Is Gutter Guard Worth It?
The whole idea of a gutter guard system is to minimise the accumulation of leaves, twigs, pine needles, seeds, in and around your gutters and downpipes. At the same time, they should allow rain water to enter so the gutters can do their job - move water away from the roof and away from the footings of your house. Unfortunately, with some types of gutter guard, the net result is the opposite of what they’re trying to prevent – clogged gutters, overflowing rainwater, and harder to clean gutters.
What's the best type of gutter guard?
Our experience is that the exact gutter guard system that will work best on any particular home depends on the home itself and the surrounding terrain and type of trees. However, our general view from the field is that gutter guard generally falls into these three categories;
1. Fixed External Metal Gutter Guard
This type of gutter guard is typically a powder coated, commercial grade aluminium compatible with Colorbond, aluminium, and zincalume guttering. It can be fitted to both metal and tiled roofs.
It's a very durable gutter guard that can be moulded to fit valleys and most gutter varieties, and has the added benefit of having extremely high fire resistance. It generally comes with the longest warranty of all the gutter guard types.
OUR RATING
We give this 4.5 out of 5 stars for performance and looks.
It's so highly contoured that it makes it near impossible for leaf matter to find its way into your gutters. The flip side of the coin is that without regular cleaning organic matter can grow inside the gutters necessitating removal of the guard to get right into the gutters to clean them. This can be a time consuming and costly exercise.
Note: If you live in a bush fire zone, then you really have no choice but to use Aluminium with its zero flammability index.
2. Fixed External Polymesh Gutter Guard
Again this type of gutter guard can be fitted on all roof types and is ideal for both gutters and valleys. The great benefit of polyethylene based gutter mesh is that they come in a wide range of colours to match your roof, are easily contoured, and less cost prohibitive than the metal guard.
OUR RATING
We give this 4 stars for performance at a cost advantage.
We see a range of quality in this style of product. From the size of the aperture, which determines how well the guard allows water to enter the gutters, through to strength of the product itself, the quality can vary greatly.
In addition, we find this gutter guard system tends to allow sticks and twigs to get caught in the apertures more than the metal gutter guard.
Regular maintenance and cleaning will protect your investment and keep your gutters working as they should.
3. Internal Plastic/Nylon/Polyethylene Gutter Guard
The standard DIY gutter guard is installed inside the gutter - as opposed to the 'ski-slope' installation of premium gutter guard. It's a cheaper alternative that can be be purchased from your local hardware store and installed by almost any handy person. As it's installed inside the gutter, it is very inconspicuous, however it can't be used to protect the valleys of your gutter system.
OUR RATING
We give this 2.5 stars for ease of installation and affordability.
Again, the quality varies greatly in both the product itself, and the quality of installation. Unfortunately, we rarely find this gutter guard installed well, so it tends to cause as many problems as it eliminates. It can be removed for cleaning however this can be a time consuming and somewhat costly process. The cheaper plastic and nylon tend to deteriorate rapidly under harsh Australian conditions.
When purchasing this type of gutter guard look for a high-grade polyethylene product which is UV and fade resistant, and is water, salt and corrosion resistant.
Making gutter guard work for you
Gutter guard systems are a 'low' maintenance addition to your gutters, not 'no' maintenance. It is still necessary to clean the gutters regularly. Depending on the amount of debris falling on the roof and gutters, it may be possible to simply flush or blow through the gutter guard if there is only a light build up. Leaving your gutter cleaning for years may mean a build of of silt that will need to be removed by hand from underneath your gutter guard.
