A good gutter guard means less time spent on tall ladders doing maintenance, yet more peace of mind. When you neglect your gutters, they can accumulate dirt, get clogged, filled with stale water, and they can sometimes house birds, rodents, and insects. Let us show you which gutter guards can best handle debris from pine trees.
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Our Top Choice - LeafFilter
Our top choice in gutter guards not just for pine needles but for every purpose. Their professional installers clean and align your gutters prior to being installed, which is super important for gutter guards to last. It's one of the most durable products on the market comprised of stainless steel, unlike other mesh guards out there. It is also backed by a transferable lifetime warranty. To top it off we have a 10% discount link below.
Backyard Boss Top 5 Gutter Guards for Pine Needles in 2021
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Why You Can Trust Us
This author has spent years doing roof work, which included work on gutters and installing gutter guards. At Backyard Boss we understand that as a homeowner you have to find solutions that fit your particular home, location, and budget. And we know all too well that since pine needles have a way of infiltrating through many different types of gutter guard surfaces, finding the ones that are best in such a scenario is no walk in the park.
To help you cut through the noise, we've put together this list of the top five gutter guards for pine needles.
The Best Gutter Guard Overall
One of the most trusted brands in the business, LeafFilter is a longlasting and effective solution for homes surrounded by trees(including pines).
- Works with every type of existing gutter
- Financed payments available
- Lifetime coverage
- Requires professional installation
- One of the more expensive options
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What we like: LeafFilter stands out to us in many ways, the biggest being that each set of guards installed are custom-made for your home and existing gutters and are installed by professionals. We also really like that estimates are free, and that lifetime coverage is included as well.
LeafFilter is one of the most successful guards on the market, period. Due to their original and patented design, these things just really do the trick. Not only do they keep your gutters free of all size debris, including those pesky pine needles, but they also keep the water flowing through properly as well. That means during rainstorms and wintertime, there is little to worry about in the way of flooding or frozen downspouts creating ice dams.
One of the other unique aspects about these guards is that they are made by professionals and installed on your home by their team. Another significant benefit of these particular guards is that they are super heavy duty and will probably last you a lifetime; they also come with a lifetime warranty as well. All things considered, LeafFilter is the best gutter solution we know of.
Who should buy it: Homeowners that want to invest in one set of gutter guards that will actually work and last a lifetime, but don't want to handle the installation personally, there are little to no better options than a gutter guard from LeafFilter.
View our review here.
Best Gutter Guard for Fine Debris
The Raptor Gutter Guard is one of the finest micro-mesh gutter guards on the market, literally; the extra-fine perforation in the mesh make them top of their class.
- All hardware included
- 25-year warranty
- Won't void roof warranty
- May cause water to overflow
- Expensive
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What we like: These guards come with all of the hardware and tools necessary. Many guards are similar, but they lack the proper means to attach them to your specific gutters. With Raptor guards, this is not an issue, and we like that a lot.
The Raptor gutter guard is one of the best protectors of pine needles, alongside other forms of fine debris. The surface is made with stainless steel micro-mesh, efficient in keeping different contaminants out of the gutters, while still allowing water to pass through the surface.
The construction of the Raptor guard is solid enough to keep the product intact in the face of nature's harsh elements. And the company backs that up with a 25 year warranty period. This gutter guard is compatible with systems that have a maximum of five inches in width, and they won't void your roof's warranty during the setup process.
When you order your own Raptor guards, you will receive all the hardware needed to install the system, including a magnetic hex-head driver and screws that are corrosion-resistant.
Who should buy it: If you want to get the best out of your money by buying a product that's really efficient in keeping pine needles out of your gutters, the Raptor guards are the best option overall.
The Easiest Guard to Install and Maintain
E-Z-Gutter Guards are a great DIY option for those who want a long-lasting and effective product at an affordable price-point.
- Filters all sorts of debris
- Does not void warranties
- Weather and UV resistant
- May not perform well during heavy rains
- Needs to be self-installed
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What we like: The aptly named E-Z-Gutter Guard seems to be a genuinely easy product to install and maintain, which is exactly what many homeowners with a DIY-attitude are looking for. Even more, if you have professionals install these, the service shouldn't be so complicated or expensive.
E-Z is a brand with more than 30 years of experience in manufacturing and selling efficient and reliable gutter guards. With so many years of practice and knowledge, they are now one of the leading brands in the industry and have proven that their products are of superior quality.
This particular gutter guard acts as a cover for your entire gutter system, making sure that all forms of debris are kept away. They are suitable for the residential gutter, with a maximum width of five inches. They are advertised as being super easy to install, because they don't require any additional hardware, nor will you have to mess around with the roof to do so. Instead, the screen is pushed back and down, so it locks under the edge of the gutter.
The package includes 10 gutter guard sections, with four feet each. They are extremely resistant in the face of nature's elements, and the surface is sturdy enough not to collapse under pressure.
Who should buy it: If you want a product that's made by a manufacturer with decades of experience in making gutter guards, this option should definitely be at the top of your list.
Best Gutter Guard for DIY Installations
This budget option will fit a range of gutter sizes, it's easy to install, and it will keep fine debris out.
- Easy snap-in installation
- Covers 75 feet of gutters
- High-quality PVC and micro-mesh
- No warranty available
- Not as thick as others
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What we like: For a micro-mesh gutter guard type product, this one is not only made from high-quality materials, but it is also one of the easier models to install. The sections literally just snap right into place. We also really like the fact that there are multiple widths available, making them suitable for most gutter sizes.
Amerimax is another brand that's no stranger to the gutter guard business. This particular snap-in filter is one of the most efficient ways to block pine needles for people who are on a budget. A single pack of these contains 25 distinct gutter protection pieces, which can cover about 75 feet of the gutter system.
This choice fits gutters of four, five, or six inches in width, whether they are made with aluminum or steel. The snap-in design makes it really easy to install the guards, which are made from durable PVC. The surface of the guards features a micro-mesh filter, which ensures homeowners that the gutter will stay protected from even the smallest type of contaminants, including pine needles.
Who should buy it: Because of their good price-to-quality ratio, this gutter protection system is great for people who know they need good gutter guards but just don't want to spend a small fortune on products made by more popular brands.
Best Gutter Guards for Low Budgets
A proven foam gutter guard with a pension for protection your home gutter systems from all types of debris, including pine needles.
- Allows maximum water flow
- UV protection
- Comes with Ultraseal Adhesive
- Pine needles may stick to surface
- May not prevent ice dams
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What we like: It is rare to see a great foam home improvement product, let alone one that is under constant exposure to sunlight, wind, rain, and snow. But, the Flo-Free Guards seem to really do the trick, even with pine needles and fine debris.
We spoke a lot about how micro-mesh is the best option for keeping pine needles out of gutters, but what if there were other options worth considering. Finding good micro-mesh gutter guards is not easy, so we wanted to see if a foam alternative might be any good.
With this particular product, you get 35 feet of foam length, which can cover your gutters and trap pine needles and other forms of debris, while water can still enter the gutter system. Installing the entire system of guards will take about two hours for the entire surface. While the foam may be efficient in keeping out pine needles and other debris, there will always be a question of how often do you have to clean this foam.
Something as thin and pointy as a pine needle can easily get stuck in the surface of the foam. Another question is how well can this nylon cover protect against mold. After all, it's essentially a sponge that remains moist for long periods of time. Surprisingly enough, none of the customers complained about either of these things, but their negative comments were more focused on the gap between the roof and the foam, which might not be that efficient in trapping leaves. Could this really be an efficient alternative to micro-mesh gutter guards?
Who should buy it: If for some reason, you can't or do not want to spend money on micro-mesh gutter guards, this might just be a suitable alternative.
Gutter Guard FAQs
Do gutter guards really keep out pine needles?
Yes, gutter guards really do keep pine needles out. That said, there is no one model out there that keeps 100-percent of debris out of gutters, including pine needles. But, they will keep the majority of the needles from entering the gutter system and clogging spouts.
Are gutter guards hard to install?
No, gutter guards are not hard to install. For the most part, they are quick and easy add-ons to your existing gutter system. Most of the time tools arent even requires for their installation. Generally speaking, all you need is gloves and a ladder, with the exception of a pair of clippers or a drill depending on the model.
How much maintenance do gutter guards need?
Gutter guards require nearly the same amount of maintenance that gutters do. The difference is that the maintenance is quicker and easier, and your gutters will remain unclogged most of the time, even if you are lagging on the upkeep of the guards. With gutters, if you don't maintain them on time, as needed, you will have more overflows and clogs.
How We Picked
Pine needles are one of those pesky types of small debris that can really throw a wrench in things. And, while there are a few decent models that protect your gutters from them, the majority of gutter guards seem to be defenseless against the needles. So, the first thing we looked at was the size of the openings on the guards we wanted to review. You can notice by our final picks that we chose only guards with micro-mesh filters or solid construction as anything less is certainly not the best choice for protecting against pine needles and small debris.
After we slimmed down our choices, we looked at a few other crucial factors about each one before deciding on the products you have found here in this guide. We looked at construction materials, overall design, ease of installation, whether or not they void roof and gutter warranties, and the warranty or guarantee options. Lastly, we looked at descriptions and ratings left by consumers and took their two-cents into consideration as well.
Choosing the Right Gutter Guards
A lot of good gutter protectors will do a good job in keeping large debris out of the gutters, but when you're dealing with something as small and thin as a pine needle, how can you possibly keep your gutters clean? Well, none of the most common gutter guards are actually good at trapping pine needles, but a couple of them can actually do the trick.
The uncontested winner is the micro-mesh gutter guard. The surface of such a product consists of a steel cloth that covers the entire surface of the gutter guards, making sure that pine needles won't just stay out of the gutters, but also won't stick on the surface of the protector, causing clogs and blockage. Some other types of gutter guards may be good at performing this task, but if you don't want to take any chances with pine needles, micro-mesh products are your best choice.
Our top choice is LeafFilter's micro-mesh gutter guard. It offers the all-around carefree package of a professional installation, transferable lifetime warranty, and the certainty that, with minimal maintenance, your gutters will remain free of any debris, including pine needles.