In a word, yes.
If your home has gutters, as it should, you may have been wondering if it’s time to look at leaf protection and have gutter guards installed on your gutters. For most homes, having leaf protection to prevent your gutters from clogging makes a lot of sense for many reasons.
Damage to Your Home
Clogged gutters can cause a lot of damage to your home. When water overflows during a rainstorm, it can make an unsightly mess of your landscaping but more importantly, and more costly, it can damage your siding, cause a leaky roof, doors, and windows, mold and mildew damage, and over time, can cause your foundation to crack and leak.
Pest Infestation
Insects like bees, ants, mosquitoes, and many others love to build homes where leaves have built up. Birds have even been known to build cozy nests in gutters in the spring! You can keep insects and birds alike from nesting in your gutters by installing gutter guards.
Fire Hazard
Dry leaves in your gutters are a potential fire hazard. They make perfect kindling for a stray ember from your neighbors’ fire pit or fireworks.
Home Value
Gutter guards can actually add value to your home. Potential home buyers will consider the fact that gutter cleaning won’t be a common hassle or expense a big plus if they decide to purchase your home. They help it look cleaner too.
Of course, having gutter guards doesn’t mean you never have to have them cleaned. While the good ones can keep out leaves and sticks, smaller bits can build up as thick silt that should be cleaned out periodically. Having gutter guards can give a false sense of security and you may think that once you have gutter guards installed that you can forget about them. This is a common problem with people who have leaf protection. Gutter guards may greatly reduce the frequency of cleanings but it’s important to check them every now and then to make sure silt hasn’t built up enough to cause a problem.
There are several types of leaf protection to choose from depending on the the types of leaves you have around your home. There are some that work well with leaves but not as well with pine needles like Solid Gutter Covers or Reverse Curve Gutter Guards which are metal and hang over your gutters allowing water to flow over the curve into the gutter as leaves fall to the ground. They keep leaves out but they can be heavy and may damage your gutters or their fasteners.
Cheaper solutions like guards made of foam or bristles or wire tubes install easily because they simply need to be cut and placed in the gutters but needles tend to clog them.
Probably the most effective solutions for leaf protection are Micro Mesh and Perforated Aluminum Guards. They are placed over your gutters with holes that allow water to flow in while keeping leaves and needles out and they’re lightweight so they don’t damage your gutters.
If there are no trees in close proximity to your house, you may not need leaf protection but most people will find that even without a tree right next to their house, leaves find their way in there. If you’re looking for a solution to leaf build-up in your gutters, call the experts at GutterPros. We have several options when it comes to leaf protection. Call us today at (314)656-7195 and let us find the right one for you!