Gutter guard installation is a decision that requires balancing short-term costs with long-term advantages. Installing gutter guards is worthwhile if you want to safeguard your home, save time, and reduce the amount of gutter maintenance you must undertake.
Gutter guards are a worthwhile investment since they cut gutter cleaning services, safeguard the house, prevent mold and mildew, manage pests, and protect against fires. However, they require high maintenance, can result in a water bypass, add weight to the roof, and increase cleaning costs.
What is a gutter guard? Does it work?
After the water leaves your roof, gutters regulate where it flows. However, if they are overflowing with debris, there is nowhere for the water to pour from your roof.
This may result in several expensive issues. How do you stop this from occurring to you, then?
The first method is routine gutter cleaning as part of regular roof maintenance. The second method involves putting something above them to shed or catch the waste.
Gutter guards can help in this situation. Anything that covers your gutters to capture or shed any material that falls from your roof is called a “gutter guard.”
Gutter guard pros
Some of the advantages of using gutter guards include the following:
| Gutter guard pros | Gutter guard cons |
| Cut back on gutter cleaning needs | High maintenance |
| Prevents water damage to the building | Might lead to water bypass |
| Reduce mold and mildew | Adds to the roof’s weight |
| Pest management | Increase cleaning costs |
| Fire protection |
1. Cut back on gutter cleaning needs
The primary justification for considering gutter guards is that you avoid worrying about twice-yearly cleanings by preventing leaves, twigs, and other debris from entering your gutter system.
Gutter cleaning services typically cost $160. It is advised to perform at least two cleanings of unprotected gutters per year, which can quickly increase the cost of household maintenance by $320.
Depending on the gutter guard you install, you can significantly lessen how frequently you need to clean your gutters.
Because you can brush off the top and lift the cover to deal with anything blocking the drain, mesh guards are among the most straightforward gutter guards to maintain.
2. Safeguard the residence
Simply put, clogged gutters cause issues for homeowners. There may be significant damage to the house’s structural stability if water cannot freely flow through gutter systems and down the downspouts.
You can shield yourself against these more significant, more expensive emergencies by taking care of your gutters and preventing the buildup of debris that can clog them.
3. Reduce mildew and mold
Your home should not have mold or mildew since they harm your health. This is only one of the many benefits of adding gutter guards.
To put it another way, leaves, dirt, and other kinds of natural debris are the things that clog gutters the most frequently. Mold spores can grow in clogged gutters and can be carried by these items.
Mold and mildew can also grow inside your home due to clogged gutters. The building components are vulnerable to rot when there is a blockage, making mold and mildew simple to colonize the house. This can happen when water overflows over the roof or side of the house.
By installing gutter guards, you reduce the possibility of gutter clogs and the likelihood of mold and mildew issues.
4. Pest management
Gutter guards assist in preventing pests from establishing residences in your gutter system and preventing clogged gutters.
They are thus an essential first line of defense against a more severe pest issue because they create a barrier between rats, birds, snakes, and the spacious gutter below.
Pests dwelling in the gutter could potentially harm the house without this barrier. Mosquitoes and other insects can grow and reproduce well in clogged gutters.
5. Protect against fire
One of the significant advantages of gutter guards for homes in wildfire-prone locations is that they can shield your house from danger.
The University of California states that the finest gutter guards and gutters for places with a high fire risk are made of metal. In addition to being less flammable than plastic substitutes, gutter guards themselves assist in preventing debris from entering the gutter and drying out.
Without cover, twigs, dried leaves, and other debris can burn and become kindling. This can be risky because the roof is the component of a house most vulnerable to a wildfire.
Gutter guard cons
The downsides to using gutter guards include the following:
1. High maintenance
Gutter guards that are properly put in will delay cleaning for about a month, but if there are a few extra weeks of bad weather or other circumstances, they will eventually break down.
Even if you postpone cleaning out your gutters for a few more days or weeks, you’ll never be sure of the gutter guards’ efficiency unless you climb up to your gutters and check for yourself, which completely defeats the point of putting gutter guards in the first place.
Additionally, inspecting your gutter system is much more challenging while the gutter guards are in place to look for damage and debris. These accumulations may cause significant issues that will cost you extra money.
Using gutter expansion joints with gutter guards is also harder since it’ll lead to uneven expansion and contraction.
2. It might result in a water bypass
Rain gutters are made to channel the unpredictable and erratic flow of stormwater in a way that prevents flooding damage to your house and yard.
Your gutter guards probably won’t obstruct this procedure during a light downpour. However, the increase in rainfall typically proves to be too much for many different types and brands of gutter guards if the storm intensifies or other factors become unstable.
The same physical barrier that prevents debris from entering your gutter also diverts excessive water. As a result of the substantial volume of rainfall being diverted from the roof, your home and yard may be at risk. It’ll also lead to tiger gutter stripes.
3. Add weight and cause strain
Due to the necessity to provide the least stress on the fascia, the board on your property to which your gutters are attached and gutter systems are made to be lightweight.
Gutter guards and other weighty additions can strain the fascia and eventually harm the structure.
The extra weight from your gutter guards will ultimately show up as cracking or worse, even if the fascia is fairly durable and can handle additional weight in the short term.
Your entire gutter system’s mounting will be impacted when you strain your fascia, and if it fails, you’ll need to pay high home repair costs to fix the damage.
You can also install gutters without fascia boards to cut down on the roof’s weight.
4. Increase cleaning costs
The average roof cleaning cost is $0.50 to $0.70 per square foot. For most roofs, this comes to an average of $400 (250-650).
No matter the industry you hire from, professionals usually always charge you according to the amount of work they complete. This is true for those who clean your gutters and perform necessary repairs.
Gutter cleaning with gutter guards will not just cost a little extra money; the difference between gutter cleaning with and without gutter guards can be up to 5 times higher.
Not only will cleaning cost more if you install guards, but guarded gutter maintenance will also be much more expensive.
What is a helmet gutter guard?
Gutter covers, known as “gutter helmets,” shield your property from falling leaves. They are positioned just above the gutter to prevent obstructions that could interfere with adequate drainage.
Gutter helmets are stylish and can be constructed of metal or plastic. They usually have a thick gutter-shaped design, so they fit perfectly on the gutters.
There are several different kinds of gutter guards or helmets, including:
- Surface tension gutter guards are made of aluminum and have a reverse curve design.
- Screen and mesh guards have an interior plastic or metal surface with tiny to large holes.
- Foam gutter guards are basically pool noodles you install inside your gutters.
- Bottlebrush gutter guards, or brush guards, are cylinder-shaped and effective at keeping out debris. They resemble big pipe cleaners.
Essentially, all gutter guards function by preventing debris from entering the gutter.
Conclusion
Gutter guards of the best quality are excellent, yet they are pricey. An installed system could cost up to $30 per foot. Many solutions are available; they all work well when installed and maintained correctly.
If you intend to install a system yourself, ensure it’s a task you can do by reading the installation instructions. It almost certainly is if anything looks too simple or good to be true. If you plan to hire a professional, choose a business you trust, and inquire about warranties.
Most importantly, check your roof and gutters regularly for debris. Also, remember that periodic cleaning will require someone to go up there.