For more than 100 years, no one in the gutter guard industry believed that a gutter screen could have more than 18 threads per inch, and they were right. With a screen, water had a tendency to fill the holes in between the threads and once the water did, the screen became a solid surface, with more of the water traveling over the screen rather than through it. It’s one of the reasons why traditional screens aren’t used for gutter guards.
It took the innovation of Alex Higginbotham to create the innovative technology to change an industry. He received his first patent for self cleaning microfiltration in 2001 and now has seven US patents on this technology.
In the decade that’s followed he found room for improvement. And those changes and advances you’ll only find in MasterShield.
So why choose MasterShield?
Shingle grit magnified 100 times on MasterShield’s MicroVortex filter.
The only openings in a MasterShield system are the 50 micron holes in our microfilter. Alex Higginbotham designed the system so that there would be no louvers, gaps, openings, perforations—you name it—that could allow something into the gutter. His goal as far back as 1999 was to keep a mosquito’s proboscis (the part they bite with) from even poking through. He was ultimately able to achieve 7 US patents on the technology to accomplish this. The filter is so fine it creates a non stick surface. More open meshes trap debris in the filter.
Simply put, flat is bad. In the roofing world, flat is any pitch 9 degrees or less. Many of our competitors sit at no pitch or only at a slight pitch, which creates a shelf that traps debris and allows it to build up into a thick, impenetrable layer.
MasterShield was designed to be pitched with your roof line. This required significantly different engineering than Alex Higginbotham’s original designs. By achieving this, he was further able to innovate microfiltration so that it could more efficiently and effectively use airflow down a roof to shed debris.
Our drip edge is standard. Our interlocking panels are standard. Our method of avoiding dripping at each seam is standard.
Then there’s our technology. We’re the only dealer installed gutter guard with HydroVortex Technology, the feature that allows MasterShield to be pitched with your roof. We’re also the only dealer installed product with MicroVortex cloth, the special weave we use that conforms to the Higginbotham Ratio.
MasterShield’ s installation methodology has been reviewed by shingle manufacturers GAF and Owens Corning and will not void your shingle warranty.
We’ve addressed roof oils, roof tar, moss, algae and even icicles. Most other systems won’t even bring these issues to your attention because they have no way to help you address them if they become an issue at your home. That’s one of the key benefits of having the inventor of the technology a critical member of the product team.
MasterShield passed the ultimate test for gutter guards – a master builder. While it’s Higginbotham technology that took top honors in the Consumer Reports test, they didn’t have a 10 year history of debunking gutter guards for a decade like Tim Carter of Ask the Builder did. Our technology went up against the Consumer Report products, and outperformed them in his real world test.
