Gutters need to be clear of debris to allow rainwater to flow freely through the gutter system. While it might be a pain to clean your gutters the recommended twice a year, it’s probably more of a pain to have to repair the water damage done to your home when gutters fail. This is the main reason gutter protection is important, but there are other advantages as well.
Less Debris Buildup
Consider the wind factor; it’s not only the trees directly surrounding your house that you have to worry about. Our pros can tell a few tales about what lands into gutters on a windy day! An active weather system can easily fill unprotected gutters with twigs, leaves, seed pods, pine cones and dirt. Gutter protection like leaf screens or gutter guards do keep a large percentage of debris out of a gutter system. Less debris means less chance of leaves, twigs, etc. building up to the point where it creates clogs, causes water to spill over the sides of the gutters, and allows rainwater to collect instead of properly drain down the downspouts.
Preventative Medicine
Clogged gutters can potentially cause damage to all parts of your home’s exterior. Installing some type of gutter protection can prevent:
- foundation damage
- soil erosion
- flooded basement
- shifting/pitted driveway
- fewer areas for mold and mildew to grow on siding and gutters
- stagnant water that can attract insects
- rotting soffits and/fascia
- “soft” spots on roofing tiles
Eco-Friendly
Because leaf guards keep a lot of debris out of gutters, it means that you have to clean them less often. It might not seem like much of a boost to the environment, but every little helps: using fewer resources like water and cutting down on detergents and other cleaning solutions when maintaining your gutter system is definitely eco-friendly.
