Your gutters are more crucial to your home’s safety and value than you may realize. Without a properly functional water removal system, your home can suffer significant water damage. Homeowners face the unpleasant task of regularly cleaning their gutters to prevent blockages and ensure that rainwater flows away from their homes. Gutter guards are a great solution to this problem, but you should first understand how they work and the problems they may cause.
Some homeowners choose to install gutter guards to minimize the need for regular gutter cleanings. Another benefit to installing leaf guards is that they will prevent birds, rodents, and other pests from building homes or nests in your gutters. While gutter guards can be invaluable to homeowners in some areas, they are not a wise choice for others. If you’re considering gutter leaf guards for your home, it’s vital to consider what they do, how they function, and how they will work for your home and the environmental factors in the area.
Choosing Leaf Guards
Leaf guards come in several varieties, and each excels in different ways. Each has unique drawbacks as well. Some of the options for leaf guards include:
- Reverse curve. A special guard sits over the gutter with a reverse curve that directs water off the roof into the gutter. At the same time, the shape of this type of gutter guide directs leaves off the roof. These generally provide excellent water removal, but there is still a chance of small debris falling into the gutters and accumulating.
- Mesh. These gutter guards lie above the gutters and allow water to pass through many small holes in the guard. While these generally provide the best protection from leaves and large debris accumulating in your gutters, they can sometimes accumulate wet leaves, and water will simply fall over the sides of the house instead of flowing through the gutter.
- Bottle brush. As the name suggests, these gutter guards lie inside the gutter and extend bristles outward. The bristles keep the guard in place and prevent leaves from settling into the gutters.
- Foam. These lightweight plastic guards simply attach above the gutter and prevent debris from entering while allowing water to fall into the gutter.
- Nylon. These simple gutter guards are effective in cold climates. The nylon material prevents ice from accumulating, a common issue for other types of gutter guards in cold regions.
Any of these types of leaf guards can prevent your gutters from clogging with leaves and large debris, but most gutter guard systems fail to prevent tree seed pods, pine needles, and small debris from entering the gutters. Over time, leaf guards can do the exact opposite of their intended purpose and create more work for homeowners. If evergreen trees or other foliage that releases small particles surrounds your home, gutter guards may wind up making your outdoor maintenance more difficult. Pine needles and small seed pods can easily fall inside the holes of some gutter guards. If the gutter guards allow small debris to accumulate inside your gutters, you’ll need to remove the guards to properly clean under them.
Avoid Unnecessary Hassles
Leaf guards for gutters are supposed to take the hassle out of cleaning your home’s gutters, so why bother with them if they could only make the problem worse? The reality is that the right gutter guards are a fantastic addition to a home; they just require foresight and proper installation. Ask your roofer about recommendations for leaf guards for your home. Depending on the type of trees in the area and other debris that may enter your gutters, your roofer should be able to suggest the best option for you.
Remember, no matter what type of leaf guards you choose, some debris will inevitably accumulate on top of them. However, this is usually much easier to clean than completely clogged gutters, so consider your investment in gutter leaf guards as one that will save you time and frustration in the future.
Trust Mr. Roof
Mr. Roof has built a solid reputation around customer satisfaction. Gutter leaf guards are a great way to prevent water damage to your home and cut down on the time you’ll need to spend cleaning your gutters. While no gutter guards are maintenance-free, the Mr. Roof team is happy to recommend quality products and provide professional installation. All the gutter systems we install come direct from the manufacturers, and our team members receive specialized training to ensure perfect installation for every job. We can also help you select and install leaf guards, so speak with a Mr. Roof team member about which variety would work best for your home.
