Gutters keep water off of, and out of, your home. Just like any drain they can clog and stop working if you don’t clean them. You probably don’t want to constantly climb up a ladder and clean your gutters. This is why gutter guards exist. They won’t eliminate the need for maintenance, but they do decrease how often you have to climb that ladder. The type of weather we experience in Florida is also a consideration as to what type of gutter guard you will want to choose.
Types Of Gutter Guards
There are a number of types of gutter guards. You can use mesh, micro-mesh, screen, brush, foam, reverse-curve, or surface tension.
Mesh Gutter Guards
These are typically made of metal or plastic with small holes that filter water and block debris. They can be installed under the bottom row of your roof shingles, you would snap them directly on top of your gutters, or they can be attached to the fascia.
Mesh guards are a little more expensive and are more difficult to install than screen guards. Installing them under your shingles is difficult. You also must consider that lifting shingles, can damage your roof or void its warranty. Some mesh guards can be easy to damage. High winds, hail or flying debris can easily tear or damage them, so you need to keep our Florida weather conditions in mind and the type of potential damage our gutter guards will face.
Micro-Mesh Gutter Guards
Micro-mesh guards have small holes than mesh guards. The small holes keep out debris and allow water to flow even with small debris.
Most options of micro-mesh guards must be professionally installed. This costs more, but is more effective, lasts longer, and requires less maintenance. They won’t damage as easily as mesh.
Screen Gutter Guards
Screen guards have much larger holes than mesh or micro-mesh guards. They are installed by lifting the bottom row of roof shingles and sliding the edge of the screen underneath. These are relatively affordable and easier to install, but they can actually blow off in windy conditions. They also become fragile over time.
They will allow larger chunks of debris to get into the gutter system, and that means you will still need to clear the system periodically. Consider the types of trees you have nearby before you choose which type of gutter to use.
Brush
These gutter guards look like large pipe cleaners that sit in your gutter. They are often a temporary solution. When these guards are in place, large debris collects on top of the brush and the water will flow down and out through the gutter spout. This type is easy to install, but small debris, like pine needles, easily gets stuck in the bristles, This can mean that you may have to remove it from the gutter and clean the brush. A professionally installed micro-mesh option would do a better job blocking the debris and reducing the need for maintenance.
Reverse-Curve or Surface Tension
These guards are made from either metal or plastic. What is different about these gutter guards is that instead of allowing the water to flow through the gutter, it forces the water to flow over the gutter and downward on a curve before dropping into the gutter. This causes debris to slide off and onto the ground below.
These are harder to install because they have to be positioned at the same angle as the roof. This can sometimes be a challenge. They will be visible from the ground as well. These are good guards to have in tough weather conditions, but they can be a bit more costly. They can be a good choice here in Florida.
Foam
These gutter guards are easy to install and are relatively less expensive. These are installed by sticking a wedge of foam into the gutter to keep out large debris. What happens here is that debris can easily build up on the gutter guards rather than inside the gutters, and they must be removed to clean them up. This is often used as a temporary solution instead of your long-term solution.
The Advantages Of Using Gutter Guards
There can be some confusion around the benefits of gutter guards. Some may claim that you never have to maintain your gutters with a guard. Don’t believe anyone who tells you that. However, you can benefit from reduced maintenance costs with them.
You won’t have to clean your gutters as often because by blocking pests and debris the gutters stay clear longer, allowing water to flow through freely. Your gutters won’t clog and you won’t have to clean them twice a year.
Gutter guards are going to enhance the protection you are getting by having gutters in the first place, by channeling water away from your house to avoid water damage to your foundation, avoid rotting wood on the side roof, and the potential fire hazard that a collection of debris can become when it collects in one area.
You still have to do some maintenance, but the guards help reduce the frequency of clearing debris and help your gutters last longer.
Interested in adding gutter guards to your roof? Call us at 321-456-7955 now to schedule gutter guard installations for your home.