After reviewing all the ways gutter protectors don't work, we came to the conclusion that protectors are a bad investment. When you calculate the amount of time, effort and money it takes to install and care for gutter guards, you'll find that it doesn't offer any cost savings and isn't worth the expense. After reviewing the long-term costs, it's safe to say that gutter protectors aren't worth it and it's a waste of money. Gutter protectors do a relatively good job of keeping debris out of gutters, saving you the task of cleaning gutters.
However, gutters still need routine cleaning and maintenance, which goes against the purpose of investing in gutter protectors. For people who have trees in their yard, particularly near the house, gutter protectors are a reasonable investment to consider. This is mainly due to the fact that proper gutter protections will help prevent trees from depositing debris in your home's gutter system. Years ago, I did a thorough test of almost every gutter protection design.
I discovered that almost all of them fail. Reverse curve designs allow small chunks of debris to be transported to the gutter, where decaying dirt is impossible to clean. Small debris of all kinds clogs holes, slits and holes in the other designs. Most gutter guards fail miserably in spring when small debris falls from trees like snow in a blizzard.
Cloudy skies early, then thunderstorms that develop late. Most professionals agree that gutter guards of any type are not infallible protection against the different types of debris that can clog your gutters. There is nothing to make your gutters invincible against all the debris of the stations. Yes, gutter protectors are known to reduce the amount of cleaning and service your gutters require to run smoothly.
Are fenders worth it? Some would say no, regular gutter cleaning is the best way to maintain good gutter performance and the location of your home can make a big difference. If there is a lot of tree debris around your house, I usually recommend gutter protection just to reduce the amount of gutter cleaning that needs to be done. Many different gutter protection products are manufactured and most high-pressure sales approaches are for more sophisticated types of gutter covers. The basic types of gutter protection are screen or grooved covers.
They're in the middle of the road in terms of costs, but they do a good job of keeping debris out of the gutter. They are usually attached to the front of the gutter and tucked into the gutter or tile at the back. These types can be plastic; I prefer the aluminum style. Surface tension gutter covers are generally the most expensive.
They last longer and attach to the gutter and get under the shingle at the back. The water follows the shape of the gutter due to the surface tension in the gutter. One drawback is that if it's raining a lot, the water will simply wash off the front of the guards. There was a problem reporting this.
Speaking of time, gutter protectors can theoretically save you a lot of time in maintaining your gutters every year. This problem occurs because the same physical barrier that keeps debris out of the gutter also diverts an unhealthy amount of water from the gutter. Do-It-Yourself gutter cleaning is simple enough, but it can be a dangerous job for the untrained weekend warrior. To remove debris that has slipped through the fenders, you'll need to clean the gutters regularly.
If you have large trees in your yard, gutter protectors will really save you time and unpleasant labor by helping to keep your gutters from clogging up. As a general rule, homeowners with two or three floors will likely want to hire a professional for gutter cleaning work for safety reasons. So how do you select the right gutter protection system for your needs? Here is an introduction to seven different types of gutter protectors available. Cleaning won't be the only service that will get more expensive once you put in the guards; repairing gutters with guards will also be significantly more expensive.
Flo-Free comes in several sizes and claims to eliminate winter ice buildups by not allowing snow to build up in the gutter and, at the same time, allowing water to flow through the product into the gutter even in the coldest climates. In addition to preventing gutters from clogging, gutter guards also help deter or block pests from installing their homes in your gutter system. In fact, I had a customer bring their own ladder to an inspection once, so that I could clean the gutters on the struggling home I was buying. I would have to walk to the top of my giant hipped roof house with a hose to clean the gutters about 20-22 feet above the ground.
Solid 'shield' type gutter protectors rely on the capillary properties of water to get water into the gutters. Gutter systems are designed to be extremely lightweight because they need to exert as little pressure as possible on the fascia, which is the plank in your house to which the gutters are attached. . .
