Gutter guards & their advantagous 

• Gutters direct the flow of water away from your home and foundation, and gutter guards assist in this effort.

• Gutter guards fasten on top of or around your gutters to protect your house’s existing gutter system.

• Gutter guards provide many benefits.

• They protect the inside of your gutters from ultraviolet (UV) rays that can damage sealant and prevent pests from crawling into gutters or damaging your roof.

• They also make it easier for homeowners to clean out dirt, debris, leaves, and twigs.

Gutters can get clogged without the help of gutter guards and may crack or break. Replacing gutters is an expensive, time-intensive job, and gutter protection using gutter guards could save you considerable time and money.

Pros: Benefits of Gutter Guards

1. Debris Prevention – The primary function of gutter guards is to prevent debris, including leaves, pine needles, twigs, pine cones, gravel, and other small objects, from entering the rain gutter system.

This type of debris entering the gutter can lead to a number of serious problems starting with gutter clogs. Once gutters are clogged, they are likely to fill with water, leading them to overflow, crack, or break completely. This then leads to water buildup and puddling near the foundation of the building. If not addressed quickly, the foundation of the home can begin to crack or weaken, which is an expensive issue to remedy that also decreases the value of the property. Overflowing gutters can also cause water to seep into the building’s roof where the gutters are connected, causing major damage that may be pricey to resolve.

2. Rodent and Insect Deterrence – Rain gutters that do not have gutter guards installed can attract insects and rodents for multiple reasons. The buildup of twigs, leaves, pine needles, and pinecones

offer an attractive nest for small rodents. With no cover over the gutters, these critters can easily enter them and settle in. Furthermore, when the buildup of debris and leaves creates clogs, stagnant pools of water can begin to form, which creates a breeding ground for insects like mosquitoes. As mentioned above, clogged gutters can also lead to a damp foundation, which attracts termites. Gutter guards prevent all of these problems by keeping out debris, eliminating pools of water, and blocking insects and animals from entering the system.

3. Fire Protection – Perhaps surprisingly, gutter guards can actually help homeowners protect their homes from fire risk—particularly in areas with large amounts of dry brush and wind. When twigs, leaves, pine needles, and the like build up in gutters and dry up, they create a perfect kindling that can easily ignite if embers from a nearby fire, or even a barbeque, land in the pile. When this happens, a fire can ignite quickly and set the rest of the house ablaze. By preventing debris from piling up in the gutter system, the use of noncombustible gutter guards limits this risk. In fact, a California law requires home sellers living in high-risk areas to disclose if the home has rain gutters that lack metal or noncombustible gutter covers.

4. Decreased Maintenance – Since gutter guards prevent debris from entering the gutter system, they decrease the amount of time and frequency that homeowners need to clean them. Of course, the same debris can settle atop the gutter guard and slowly pile up over time, but it cannot get inside of the gutters, where it is much more tedious and difficult to remove. Many gutter guard companies advertise that their products reduce the frequency of required maintenance by 50% or more. Homeowners will still need to clean their gutters—or hire someone to clean them—occasionally, but much less frequently than for uncovered gutters.

5. Ice and Freeze Prevention – As debris collects in uncovered gutters, it creates dams, blocking water from flowing and creating puddles within the gutters. In cold climates, these puddles can freeze and grow larger as more rain or snow enters the gutter and continues to freeze. Frozen ice dams can get so heavy that they weigh down gutters, causing them to sag, warp, crack, or even break completely and separate from the fascia of the roof. By preventing debris from entering the gutter and creating dams in the system, gutter guards can greatly reduce the formation of ice in gutters. Small amounts of ice may still form in colder weather and climates, but as long as water is able to flow smoothly through the system, large pools cannot form and subsequently freeze, significantly reducing this risk. Additionally, adding gutter guards can actually strengthen the gutter system, making the gutters better able to support the weight of ice if it does accumulate on top of them.

6. Rust and Corrosion Prevention – Preventing debris buildup and the pooling of water in gutter systems helps to eliminate the deterioration of the gutters as well. Enduring pools of water as well as damp leaves and sticks within the gutter system can lead to the formation of mold and rust, which can do permanent damage to the gutters. Over time, the buildup of mold can wear away the gutters’ surface, change the color of the gutters, and make them appear permanently dirty. Once the surface of the gutter is worn from mold, they can be nearly impossible to keep clean as dirt collects more easily and as mold reappears in the same places. Even worse, when gutters start to rust, they begin to decay. Holes and cracks can begin to form throughout the gutter system where rust has formed, allowing water to leak through and rendering the gutters useless. Using gutter guards to prevent pools of water and moist debris buildup greatly reduces the risk of rust and corrosion of gutters.

Potential Downsides

Gutter guards do have a few drawbacks, such as high initial costs and mediocre performance in extreme weather. Hiring a professional installer, or carefully following DIY instructions, and monitoring for seasonal clutter can help avoid these common issues:

Installation Errors

Some gutter guard systems require professional installation, which adds to the overall cost. If you try to install guards yourself and make a mistake, you could void your roof or gutter warranty and cause drainage problems. If you do install gutter guards yourself, make sure you understand how to measure gutter size to make sure there are no gaps or open spaces where debris may collect.

Poor Performance in Extreme Weather

In climates with significant snow and ice, certain gutter guards might cause ice dams or icicles, which can damage your gutters. Meanwhile, guards that struggle to handle heavy rain can lead to overflows and water damage. Picking the right type of gutter guards for your climate can help avoid these issues.

Initial Costs

Gutter guards come with an upfront cost, and some require professional installation, making your overall project more expensive. However, the cost of guards may offset over time with savings on gutter cleaning and home repairs from water damage.

Maintenance Requirements

While gutter guards reduce cleaning frequency, they don’t eliminate maintenance entirely. Debris can still accumulate on top of your guards, requiring occasional cleaning to ensure proper water flow. If you have a leaf blower, you can use the low setting to blow debris away from the roofline once per season.

Potential for Pests

If not professionally installed or maintained, some gutter guards can become nesting spots for pests such as rodents, birds, and insects. This buildup can block water flow, creating further damage such as leaks and wood rot, and can cause more expensive removal or gutter replacement needs.