Before you know it, fall will be here and along with it, football, cool nights, and pumpkin spice everything. That makes it the perfect time to think about leaf protection for your gutters.
Risks of Not Having Leaf Protection
Homes without leaf protection need to have their gutters cleaned more often than those that do. If the homeowners don’t have them regularly cleaned, they open themselves up to some potentially expensive repairs due to water damage, infestation, broken gutters, and mold.
When leaves and debris build up and form a clog in the downspout or in the gutters, water can’t easily flow through and away from the structure like it’s supposed to. This often leads to waterfalling where the water flows over the edge of the gutter, down the siding to the ground. It can cause landscape damage, cracking in walkways and in the foundation walls, leaky basements, and water can get in through the siding and door and window casings, causing interior damage. When a home has leaks that go unnoticed, mold begins to grow and mold can be toxic and expensive to mitigate.
Here’s something you may not realize about clogs: pests love them. Insects, birds, and mice find clogged gutters the perfect place to make their homes because it gives them nesting material and a water source in one place.
In areas that are dry, and forest fires are a real risk, crispy debris in your gutters is like kindling.
Leaf Protection Options
Leaf protection, also known as gutter guards, come in several different varieties, all designed to keep leaves and debris from accumulating in your gutters. The cheapest, foam or brush guards, are cut to length and placed inside the gutters. Because foam guards deteriorate rather quickly and brush guards tend to impale leaves, they’re not the best choices.
Reverse-curve gutter guards are lightweight pieces of metal or plastic that are installed above the gutter. The curve allows water to flow over and into the gutter while leaves and debris fall to the ground. Pine needles can make it into the gutters so these are better at homes that aren’t surrounded by trees that drop needles.
The most popular types of gutter guards are perforated aluminum guards and micromesh gutter guards. They’re both fine sheets of metal that are installed on top of the gutters, the perforated ones have holes punched in whereas the others are made of metal mesh. They both work the same to allow water in through tiny holes that will keep leaves and debris out.
Having leaf protection installed greatly reduces the need for cleanings but it doesn’t eliminate it altogether. Sometimes silt can still build up in them so it’s still important to have them inspected occasionally.
If you’re considering having leaf protection installed before the leaves begin to fall, call Gutter Pros. The technicians at Gutter Pros are experts in everything gutter-related including leaf protection as well as the installation and maintenance of residential and commercial gutters and copper gutters. Call us today at (314) 656-7195 and start guarding your home against those falling leaves!