tara.patullo's blog

Are gutter guards worth getting?

tara.patullo — Wed, 09 Dec 2020 20:12:56 +0000

Are gutter guards worth getting?

Gutter guards can be an effective and convenient way to reduce gutter cleaning and protect your home from the effects of weather, fallen debris, and water damage. There are many advantages to getting gutter guards, from preventing clogs and ice dams to improved water flow away from your home.

Discover the reasons for getting gutter guards and what to consider before investing in them.

Pros of gutter guards

There are various types of gutter guards available that work in slightly different ways. They’re made to help improve and control water flow by filtering out:

Leaves
Pine needles
Twigs
Sediment
Pests
Debris.

Installing gutter guards can sometimes feel like you’re footing a large upfront cost compared to simply cleaning out your gutters regularly yourself. However, there are many reasons why they’re of long-term benefit to your home.

Reduced risk of property damage

One of the main benefits of having gutter guards is that they can help prevent potential property damage caused by common gutter issues, including clogged gutters and water damage.

Clogged gutters can cause water to overflow and intrude into your home, including the roof and foundations. This can cause major structural issues over time, which may end up being more costly to resolve than installing gutter guards in the first place.

Gutter guards also reduce water damage by facilitating the smooth flow of water from your roof, into the gutters, and down the downspouts. By preventing clogs, the water can be directed away from the house, as intended. This prevents standing or pooling water, which can lead to leaks or other types of water damage.

What’s more, gutter guards can also help protect the structural integrity of the gutter itself. They can help avoid sagging caused by the weight of clogged gutters and ice dams, which may eventually cause gutters to warp and pull away from your home.

Decreased maintenance

Gutter guards make gutter maintenance easier, or reduce cleaning time altogether. By minimizing the need for frequent gutter cleaning, gutter guards can save you:

Time
Effort
Money.

More importantly, gutter guards can make gutter maintenance safer, too.

Gutter cleaning can be an awkward and challenging task involving ladders and tools. When you remove the need to clean your gutters frequently, you’ll also reduce the risk of injuring yourself by falling from height.

Prevention of ice dams

Ice dams can be incredibly frustrating problems to solve for various reasons. Their weight can put pressure on your gutters and home, but the excess water can also lead to moisture issues as they begin to melt.

Ice dams are typically caused by clogged gutters freezing in cold temperatures. Gutter guards are a great way to prevent ice dams from occurring by reducing the likelihood of clogging in the first place.

Pest control

Unfortunately, pests such as mosquitoes and insects thrive in stagnant gutters and standing water. Water trapped by clogged gutters can act as a giant welcome sign for these unwanted guests.

By helping to keep your gutters clear, gutter guards can reduce the likelihood of insects and nesting pests such as rodents and spiders from appearing in your gutter system. That way, you can enjoy a cleaner, more comfortable home exterior and living environment.

Things to consider when getting gutter guards

Installing gutter guards can make a significant improvement to your gutters and their maintenance. However, it’s important to note that they’re rarely completely maintenance-free. Here are a few things to consider:

Partial debris protection

While gutter guards can reduce the accumulation of debris, smaller particles may still find their way into your gutter system. This means that you may still need to get them cleaned occasionally.

Sometimes, seeds from trees can fall and sprout on the moist surface of gutter guard slots. This can lead to unwanted vegetation growth, needing gutter maintenance to resolve it.

How well your gutter guards protect your gutter system can vary depending on the product. Some gutter guards are more effective at deflecting seeds and small pieces of debris than others.

Aesthetic considerations

Gutter guards are visible from the outside and they don’t all look the same. What kind of gutter guard product you choose may depend on the aesthetic appearance you want for your home.

There are various types available, including:

Mesh – allow water to flow through small holes while still catching a range of debris. Micro-mesh gutter guards use woven mesh screens.
Foam – affordable and flexible, these are usually a short-term solution as the triangular foam pieces can deteriorate quickly.
Brush – look like large pipe cleaners, which work by trapping any debris such as leaves.

If you have a certain exterior style in mind for your home, this may impact your decision on which gutter guard to choose. Plus, it’s worth noting that temporary products, such as foam gutter guards, can lose their shape and efficiency over time from frost and wear and tear.

At Leafguard, we offer a sleek one-piece design with a built-in gutter guard, customized to the exterior of your home.

They’re similar in style and shape to a standard gutter – only with a proprietary, debris-shedding structure that deflects leaves and debris. Our Leafguard gutter solution is an excellent option for keeping your home looking clean and uniform.

Handling heavy rain

Some gutter guards are more resilient than others. In extremely heavy rain, some gutter guards such as mesh guards may struggle to handle the volume of water, leading to water cascading over the gutters and into your garden.

At Leafguard, we tackle this by using a durable and bespoke curved hood that protects your gutters from downpours thanks to liquid adhesion. This means water adheres to the surface of the gutter guard hood before being pulled into the seamless gutter system, rather than flowing over the edge.

Challenging gutter maintenance

Most gutter guard products promise to reduce overall maintenance by keeping out the leaves and debris that can cause trouble in your gutters. While this is generally true and gutter guards can reduce how frequently you clean your gutters, they’re rarely totally maintenance-free.

When cleaning gutters with gutter guards in place, it can require additional steps such as removing and replacing the guards. This is often the case with temporary gutter guards such as foam and mesh. With gradual wear and tear, they may also require a few repairs during the cleaning process.

Removing and replacing gutter guards to reach your gutters can be a challenging task to do on your own. You may need to pay for a professional service to resolve it.

Leafguard is the all-in-one gutter guard system that repels leaves and debris and keeps water where it should be. Made from high-quality aluminum that’s 20% thicker than the industry standard, Leafguard is guaranteed to be clog-free.

Feel confident that your home is well looked after. Get a free estimate for Leafguard today

Gutters 101: How Rain Gutters Protect Your Home

tara.patullo — Fri, 06 Nov 2020 13:22:17 +0000

Gutters 101: How Rain Gutters Protect Your Home

Due to regional tastes and architectural styles, not all homes have roof gutters. However, for most homes and commercial buildings, the need to channel rainwater from the roof to the ground requires the use of rain gutters.

Evaluating Rain Gutters

As the name suggests, rain gutters are troughs placed at the bottom edge of your roof to collect and channel rain run-off. In this way, your foundation is protected from becoming flooded by the water that would otherwise pool on the ground beneath the roof, potentially causing structural damage such as cracks and basement flooding.

There are many types and styles of rain gutters available to homeowners.Rain gutters come in several types, sizes and shapes called profiles. These include U or half-round shapes as well as K configurations, in which the gutter front when viewed from the side, looks like the letter K.

Most residential rain gutters come in two sizes, 5 or 6 inches, and are made of either aluminum, galvanized steel or copper in a standard "K" style. The typical 5-inch K-style gutter comes with 2-inch x 3-inch downspouts. A larger, 6-inch residential rain gutter system would consist of a 6-inch K-style gutter, using a 3-inch x 4-inch downspout. One foot of 5-inch K-Style gutter holds 1.2 gallons of water. One foot of 6-inch K-Style gutter holds 2.0 gallons of water.

The most popular residential rain gutter type is seamless aluminum. The metal comes on a long roll and it's formed into the shape and length required.Originally only available in silver, early aluminum rain gutters soon were painted white, and eventually painted in a variety of colors to match house siding, roof and trim, making rain gutters not only functional but a design feature as well.

Rain Gutters Protection

Every home needs gutter protection from excess rainwater because overflowing gutters and leaking water from your gutters, can damage your home. A solid, undamaged roof is the first line of protection for a house, along with well-fitting windows and doors; vinyl, aluminum or painted wood siding; and fascia and soffit trim.

But for all these elements to work well, a house needs rain gutter protection. Rain gutter protection is an important factor in properly maintaining the integrity of your home. Rain gutters collect rainwater as it falls to the roof and channels it safely through downspouts to the ground.

But if you have ordinary open gutters, they can collect leaves, twigs and other debris, which can:

Create leaks around windows and doors
Cause rot to develop around your eaves, soffit, and fascia
Damage your flower gardens and shrubbery
Seep into the ground around your foundation, which eventually causes cracks and basement flooding
Attract pests, critters, insects, and mold.
Put you in danger while climbing ladders to clean out your gutters.

The Best Rain Gutters

The solution to this problem is the protection of a covered rain gutter which sheds leaves and debris to the ground while capturing rainwater and moving it safely away from your home.

The best rain gutter protection on the market today is a LeafGuard^® rain gutter system. Its proprietary design includes a built-in hood that deflects debris from clogging gutters, eliminating water damage to your roof, siding and foundation. LeafGuard is also stronger and more durable than any other gutter system available, handling 32 inches of rain per hour, over three times the record rainfall ever recorded by the US Weather Bureau.

Learn why LeafGuard gutters are America’s most trusted rain gutter protection.

Gutters 101: Benefits of Seamless Gutters

tara.patullo — Fri, 06 Nov 2020 13:16:38 +0000

Gutters 101: Benefits of Seamless Gutters

An Intro to Seamless Gutters

What are seamless gutters? Think of a piece of your home that keeps everything running smoothly but goes unnoticed. Think of a continuous system with no weak points. Think of the difference between excellent home maintenance and sub-par home maintenance.

Seamless gutters are the modern solution to the age-old problem of water diversion. One-piece equals zero leaks. Where before gutters consisted of several parts fit together by joints and hinges to form a system, now just one custom piece gets the job done.

The benefits of seamless gutter are both functional and aesthetic. When combined with quality installation and “set it and forget it” that LeafGuard® offers, seamless gutters are an option worth considering for any home.

Before Seamless Gutters Arrived

Traditionally, gutters came in pieces, and those pieces had to be assembled in order to form a gutter system. These pieces were mass-produced by the manufacturers and usually were between 6 and 10 feet in length.

In this system, the pieces are held together by joints or hinges. The problem is that the connection points are weak and vulnerable within the gutter system and two pieces can come apart more easily than one piece can break.

That vulnerability leads to several problems over time. One of the most noticeable issues that homeowners discover is a leaky gutter. The wear and tear from torrential rains, tough winters and pesky animals takes its toll on an already vulnerable gutter. Remember, these gutters don’t get shelter from the storm – they are the shelter.

Even if a traditional gutter avoids leaks, a clog can be just as problematic. If the clog isn’t caused by debris, it might be a result of frozen water within. The ice expands and puts pressure on the gutter, and that pressure could cause it to split apart at the points where its pieces connect.

What are Seamless Gutters

The term “seamless” has grown exponentially more popular in the Internet age. It literally means “without seams” or “smooth and continuous, with no apparent gaps or spaces between one part and the next”.

For gutters, “seamless” refers to gutter systems that are comprised entirely of one piece and therefore containing no joints or points of connection between pieces. No pieces, no joints, no screws, and no points of weakness.

How Seamless Gutters Work

LeafGuard’s seamless gutters corral water using liquid adhesion. Liquid adhesion is a simple but powerful principle: water adheres to a surface and is pulled downward by the force of gravity. That “pull” corrals the water gently into the gutter system, rather than allowing it to escape over the edge. Learn more about how the LeafGuard seamless gutter system works.

The Benefits of Seamless Gutters

The most basic benefit of the seamless gutter is that there are no joints, hinges, or other miscellaneous parts. How does this make your life easier?

Custom-made gutters are crafted to the exact dimensions of your home, accounting for the nuances of its construction.
Lower likelihood of leaks, cracks, and sagging gutters since there are no hinges or joints
No extra materials to pay for or have lying around
Sleek and attractive design of the one-piece gutter improves the aesthetics of your home.
No clogs! The seamless design keeps out debris like pine needles and leaves.

The LeafGuard Approach

The principle of the seamless gutter has been at the heart of LeafGuard’s offering for years. LeafGuard gutters are made right at your home to the exact dimensions needed. Because of its proprietary, one-piece design, the gutter system is shaped into a single length of gutter with a protective hood to deflect debris from falling into your gutter.

This style of gutter supports the LeafGuard philosophy that you should never have to perform gutter maintenance or address clogs. Seamless gutters come with a guarantee of effectiveness because the most expensive gutter system isn’t the one with the highest price tag…it’s the one you must replace or repair every few years. This is one of the many reasons why LeafGuard is recognized as America’s most trusted seamless gutter system.

The Guarantees of Seamless Gutters

LeafGuard’s seamless gutters come with a debris-shedding hood that ensures your new gutters will never clog. The gutter system’s effectiveness is supported by a lifetime warranty on the gutters’ paint finish. And should the gutters somehow clog, the LeafGuard gutter installer will make a return trip to the home in order to rectify the situation. It’s a seamless policy to complement a seamless system.

Seamless Gutters Are an Unsung Hero

Seamless gutters often go under appreciated. You realize their impact less because you’re not concerned about them. Ever hear that the squeaky wheel gets the grease? In this case, the leaky gutter gets the attention and effort. The seamless gutter often goes unrecognized.

The seamless gutter is analogous to your home’s hot water heater. It’s always working at maximum efficiency but you don’t wake up and think “I need to use my hot water heater today."

It’s only when it stops working that you notice because the effects are serious. Ever had to take a cold shower? You never want your hot water heater to stop working and you never want your gutter system to be top of mind with issues and concerns. With seamless gutters, the homeowner can set it, forget it and worry about other issues around the home.

Additionally, more and more homeowners are adding valuable components like seamless gutters in order to improve the quality and value of their homes: The return on the investment of seamless gutters comes in several ways, including:

Adding value to your home via a complete and effective gutter system
Preserving foundation, trim, and siding from water damage and rot
Improved aesthetics of the gutter system with no hinges or parts
Sustained aesthetics of overall home with water being safely diverted away.

View the latest promotions and offers on LeafGuard’s seamless gutters.

What are Gutters

tara.patullo — Fri, 06 Nov 2020 12:33:05 +0000

What are Gutters

Roof gutters are a pivotal part of your building's structure and are responsible for effective water management. Gutters take rainwater away from the building to prevent it from causing damage. Roof gutters are fixed along the edge of your roof and help to protect the roof, walls, windows, and foundations from excess moisture and potential water-related problems.

Gutters are typically installed at a slight downward slope to allow water to flow freely towards downspouts or drains - the downspout being the vertical pipe attached to the gutters. The downspout then carries the water to the ground level or into an underground drainage system.

Regular maintenance is critical to ensuring a blockage-free and functioning gutter system.

What is a gutter made of?

Today, the most commonly used material for a house gutter system is aluminum. Rain gutter systems available include:

Aluminum - Aluminum is one of the most popular materials for a roof gutter, thanks to it being strong yet lightweight. Aluminum gutters come in various colors, meaning they can blend nicely with the exterior of the building.
Wood – This style of house gutter can look the part. However, cedar is the best option when choosing which type, thanks to its ability to withstand moisture for longer. Decay is always possible with wood gutters, so it's worth considering if they're the best option.
Copper – This material is heavy but doesn't rust and is long-lasting. It can be more expensive to invest in.
Steel - is a solid and durable option that can rust over time. So, while they may serve you well in severe winters, these house gutters may need to be replaced more often than other materials.
Vinyl – Although it comes with a lower price tag than its metal counterparts, vinyl can be weaker.

What is the difference between a seamless and sectional roof gutter?

With a roof gutter, you can choose seamless or sectional systems. Seamless is a type of gutter system where it is all made of one continuous piece of gutter. This means there are no joints, which can prevent water from finding its way into small gaps and reduce the risk of leaks.

As the name suggests, sectional gutters come in sections, which are joined together at seams. While these gutters can often be free of any problems for years, one of their drawbacks is that any joint provides a risk of leaks and water finding a way through.

Any gutter, leaves, twigs, and debris can be trapped in the system. This can impact water flow and lead to sagging, leaks, and possibly damage your building's structure. Homeowners tend to purchase filters and covers to protect open roof gutters.

These extras, however, aren't required with a Leafguard system.

Why are gutters important?

Roof gutters are essential. Without them, damage can occur to a property, such as erosion, water damage, mold growth, and more.

A high-quality gutter system can help prevent costly repairs to the house and the gutter itself. A low-quality house gutter could be just as ineffective as not having one at all. They can be susceptible to leaks and cracks, ultimately damaging the building and roof.

With a Leafguard gutter system, its effective one-piece design offers a clog-free guarantee and ultimate durability – perfect for ensuring water is drawn away from your building and blockages are minimized or eliminated.

How to maintain my gutter system

As with anything, proper maintenance will promote longevity. Maintaining the standard of your roof gutter will ensure it lasts longer and keep it working to the best of its ability – reducing damage to the building it's attached to.

To maintain your gutters, you'll need:

A ladder – to reach those high gutters
Outdoor gloves – to protect your hands from anything that needs scooping out of the gutter
Wet/dry vacuum – can make it easy to remove leaves and debris
Cleaners and water – to clean and polish the gutter.

Before you start cleaning, you'll also want to take some time to assess any risks and ensure you're confident that you can safely clean your gutters without causing injury to yourself or others.

Start at one end and work your way around. Use handheld tools that allow you to get into small spaces and have a bucket to hand to store any twigs and debris you collect. Only clean the areas you can easily reach from where your ladder is, and be sure to never over-stretch to reduce the chance of you falling.

Keeping your gutters clear and clean will allow for maximum water flow, and if you can't clean them yourself, get a professional to come and clean them. You should aim to clean your gutter at least twice a year. But this will vary depending on the weather conditions and how much foliage you have around the building.

How Leafguard's gutter system works

Leafguard's gutter solution is formed from a single piece of aluminum with a built-in hood designed to keep leaves and debris out while allowing water to flow freely. Its hood is an integral part of the gutter itself and is not an add-on.

Leafguard gutters have an unobtrusive, sleek design that complements the style of any house. They come in various colors and feature an exclusive ScratchGuard^® paint finish that won't chip, peel or crack. Leafguard's unique gutter system is reliable and comes with a lifetime, clog-free guarantee – or we will clean and fix it for free.

Learn more about how the Leafguard gutter system works and how Leafguard compares to other gutter systems.

Get a Free Estimate Today.

Gutters 101: How to Choose a Gutter Material

tara.patullo — Fri, 06 Nov 2020 12:22:43 +0000

Gutters 101: How to Choose a Gutter Material

Gutters were created to carry rainwater from your roof into downspouts and safely to the ground to prevent water-related damage to your home. We are often asked the question; which gutter material is best to use for a home? At various times and for various purposes, gutters have been made from a number of different materials. In this article, we provide a breakdown of the most common gutter materials and gutter types.

Aluminum Gutters

The most popular residential gutter type is made of seamless aluminum, known as formed K-style gutters. Aluminum gutters are strong and lightweight. Seamless aluminum gutters come in many colors and are formed into the shape and length you need at your home. For example, LeafGuard gutters are made from aluminum 20% thicker than industry standard to ensure protection against the harshest of weather conditions.

Wood Gutters

Wood gutters are rare, except for restoration work. They're also expensive, starting at about $15 per linear foot installed and, depending on the wood species used, they can be very expensive - running as high as $25 per linear foot. The original wood gutters were made from old-growth cedar, a product that is rarely available today. Its substitution - new growth cedar or hemlock gutters have proven inadequate.

Copper Gutters

Copper is usually reserved for classic restorations. It's handsome, never rusts, and never needs painting. They are expensive, but add value to your home and require less maintenance than aluminum or other materials. However, Copper gutters will oxidize and turn green over time unless they are treated. There are several sealants available that can be applied to keep copper gutters looking golden and shiny.

Steel Gutters

Steel gutters can stand up to ladders and fallen branches better than aluminum. But even thick galvanized steel eventually rusts and needs to be painted. Stainless-steel gutters are strong and rust-free and maintain their high sheen for years. But, like copper, stainless steel is expensive.

Vinyl Gutters

Vinyl is a commonly used material, often sold in hardware stores in six and 12-foot sections to do-it-yourselfers. Heavy amounts of rain can cause the material to bend and bow. Even a ladder put up against them can create serious damage. In regions with hot sunny temperatures, vinyl gutters will crack under the harsh conditions and break apart. They do not rust or corrode and do retain their color or can be painted if desired.

Half Round and Quarter RoundGutters

Half-round and quarter round style gutters with round downspouts are only found on 19th Century era houses. They enable water to flow very effectively but they must be sized one inch larger than K styles to handle the same capacity. Consequently, 6-inch half-round gutters are equivalent to 5-inch K-style.

Fascia Gutters

A fascia gutter is a rainwater system that is fixed to a fascia board. It is often a custom made rainwater gutter that is fixed to the ends of the rafters and performs the function of a fascia board. It is commonly found in the Western part of the United States.

Integral Gutters

Integral gutters were a popular gutter style in the 1960's. The end of the rafters and fascia on a sloped roof forms this system. The gutter is lined with built-up roofing material and is able to hold a great deal more water than most of the other types of gutters. The disadvantage of this gutter style is the potential for leaks, which can result in damage to the framing, fascia, soffit and sheathing of the roof. The lining must be replaced or repaired every five to ten years.

Learn how LeafGuard gutters compares to other gutter materials and types.