Nothing is worse than trying to be sold extras or add ons in an industry that you aren’t familiar with. It’s like when you go to a car mechanic and you aren’t sure whether you really need to upgrade your oil for the car or add on a new vent. The same can be said for gutter guards and whether they are necessary or not.
Let’s weigh the pros and cons of gutter guards so that we can figure out whether we really need one or not.
Double Protection
Gutters that are bogged down with leaves, dirt and more can cause some serious issues for your house. Gutter guards off an extra layer of protection that makes sure the water is being properly led away from your home. While blocking out most debris you can protect your home against:
- Basement flooding
- Foundation issues
- Roof damage
- Mold buildup
- Rotted materials
- And more!
By adding this layer of protection you can worry less about the above happening. Once any of these issues occur the costs become significantly higher than if you were just to add the extra layer of protection.
Eliminates Frequent Cleaning
Because fewer materials are coming in and clogging up your gutters you can also worry less about having to clean them as frequently. When the gutters are blocked there is less chance of larger objects making it inside.
Not to mention that cleaning the gutters can sometimes be dangerous depending on how high they are up. This puts in an extra layer of safety having to be up there less.
Not Full Proof
And with all that, it doesn’t mean that having gutter guards are completely bulletproof. Smaller items like seeds, dirty, pine needles, and more are still subject to getting inside. This means that some cleaning here and there is important to make sure that you keep them functioning the way they are meant to be.
Sagging Possibility
The need for good quality gutters with gutter guards is important. The reason being is that if you don’t have sturdy materials and ice builds up, the extra weighted materials can cause the entire gutter to deform and sag. This will eventually end up in the need to replace the whole gutters.
Assess The Risk Versus Reward
Adding additional protection is never a bad idea. It certainly helps to not need to clean as much let alone less risk to your safety if you are the one doing it. But they can be an additional cost and cleaning, in general, is still required. Whether that additional cost outweighs the cost that would occur with damage for no protection is up to you!
You can also eliminate the safety factor by considering hiring outside help like a cleaning service. Companies that install your gutters may offer maintenance and cleaning services additionally.