If cleaning out your gutters every year is becoming a difficult chore, it could be time to get gutter guards. If you need new gutters, you can have the guards put on at the same time. However, you can have gutter guards put on your existing gutters too. Here's how these gutter protectors work, why you might want them, and a look at the installation process.
How Gutter Guards Work
The point of these guards is to keep your gutter troughs from clogging. If your gutters fill up with leaves, oak tassels, or pine needles, then you could benefit from having guards over the troughs. The guards don't interfere with rain at all. Rain still falls in the gutters and is routed away through the downspout. The guards simply block tree debris so there will be no leaf clogs that cause your gutters to back up and cause water damage to your home.
Why You Need Gutter Guards
If you generally dislike home improvement tasks that include climbing a ladder and digging leaves out of the gutters, then having guards on the gutters may be a top priority for you. Gutters need to be cleaned out so rain flows away from your house rather than getting trapped or spilling over the side.
When a lot of rain falls next to your house, the ground becomes saturated and the water can work its way inside your basement or cause trouble with the foundation. Foundation repair can be expensive to repair, so keeping water away from your home is important.
Clogged gutters can also cause rain to get under your roof shingles and lead to roof damage. Plus, a dam of leaves can cause water to pool in the troughs. This creates excess weight that leads to sagging and pulling the gutters away from the fascia board. Also, pools of water in the gutters create breeding grounds for mosquitoes and attract other pests.
If you want your gutters to be kept clean with as little effort as possible, then gutter guards would be a perfect match for you. You might still need to clean the guards occasionally, but you won't have to dig clumps of wet and decaying leaves out of the troughs when you have guards put on.
How Gutter Guards Are Installed
There are different styles of guards on the market, so you may want to compare the options available. Different guards are installed in different ways. You don't have to worry about the excess weight making the gutters sag since the guards are lightweight. You also don't have to worry about damage to your gutters or fascia boards.
Some guards are made of vinyl or metal mesh. One end is slipped under the bottom row of shingles on your roof and the other end is clipped over the edge of the gutter trough. Other guards slip inside the gutters. While these are easier to install, they may not work as well as guards that cover the troughs completely. You don't have to worry about difficult installation since the company that sells gutter guards usually installs them too.
Share16 April 2021
