Blog Layout

Gutter Guards

Nov 24, 2019

Do gutter guards work?

This is another hot topic when it comes to cleaning and maintaining home gutters.

Here we will go through the most popular gutter guards used in the UK and what we think to them with both their pro and cons.

Most Popular Gutter Guards

1. Gutter Hedgehog

The gutter hedgehog became very popular after being promoted on a very popular shopping TV shopping channel. The idea behind the gutter hedgehog is that they are a quick and easy to install while preventing your guttering from being able to get block with debris whiles still allowing the water to flow.

What we have found is that they do not tend to be all that great. 
The gutter hedgehog tends to catch moss, leaves and general debris which then decomposes and blocked the guards which prevent the water from flowing. Also, any seedling which gets into the guttering instead of being able to flow away with the rainwater ends up being caught in the hedgehog and start to grow as seen in the photo above.

When we clear guttering with these in place we always advise the homeowners to take them out and leave them out, they are more hassle than they are worth.

2. Leaf Guards 
Leaf guards are again designed to stop the debris being able to fall into the gutter but allowing the water to flow. 
This type of gutter guard unlike the hedgehog type that is easy to fit can be quite tricky to install and are generally held in place by little plastic clips. Trying to get them all connected and aligned correctly can be a fiddle/time-consuming job. 

Whilst they do stop larger leaves from blocking the gutter what we find is the guttering still fills up with silt, also if to much-wet debris ends up sitting on the guard we have seen many collapse into the gutter which then causes a blockage.

Even with gutter guards fitted the guttering will still need to be cleared annually and the gutter guards make maintaining your guttering a much harder process.


3. Outlet Guards 
The gutter outlet guard is more designed to stop the outlet and downpipe from blocking as this can cause majors issues.

These guards are very easy to install as they simply slot int the outlet hole and one of the more cost-effective options.

The issue we have found with this is as soon as the guard becomes blocked which can happen within a matter of weeks the water cannot flow down the downpipe as freely as it should. So as a result when you get a heavy rainfall the water starts to overflow from the top of the guttering

Summary

Over the many years and hundreds of gutter, we have cleaned we find gutter guards to be a complete waste of money and time. 

We are yet to come across a gutter guard or system that we would recommend to our customers and 9/10 if the customers gutter have any type of guard fitted we always recommend to remove these as they cause more hassle and blockages than normal unguarded guttering.

The best way to maintain your gutters is to have gutter cleaning carried out a minimum of once per year and this is normally more than efficient to keep your homes guttering in full working order.



cannock shop gutters

Gutter Cleaning in Cannock Town Centre

13 Dec, 2019
Here is a recent gutter clean we carried out on a shop fronts guttering in Cannock town centre which was overflowing directly into the shop.

Fix a Leaking Gutter

14 Nov, 2019
Here we will give you the top 3 reasons we find gutters leak and the best ways to stop those leaking gutters.

How Often Should Gutters Be Cleaned?

14 Nov, 2019
A question we get asked daily - How Often Should Gutter Be Cleaned? Here's our answer to help you decide the best maintenance schedule for your home's gutters.
Share by: