Are Gutter Guards a Waste of Money?

March 18, 2021

There are currently a variety of tools and accessories created to increase the efficiency of your rain gutters. When talking about these additional resources, gutter guards usually stand at the top of the list. Gutter guards cover the surface of your gutters to prevent debris from getting in. Many people praise gutter guards as an asset to improve the maintenance, while others claim to have no problem with a guard-less gutter. We will provide some tips to help you figure out whether you need gutter guards in your home, and you can always verify this information asking a rain gutter installer near you.

What Are Gutter Guards?

The main purpose of gutter guards is to keep the inside of your gutters clean and free of debris. Usually made of aluminum, plastic, lightweight metal, or even nylon mesh, a gutter guard is a piece of hardware made to fit the width of your gutters. It covers the gutter's surface to keep the debris away without affecting the flow of water toward the downspouts.

So, how can a gutter guard improve your rain guttering system?

• They help move water away from your home: Gutter guards help gutters work more quickly and efficiently when it comes to redirecting rainwater to a safe area. They allow the water to flow more efficiently from the gutters to the downspouts.


• They prevent spillage: Leave guards come in handy during heavy rains when the water threatens to overflow your gutters. Overflows happen because the debris collected on the gutters slows down the water being redirected to the downspouts, until it starts spilling out. This can also affect the gutter's durability down the line. Leave guards not only prevent the damages caused by spilled water, they also reduce the chances of ice dams, since there are fewer chances for the water to freeze inside the guttering system.


• Simplified gutter cleaning: Because they keep leaves, dirt, pine needles, branches, and other elements away from your gutters, you can afford to clean them less often (you can't let your gutters go completely unattended for months on end, though). The cleaning process also runs much more smoothly because there's little to no dirt to take care of.


• Prevent animal infestation: Birds and rodents can easily make their nests inside your gutters when there are no leaf guards in place. Insects can also use your gutters as their breeding ground. This not only deteriorates your gutter but poses a major breach of hygiene that might put your health at risk.


• Financial advantages: On one hand, you don't have to pay for a professional gutter cleaning service because your gutter guards would make most of the hard work instead. On the other hand, leaf guards can be a useful investment if you plan on selling your property. Potential buyers will see the value in foregoing most of the hassle entailed in rain gutter maintenance.

What Are the Downsides?

As described above, leaf guards cover the surface of the gutter, and this would inevitably drive away some of the water that is supposed to land within the gutter itself, likely dampening your walls and causing pools of water around your foundations. The other side of the problem is that a gutter guard should still leave enough room for the water to come into the gutters, and that would kill the notion of a leaf guard making gutters 100% impervious to debris. As a result, there would still be space for outside elements to slip through but little room to perform a thorough inspection inside the rain guttering system.

You should also consider the fact that gutter guards are much lighter and prone to damage. Plastic and mesh guards can be more accessible but will also bend and break much faster than a metal guard. All in all, they will never be as sturdy as your gutters, so you might have to find a replacement if they sustain too much damage.

These are all reasonable concerns that you should discuss with your rain gutter installer beforehand. Gutter guards come in different sizes to fit different rain gutters, and this variety expands to the mechanisms used to simultaneously filter the water and push away the debris. A reverse-curve guard might not suit your roof as well as a guard made of perforated metal, so the expertise of your contractor will be of great help.

Many homeowners have welcomed gutter guards without discovering faults in their gutter's performance; others still prefer to put that money on professional cleaning services that can keep their gutters unclogged. Both options will benefit your gutters as long as you hire the services of a reliable rain guttering company that's capable of adapting its methods to your home's structure and your local climate.

If you want the best accessories to complement your rain gutters, Rain Gutters Solution has everything you need. On top of the best gutter installation services, we provide timely assistance for your repairs and bring top-of-the-line accessories to protect your gutters at all times. Call (305) 270-7779 or fill out the contact form on this website, and schedule an appointment with our team right away. Rain Gutters Solution helps you enhance the value of your property.

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