You clean your gutters, they fill back up with leaves. Clean them again and in no time, they’re clogging and water is flowing over the edges of the gutters. When you’re a homeowner, you’re in a neverending war to keep leaves out of your gutters so stormwater can easily flow away from your home where it can’t do any damage. There is a way to win the war on leaves. So put on your tactical gear and your best leaf camouflage, and fight with us.
Battle Strategy: Cut the Branches Near Your House
The leaves can’t get in if they can’t reach your gutters. On windy days, leaves can come from near and far to land in your gutters and clog them. Sure, you won’t see as many leaves than if branches were hanging over your house, but you’ll still find a fair amount of leaves and debris. Having trees near your home provides shade in the summer which can cut cooling costs and also prevent erosion from wind and rain. They’re also beautiful and add curb appeal. Battle: Lost.
Battle Strategy: Not Having Gutters At All
At Gutter Pros, we love gutters and we can’t endorse this kind of battle strategy at all. No gutters means no clogs but it also means that stormwater will flow right off your roof to the ground below. This can puddle or splash, over time causing cracks in the foundation and rot in wood door frames. Repairs to areas of the home damaged by a lack of gutters can be much more expensive than installing gutters in the first place. Stormwater needs to be properly drained away from your home. Battle: Lost.
Battle Strategy: Clean Your Gutters
We, at Gutter Pros, are huge advocates for cleaning your gutters and we’d be happy to do it for you. Having your gutters cleaned after the winter months and after the barrage of leaf attacks in the fall but what about in the meantime? While your gutters wait for the next cleaning, they’re still being besieged with leaves which leads to clogs. To keep up throughout heavy leaf-fall, you’d need frequent cleanings, certainly doable but potentially expensive. Battle: Tied.
Battle Strategy: Installing Leaf Protection
Leaf protection, or gutter guards, are devices installed over or in your gutters that allow water in but keep out leaves and debris. The most effective gutter guards are micromesh guards which are perforated sheets of stainless steel that attach on top of your gutters. Another popular choice for leaf protection is reverse-curve gutter guards. They’re installed above your gutters and as stormwater flows over the curve and into your gutters, leaves fall over the edge to the ground below. Depending on your budget and the types of trees near your home (Do they drop leaves, needles, or seeds like acorns, “helicopters” or tassels?), a gutter expert like ours at Gutter Pros can recommend the most effective type of leaf protection for your home.
Battle: Won. War: Won!
Gutter Pros is always ready to join you in the war on leaves. We’re a full-service gutter company that specializes in commercial gutters, copper gutters, and leaf protection. Our technicians can clean and inspect your gutters and install the right leaf protection that will provide the best defense against invading leaves. Call Gutter Pros at (314)656-7195 and schedule an appointment today.