What gutter guards actually do
The job is to block leaves, twigs and larger debris so water keeps flowing to the downspout instead of overflowing the gutter.
On a property with tree cover, that can be the difference between cleaning gutters several times a year and effectively not thinking about them. It matters just as much when the trees belong to a neighbor, because the debris doesn't respect a property line.
Are gutter guards worth it?
On most homes, yes. Guards keep leaves and debris from filling the gutters, freezing in winter and pulling the gutters off the fascia. That adds years to the gutter system.
They earn their keep on homes with tree cover, yours or a neighbor's, on steep or tall roofs where cleaning is hard or unsafe, and anywhere overflowing gutters have already damaged the fascia, the soffit or the foundation. Every year in the U.S., more than 500,000 people are treated for ladder-related injuries and about 300 die from them (NIOSH (opens in a new tab)). If no trees stand near the house and the gutters stay clear on their own, a guard has less to do.
What are the types of gutter guards?
"Gutter guard" covers everything from a plastic screen that clips on to a stainless steel mesh that becomes part of the roof edge, and they don't perform alike.
- Plastic and vinyl screens: inexpensive, and they sag and clog.
- Perforated aluminum covers: sturdier, but the holes let small debris and seeds through.
- Foam and brush inserts: they sit inside the gutter and catch debris instead of shedding it. In Consumer Reports' 2010 tests (opens in a new tab), none of the inserts kept debris out well.
- Reverse-curve covers: water follows the curve into the gutter. In the same tests, they had a hard time in a severe downpour.
- Stainless steel micro-mesh: a fine mesh that lets water through and keeps leaves, seeds and pine needles out.
What we install
A high-grade industrial stainless steel mesh with a lifetime warranty on material and workmanship. The back edge slides under the first row of shingles, and the front fastens to the front of the gutter. Nothing is fastened to your roof, so the guards won't void a roof warranty.
Mounting it this way sets the mesh on a slope instead of flat, so leaves and debris shed off instead of sitting on the screen.
Do you still have to clean gutters with gutter guards?
No. Our guards are built so you don't have to clean your gutters. If one ever gives you trouble, call us. We'll come out and fix it so it doesn't keep happening.
Do gutter guards keep out pine needles?
Ours do. Pine needles slip through screens and perforated covers. The stainless mesh we install keeps them out.
Do gutter guards work in heavy rain?
Yes. Ours handle a hard rain the way a gutter should. The water runs through the mesh, into the gutter and out the downspouts, and because the mesh sits on a slope, the rain washes the leaves off the guard and down to the ground.
Do gutter guards cause ice dams?
No. Ice dams start in the attic: heat escaping from the house melts snow on the roof, and the water refreezes at the colder roof edge (NDSU Extension (opens in a new tab)). Our guards do fine with ice dams. The protection that matters is at the roof edge, which is why The Helping Hands Roofing Standard puts two rows of ice and water shield on the eaves.
Can you hang Christmas lights with gutter guards?
Yes. The guards we install cause no issue with Christmas lights.
Will gutter guards void my roof warranty?
No. The front of the guard fastens to the front of the gutter, and nothing is fastened to your roof, so the guards won't void a roof warranty.
Can gutter guards go on existing gutters?
Often, yes, if the gutters are sound and sized for the roof. Our article on installing gutter guards on existing gutters covers what the gutters need first.
How much do gutter guards cost?
Our price per foot and a calculator for your own house are on the gutter guard installation page.
When a guard fails, this is what it looks like
The photographs on this page are from inspections. They're guards that were already on the house when we arrived, and they show what a guard that traps debris rather than shedding it actually does.
The trough behind it fills with dirt, rotted leaf matter and shingle granules. From the ground everything looks fine. That's the part worth understanding about a cheap guard: it doesn't announce that it has stopped working.
What we tell our own customers
If you ever have a problem with a guard we installed, you call us. You do not get a ladder out and you do not get on the roof.
We send someone out and fix it so it doesn't keep happening.
Nobody should be on a ladder at gutter height because of a product we sold them.
The gutters underneath matter as much as the guard
Guards work best on gutters that are in good condition and correctly sized for the roof.
They don't have to be new gutters. Our article on installing gutter guards on existing gutters covers what the gutters need first.
Five inch and six inch seamless are both common around here. Six inch systems move noticeably more water and are often the better choice on a larger roof, or on a steep pitch that sheds water fast.
A guard can't correct an undersized gutter, a slope that doesn't drain, or downspouts that can't handle the volume. If the underlying system has those problems, the guard won't solve them, and putting one on first is money in the wrong order.
Whether a guard is right for your home depends as much on what's under it as what goes over it. That's what we look at first.
Gutter guard jobs around Dayton
Our drone photos are taken by FAA Part 107 certified drone pilots.