Keep Gutters Clean with Gutter Guards
Why Gutter Guards?
Gutter cleaning isn't fun, at all. Having to get up early on your day off, wrestle the ladder and scurry up and down all day with various tools and things just to get your gutter cleaning duties done. It's a hassle, and a dangerous one at that! That's exactly why we say give it a rest – invest in gutter guards, and leave the gutter cleaning to the pros.
Gutter Guard Styles
There are many styles of gutter guards that fit several different applications and budgets.
Reverse curve
Mesh
Bottle brush
Nylon
Non-gutter cover
Foam type
ABOUT EACH STYLE OF GUTTER GUARD
REVERSE CURVE GUTTER GUARDS
We primarily install the reverse curve style gutter guards. Reverse curve gutter guards allow water to run over the edge and collect in the gutter, while debris runs off. This style accomplishes the two primary goals of a gutter guard – keep gutters clean, and maintain the original functionality of the gutter. To boot, this style of gutter guard also provides a seamless, decorative look that can add character and architectural interest to a home.
MESH GUTTER GUARDS
With this style of gutter guard, the guard is made of a porous mesh which allows water to penetrate leaving behind the debris. Again, this accomplishes the primary goals of a gutter guard. While this style of gutter guard is extremely common, they may still collect some debris depending on the profile design.
BOTTLE BRUSH GUTTER GUARDS
Imagine laying a large pipe cleaner in your gutters and you'll have a good idea what a bottle brush gutter guard is.
Bottle Brush gutter guards are essentially made of a porous material that allows water to penetrate, while holding back the debris that often times accompanies rainwater. While this style of gutter guard might be better than open gutters, it's fairly ineffective – often times not giving remedy to the problems homeowners were trying to fix.
NYLON GUTTER GUARDS
Much like a custom pool noodle that fits inside your gutter, nylon gutter guards are another way to combat debris in your gutters. Made from a porous nylon material, these gutters guards are fit inside the gutter, leaving essentially the same functionality as before. One fallback we note is that these have a hard time keeping up with heavy rainfall.
NON-GUTTER COVER
Interesting in concept – the non-gutter cover is essentially a series of angled louvres that essentially take rainwater from the roof and disperses it into small rain-sized droplets that fall to the ground below. Leaves and debris either wash off, or blow away. A common problem with this style is that you have little to no control over where the water runoff goes. Potentially opening you up to several problems down the road.
FOAM TYPE GUTTER GUARDS
Again, very similar to a pool noodle, and the Nylon style gutter guards, only these are a non-hollow piece that fits with the gutters. This style of gutter guard has the same problem with excessive rainwater as nylon gutter guards.
WHY WE PREFER THE REVERSE CURVE
Not all things are created equal – this especially rings true with gutter guards. The reverse curve style gutter guard is what we prefer, and for a couple of reasons. First, the reverse curve gutter guard is excellent at keeping gutters free of debris. Secondly, they do not inhibit the gutters function in diverting rainwater. Afterall, your gutters are in place for a reason – to divert rain water from your home.
