Won’t gutter guards save me from having to clean my gutters twice a year? Well, the short answer is, NO! The truth is that gutter guards cause more harm than good! Once gutter guards are installed, many homeowners think “out of sight out of mind”, right? However, the unseen debris still flow into the gutters and clogs them up without you knowing. This is contradicting for sure as you install the gutter guards so you don’t have to worry about cleaning the gutters, but truth be told they still need to be cleaned twice a year. Homeowners end up taking the task of cleaning their gutters off of their to-do list however the damage still occurs and this is so frustrating! Don’t be fooled by the misconception that gutter guards equal no gutter cleaning. It’s simply not true!
The added expense of putting the gutter guards on your house will cost you more money in the long run. The cost of gutters guards can range from $500 - $2,000. However, the cost of gutter cleaning is typically $100 - $250. In addition, if gutter guards are installed, the cost of cleaning them will go up $200 - $600 per gutter cleaning, depending on how difficult the guards are to remove and replace. The reason for this additional cost is the additional time it takes to remove the guards, clean the gutters, and then put the guards back on. In the long run, the very thing you are trying to save money on, which is gutter cleaning, will cost you up to five times as much after you put guards on the gutters.
More importantly, you may also cause greater damage to your home’s gutters by putting guards on the gutters. By adding a physical barrier to your gutter, you can cause the water to bypass the gutter in a heavy rain fall. The water is repelled by the barrier instead of going into the gutter. Essentially, the guards take away the very purpose of the gutters in the first place! Installing the guards causes a great deal of strain to the gutters. The gutter guards themselves add weight and then wet leaves pile up on the gutter guard adding even more weight. In addition, when the temperatures drop below freezing the leaves freeze to the guard’s surface. Also, the snow and ice can be the straw that breaks the camel’s back…or gutters back! The gutters will bend and not function properly causing water damage to your home or damage to the gutters themselves. Can you say, “Money Drain”? (No pun intended!)
The final verdict… stay away from gutter guards and focus on keeping your gutters clear and free of leaves and other debris through regular and thorough gutter cleaning.
To learn more about professional gutter cleaning services offered by Scrubco please CONTACT US or call us at 630-372-5940.