What should you look for in a gutter guard system?

Unlike some manufacturers of gutter guards would have you believe, gutter guard technology is far from rocket science. Consider what it is you are trying to accomplish……keeping leaves from clogging the rain gutter so that the water collected in the gutter can flow freely to the downspouts. If the gutter gets clogged, thereby forming a dam of sorts, water will overflow. It will overflow the front of the gutter resulting in pooling around the base of the house which can cause costly damage to the crawlspace area or basement. The water build up in the gutter will also seep over the back of the gutter where it attaches to the fascia board and cause rotting of that wood. So what’s the best and most economical way to prevent all of this? What should you look for in choosing a guard?

Well first off be sure that the guard is made of a sturdy material. Inexpensive plastic guards that are readily available at home improvement stores may hold up for a year, but after wet leaves, or snow put a heavy weight on them they will simply collapse into the gutter and give leaves a place to stick inside the gutter, actually causing more harm than good.

Secondly choose a guard with a screen that is small enough to keep large debris out of the gutter.

Then be sure that the guard is constructed in such a way as to allow air to flow under the accumulated leaves in order to allow the wind to blow the leaves off, and also to help dry them out when they are wet.

Avoid guards that go under your roof shingles and attach to the roof itself. This could cause problems in regard to your roof warranty.

Be sure that the guards will not allow a waterfall effect during periods of heavy rain. Some guards will allow runoff from the roof to overshoot the gutter completely, in which case you may as well not even have gutters.

And finally be sure that there is no large gap to allow leaves to blow into the gutter because once those leaves get in there, it is nearly impossible to clean them out properly. Also, birds and bees find these openings lead them to a nice sheltered environment to build nests and hives. And very often this type of guard is the most expensive.

So with all that being said take a look at the website www.everythinggutter.com and see what Shur Flo has to offer. Guaranteed not to clog, economical and sturdy, once installed you can forget you even have gutters. And a lifetime of gutter related issues is a thing of the past.