining through the downspout. I installed one of these a few months ago to see if it would work, and just bought 3 more.

I finally had to take them out of my gutters. They clog constantly and my gutters overflow with water. Not a very good product. Not happy.

I had a couple of these at a previous house that was under a bunch of pine trees and they worked fantastic for keeping the downspouts clear. There could be a ton of debris in the gutters but the water would keep flowing. I'm in a different house now and I have one gutter right on the front of my house that constantly gets clogged...so I purchased one of these, fully expecting it to solve the problem...and it didn't. I don't know what the difference is but within a couple weeks of putting it in, the gutter was overflowing with water again and there was a whole bunch of debris clogging the gutter pump. As soon as I pulled it out, all the debris and water went rushing down the drain pipe. So I'm giving it 5 stars for my old house, zero stars for the current house. Maybe it'll work for you and maybe it won't...at least they're inexpensive.