You may have seen commercials for gutter guards in the past, but how useful are they? In this article, we’ll review six gutter guard benefits to help you decide whether or not they’re suitable for your home.
1. Keep Your Gutters Clean
We’ll get the obvious one out of the way first. One of the primary purposes of gutter covers is to keep your gutters clean. They do this by blocking leaves, twigs, and other debris from getting into your gutters and clogging them up. This means that you won’t have to clean your gutters as often in some cases.
2. Prevent Water Damage
Clogged gutters can cause water damage to your home in a few different ways. First, if the gutters are full of leaves and debris, they may not be able to drain correctly. This can cause water to back up and overflow, which can damage your home’s foundation or lead to leaks in your basement or crawlspace.
Additionally, clogged gutters can cause ice dams to form in the winter. Ice dams are caused when the gutters are full of melting snow and ice that refreezes. This can cause damage to your gutters, roof, and even your home’s interior if the water leaks.
Gutter guards can help prevent these problems by keeping the gutters clear and allowing them to drain correctly.
3. Save Time and Money
Cleaning gutters is a time-consuming and messy job. If you hire someone to do it for you, it can also be expensive. Gutter guards can save time and money by reducing or eliminating the need to clean your gutters.
4. Protect Your Landscaping
Clogged gutters can also damage your landscaping. When gutters overflow, the water can wash away mulch and topsoil and damage plants and flowers. Gutter guards can help prevent this by keeping the gutters clear and redirecting the water flow away from your landscaping.
5. Prevent Pests and Insects
Stagnant water provides the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes, cockroaches, and other pests, so keeping your gutters clean and clear of debris is essential for preventing these infestations. Gutter guards help to keep your gutters clear of leaves, twigs, and other debris, which reduces the amount of stagnant water in your drainage channels. This makes it more difficult for pests to breed and thrive and prevents birds and rodents from accessing your attic space.
6. Increase the Longevity of Your Gutters
When gutters are full of debris, they can become weighed down and even start to sag. This can cause them to pull away from your home’s fascia (the board they’re attached to) and eventually break. Gutter guards can help prevent this by keeping the gutters clear and allowing them to function correctly.
Do you need gutter guards?
Knowing the benefits of gutter guards, you can decide if they suit your home. If you live in an area with a lot of trees, if you have a lot of landscaping, or if you don’t want to deal with cleaning your gutters, gutter guards may be a good investment. Various types and styles of gutter guards are available such as screen covers, surface tension systems, and perforated metal guards that come in different materials. A few different material options are aluminum gutter guards, stainless steel gutter guards, or copper gutter guards, so you can find a set that fits your needs and budget. Contact Signature Exteriors today to learn more about our gutter guard installation services.