Why You Need Leaf Guards for Your Gutters

Gutter guards are mesh screens, PVC covers, or even foam inserts that are designed to keep leaves and other debris from entering your gutters. Many people install them to make their gutters easier to clean. But that’s not the only benefit of installing a leaf guard for your gutters.

Reason #1

Reduced Cleaning and Clogging

Cleaning gutters is a chore nobody looks forward to. It’s the kind of project that’s easy to put off until there are issues. Gutter guards won’t make your gutters maintenance free, but they do keep the bulk of the leaves out. You go up the ladder less often, and the job is faster when you do.

The bigger payoff is what doesn’t happen. A clogged gutter stops moving water. Instead of running to the downspout and away from the house, rain backs up and spills over the sides, soaking the fascia and soffit behind it and dumping straight onto the ground at your foundation. In older homes around Knoxville sitting on crawlspaces, that’s how a gutter problem turns into a framing problem. Keeping leaves out of the gutters is the simplest way to keep those problems from starting.

Reason #2

Reduced Risk of Pests

When you think of gutters, you may not think of pest control, but that’s exactly what a leaf guard can help to do. By preventing clogs from forming in your gutter system, a leaf guard can also reduce the risk of bugs and other pests. Clogs in your gutters are an ideal breeding ground for insects such as mosquitoes because of the standing water that can build up in the gutters. Guards also block larger pests like squirrels or birds from getting into the gutters and building nests or worse.

Reason #3

Reduced Mold and Mildew

Mold and mildew can form anywhere there’s a lot of moisture. If your gutters are filled with leaves and get clogged, water won’t drain out of the gutters, creating an ideal environment for mold and mildew to grow. If it rains enough, water can spill over the edge of the gutters and drip down the walls of your home, resulting in mold and mildew growing on your home as well. By helping to prevent clogs from forming in the first place, a leaf guard can also reduce the risk of mold and mildew forming.

Reason #4

Reduced Strain on Your Gutters

Wet leaves are heavy. A gutter run packed with soaked debris carries far more weight than it was built to hold, and all of it pulls on the hangers and the fascia board they’re fastened to. Over time you will get sagging sections, runs that pitch the wrong way, and spikes backing out of the wood. Add a hard freeze and the trapped water turns to ice, which adds more weight and puts pressure on the seams from the inside. Guards keep the channel mostly empty, so your gutters are redirecting water instead of holding years worth of weight.

Reason #5

Reduced Fire Risk

A gutter guard also helps to protect your home from fires. Leaves that build up in the gutters and in the downspout can dry out and act as tinder for fires to take hold. Preventing leaves from getting into the harder-to-reach spots in your gutters in the first place helps remove a fire hazard, especially if you live in areas like the Smokies that have occasional wildfires.