What are Gutter Guards?

We all know the story. It’s fall, and you are tired of cleaning up everything before winter.  But one more chore, those gutters taunting you with leaves and twigs sticking out all over. Your neighbor tells you to install gutter guards to help you with your problem. But what are they? Can they really help?

Gutter guards are any kind of protection that basically shields your existing gutters from debris, all while allowing water to flow into the bottom trough. With this, the chances of having the disgusting task of clearing out all that gunk in your gutters decreases. Or does it?  Depending on the kind of guard installed, cleaning time can be reduced from a couple of times a month to only a few times a year.

There are a lot of gutter guards being sold right now. However, not all of them are made the same way. Here’s what you need to know if you’re planning on buying one for your home.

Kinds of Gutter Guards 

Currently there are three major types of gutter guards: filters, screens and covers. Each has its own set of advantages and drawbacks. For easy reference, we’ve made a short list of the pros and cons of owning each kind.

Filters

Filters are made from fine mesh. The tiny holes in the mesh are thought to stop any kind of debris, as long as it’s bigger than the holes.

These gutter guards are mostly constructed from the material that we use to screen our windows. And they’re usually wrapped on open gutters, screwed into the fascia or clipped under the shingles.

Screens

Screens are very common gutter guards. They come in 3 to 6 foot sections with perforated openings or louvered slots. Their holes aren’t as small as what we typically see in leaf filters, but they can still stop leaves and other debris. But some are prone to certain types of seeds such as maple whirly birds (aka helicopters) which float down and stand at attention on top of the cover. For installation they can be hinged, mitered at the corners, installed underneath roof shingles, or simply slipped in and snapped into place.

Covers

Covers are usually made from plastic materials. They’re hooked into the gutter, nailed or glued onto the roof, or slid under the first or second layer of shingles. And while filters and screens rely on straining the debris out using little holes, covers depend on surface tension to guide the water down and to let the unwanted things fall off the edge.

Why Most Gutter Guards are Inefficient

Now that you know what you’re up against, is it worth the money and time?

Generally, almost all gutter guards are add-ons. Since they need to be combined with pre-existing gutters, they’re just one part of a two-piece system that’s prone to needing adjustments. This causes serious weak points like seams, minute cracks and mismatched measurements. Pair these with the add-on’s already questionable durability, and they all contribute to damaging a house’s overall integrity.

So if you’re looking for something more hard-wearing than gutter guard add-ons, a one-piece system is what you should install because it simply doesn’t have these aforementioned drawbacks.