Why You Should Not Use Gutter Guards
Gutter guards can seem appealing to homeowners who like to manage their own gutter cleanings. They come with such promise to keep your gutter virtually maintenance free—of course, at a pretty steep financial cost! Once your gutter guards are installed, they look great and they seem to work great until you have a snowstorm that causes ice dams to build. Then, during the warmer seasons you have twigs and seeds that find their way in-between the gutters and the gutter guards. What once seemed like the answer to every "do-it-yourselfer's" dreams of cleaning and maintaining gutters now seems more like a nightmare to keep up with.
Ice dams are caused by the warmth from the inside of your home heating the roof, which in-turn causes the snow to melt and run to your gutters. The temperature of the gutter guards instantly freezes and the ice builds up creating the ice dams or icicles. Icicles create a beautiful scene but create huge problems when left to accumulate. If the ice dams become heavy enough, it could cause the gutter to fall. Further, as the ice dams-up the melting snow, it begins to go under the shingles of the roof, and into your home. By the time you notice water leaking from your ceiling, the severity of the water damage has already taken place. This could be damaging to the roof, landscaping, and gutter. Once your gutter is damaged, your home would be without an irrigating system, which, in-turn, could cause water back-up into your home. This leads to flooding.
Flooding leads to warped floors and ceilings, peeling paint, and soggy installation. All of these are magnets to mold and mildew problems. Assuming that your gutters are now "maintenance free" thanks to the implementation of gutter guards will prove a detriment to your home one an ice dam or clogged gutter builds up.
Winter months are not the only time of the year that you would have to be concerned that the gutter guards are causing more harm than good. During the spring, summer, and especially autumn seasons, gutter guards can help keep the leaves out of your gutters, but they also make it much more difficult to get small debris cleaned out. Small debris welcomes unwanted animals and bugs to make a nest in your home. Birds, rats, mosquitos—the list goes on. These nasty little pests can be extremely irritating and potentially damaging to your house.
The cost of purchasing and installing gutter guards is very high. It would be a large penny to get a good quality gutter guard installed. Even with the up-front investment, there is still quite a bit of maintenance and cleaning that comes along with it.
The cost of the gutter guards could cover hiring a professional to do your gutter cleaning for nearly five-to-ten years! Hiring a professional to help manage your gutters is the best option to keep them free of clogs, ice dams and debris; as well as making sure that they are secure and properly functioning.
When thinking about gutter cleaning, it's best to leave it up to the professionals and stick with the good ole fashioned methods. If the cost alone of installment isn't enough to deter you, just think of the underlying problems that can be a result of the gutter guards: ice dams, small debris and the creature invasion!
When something seems too good to be true, it usually is.