Most people would prefer root canal surgery to cleaning their filthy roof gutters, but unless you have an effective gutter guard installed on your home it’s a job that needs to be completed nonetheless. If you’re thinking about buying gutter guards for your home or business there a number of options to consider. In these gutter guard reviews we will take a closer look at some of the factors you should mull over before making your purchase.
Gutter Guard Reviews: Why Do You Need a Gutter Guard?
Most people think of gutter cleaning as a regular fall activity—a filthy, messy chore that needs to be done before the rainy season begins—but in some areas, keeping roof gutters clean can be a year-round activity. Unless you have a gutter guard installed on your home, your gutters can become clogged with leaves, flower petals, seed pods and other debris, adding to the overall weight of your roof and restricting the flow of water. And when rainwater becomes too high in the gutters, it can quickly flood the common areas around your home and create a real nightmare of a mess.
Gutter guards can also help prevent unnecessary accidents that may occur while attempting to clear rain gutters by hand. If you use a ladder, for example, and reach sideways to try and clear the messy buildup, it can cause the ladder to slip from under you. If you try to clean the gutters from above, while standing on the roof, there’s a good chance you may lose your balance and fall. With a gutter guard of some kind, though, you can usually eliminate this very risky activity from your regular autumn routine.
Gutter Guard Reviews: What to Look For
Gutter guards are frequently advertised on television, radio, the web and other media outlets as “miracle products,” but predictably, not all gutter guards are alike, and many fall short in terms of the level of protection they provide. The claim that many gutter guard companies make—the one which usually begins with “you will never have to clean your gutters again,” is not wholly accurate, so before you make a final purchasing decision you may want to consider the following information.
The chief purpose of a gutter guard is to divert rain and other water sources and deposit that water away from the common areas around your house, so naturally, a rain gutter which is completely enclosed would defeat the purpose of having a gutter system altogether. Most gutter guards are constructed to allow water to flow into the guard freely through a slit or narrow opening and to keep larger debris—debris which can obstruct the flow of water—out. But how effective are these gutter guards in achieving this purpose?
According to a number of consumer reports, most gutter guards rate very high in their ability to keep large leaves, paper, pine cones and other bulky debris from entering the gutter, but in most cases, smaller debris can still make its way into the narrow opening. Many of these gutters fail to stop items such as tiny tree flower buds, seed pods, evergreen needles and other small debris from entering, and once inside, this debris can be near impossible to clean.
If your home is surrounded by trees or other plants that consistently drop smaller leaves, seeds or needles, before making any final (and usually expensive) decision on a gutter guard system for your home, you may want to ask the representative for a quick demonstration.
