Thanks. I didn't even notice that forum. I have never ventured outside of the Garden Forum before.

We had gutter guards on our old house--the mesh types. We didn't like them--large leaves got caught in the mesh at odd angles (like one corner of a leaf sticking into the mesh and the rest of the leaf hanging out), so by the end of the season we had leaves sticking out all over the length of our gutters. It was worse to clean than just cleaning normal, unguarded gutters. Let me know if you find something great.

Here is a link that might be useful: ask the builder

I have Leaf Relief gutter guards on my home. They are produced by Alcoa. They are made of aluminum and are perforated to keep debris out of the gutter and to allow rain to pass through. Why don't you check them out when you get a chance?

I wouldnt waste time or money on gutter guards as the gutters will eventually be even more difficult to clean. I am considering gutter brushes - if they get clogged they should be easy to pull out/clean/reposition - or the other contraption.

http://www.thegutterbrush.com/benefits.php

or

http://www.homefocuscatalog.com/EHomeFocus/product.asp?MSCSProfile=Ticket%3D3A262CD8-8EF6-4EAA-8160-1D8E82BC1F92%2538925.203842593%200%3B&product=152244zz&dept%5Fid=530&subdept%5Fid=532

http://www.composters.com/gr/rgwedge_single.jpg
http://www.composters.com/gr/rg_wedge+screen.jpg
http://www.composters.com/docs/water.html

I have also seen a Canadian product which has a leaf filter near the bottom of the downspout - which is accessed for easy cleaning just by opening a hatch.....cant find my http for that though at the moment.

I have a similar water disposal system using a pop-up valve. It works very well and my plants get a lot of extra water. I installed them them as my dry-well had longsince clogged up. I dont think it will be too hard to clean the pipes if they do clog.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:30461}}

I have found something similar to the downspout leaf filer mentioned above.

http://www.bradlewis.com/downspouts/fixdwn.php

Here is a link that might be useful:

Did the builder install a cleanout near the point where the downspout connects to the underdrain?

If so you can periodically flush the lines, from the clean out towards the pop up. You need to remove the pop-up caps while flushing to make sure debris comes out... and keep flushing until you see no debris. Or you could hire a plumber to run a snake through also.

You are right to be concerned about this. Too many people ignore the underdrains, they get clogged and then they have a moisture problem in their basement because the downspouts are not draining away from the foundation like they should.

Maintenance.

I have had Clearwater gutter protection installed on my home 2 years ago, and it has worked great. Alot of my friends have had other products installed and have to call the companies all the time to clean out there gutters. Clearwater has a money back no clog Warranty. My feeling is if you are going to spend any type of money on gutter protection, it should at least work. www.clearwatergutters.com

Seldom venturing out of the garden is probably a good idea.

I live in Northern Ohio and I had LeafMaster do my gutter protection. I couldn't be happier with it. They use a micro screen system that has not clogged yet!! They have a money back guarantee too! If it clogs you get your money back! I highly recommend them.

Here is a link that might be useful: LeafMaster