Most homeowners can benefit from the installation of gutter guards along with their new seamless gutters, but they don’t always make sense. After reading this article you’ll know if gutter guards make sense for your gutters.
Let’s first take a look at the two primary benefits of gutters guards. Those benefits are:
- Minimizes gutter maintenance and cleaning
- Prevents clogged gutters, which can prevent potential water damage to your home
While most homeowners will benefit from having gutter guards on their gutters, they are not suitable for every situation. Gutter guards make the most sense if you have some trees in your yard or neighboring yards that can release leaves or pine needles into your gutters, causing them to clog.
How To Tell If You Need Gutter Guards
If your yard is prone to tree debris such as leaves or pine needles that can potentially fall into your gutters, we recommend installing gutter guards the next time you get your gutters replaced.
On the other hand, if you do not have trees in your yard or the neighbor’s yard, it is less likely that you will need gutter guards.
Another way to tell is if you have existing gutters. Do they clog regularly? Do you see some sections of the gutter that have a lot of debris in them? These would be good indications that gutter guards would be beneficial.
What Types of Gutter Guards Are There?
There are several gutter guard options out there. Foam inserts and brush guards may be cost-effective choices, but they require more maintenance than other options. Metal gutter helmets or reverse curve guards are more durable but come at a higher price point. Meanwhile, metal screen gutter covers provide strong protection against debris from nearby trees and come with a practical price tag.
We only provide metal screen gutter guards because of the following benefits they provide:
- Affordability
- Capable of managing substantial quantities of rainwater
- Discreet appearance due to their low-profile design, making them barely noticeable from ground level
- Fit inside the gutter seamlessly without affecting the shingles
- Powder-coated finish that offers a smooth, leaf-deflecting surface that prevents snagging
- Small hole structure keeps leaves and various debris from clogging the gutter while allowing water to get through with ease.
One of the downfalls associated with gutter guards is that they make it extremely difficult to clean your gutters since they are attached on top of them. Our gutter guards don’t have that problem because they snap in securely without screws. You can pop them off and on with ease when you have to clean your gutters.
Do Gutter Guards Require Maintenance?
A common misconception surrounding gutter guards is that once they are installed you never have to clean your gutters again. In reality, gutter guards don’t magically make your gutters maintenance-free without ever having to be cleaned again. Your gutters still require regular maintenance and cleaning with gutter guards on them. Gutter guards simply reduce the maintenance and cleaning that would otherwise be needed.
If you have a lot of trees in your yard, you can expect to clean your gutters two or more times per year without gutter guards. Conversely, if you do opt to have gutter guards installed along with your new gutters, you may only need to clean your gutters once per year or once every other year.
Our Gutter Guard Installation Process
While we don’t sell or install gutter guards as a stand-alone service, we always offer gutter guards to our customers when installing our seamless gutters. If gutter guards make sense for your home, we will walk you through our recommendations when we complete our initial estimate for the project.
Sometimes gutter guards are unnecessary for a home. In other cases, they may be necessary throughout the entire gutter system. Some homes only need gutter guards on part of the gutter system because of a problematic tree or two. We always cater our recommendations based on your home’s unique circumstances.
Are Gutter Guards Right for You?
If you’re in the market for new gutters and your gutters have been prone to clogging in the past, consider adding gutter guards along with your seamless gutter installation. Whether you have a yard full of trees or just one problem tree near your home, we will recommend the best gutter guard options for your home.