I’m not a fan of gutter guards

• Posted on October 17, 2016
• by mikew
• in Fix It & Use It
• No Comments.

I’ve stopped at the display kiosk at Costco showing innovative gutter designs. I’ve seen the Youtube videos and heard the commercials for gutter guards and helmets and screens. More than that I’ve performed inspections of homes with many of these designs. It is important to see how they work years with maintenance by regular home owners like you and me. Following all of that, I have to say that I am not a big fan of spending the big bucks required to replace or modify your gutters. Why?

First, I have seen that no design completely protects debris from getting into your gutters. Stuff still gets in and gutters need to be cleaned and maintained regularly. No exceptions to this no matter what some company salesperson might tell you.

Second, there is just as much maintenance (if not more!) required ensuring that water does not back up under your roofing materials. When I see damaged roof sheeting there is a high likelihood it is from debris sitting atop the guards intended to prevent that very thing. Gutter screens should be cleaned out after after big wind storm.

Third, money. There are cheaper ways to maintain gutters. Simpler systems I find to be as effective as the elaborate systems being marketed.

The systems that seem to work best are those where roofing materials properly drain water into the gutters. This may involve the use of drip edge flashing. Continuous metal gutters with minimal seams leak less. Larger volume trays and bigger downspout extensions also clog less. The most important thing is to clean out your gutters regularly – nothing is going to forgo the need for regular house maintenance.