Clogged Gutters Cost Time & Money
Clogged gutters tend to be the root of many chronic issues for a home. Why?
Gutters are like the immune system of a home – but instead of bacteria and viruses, gutters protect the home from water damage.
Rainwater is one of the biggest threats to the health of a home – and its inhabitants. Water damage causes rot and mold on the soffit and fascia, undermines the integrity of the foundation, invades basements and, if pervasive enough, incites mold growth inside the home.
When gutters are clogged the entire home is vulnerable and defenseless to rainwater.
Gutters shield the home from rainwater damage by trapping 1,200 gallons of water in a typical one inch rainstorm. Downspouts and underground drains serve to distribute this volume of water away from the home’s foundation.
That’s why preventing clogged gutters is one of the most valuable forms of home maintenance.
How Do You Keep Gutters From Clogging?
There are two different approaches: Reactive and Preventative
Reactive Approach to Gutter Maintenance:
This involves cleaning your gutters at least 2 times a year, as well as doing occasional spot checks to make sure they’ve stayed clean enough to continue to function. To accomplish this approach well, the homeowner must be alert to debris that is falling, watching whether the gutters are draining properly, and if they are not, getting out a ladder – sometimes in rainstorms – and digging out the sludge that is blocking their gutters from functioning.
Preventative Approach:
Install a proven solid leaf guard.
Just as preventative health measures are easier and more effective, preventative action to stop clogged gutters is also the easiest and most effective method.
When leaf guards are designed and installed correctly, they prevent gutter clogs, with little to no maintenance.
Are Leaf Guards Essential to Preventing Clogged Gutters?
As mentioned before, installing a leaf guard is ideal. Trustworthy products guarantee that your gutters won’t clog. You’ll never again have to climb a ladder and dig out handfuls of leaves, just to find your gutters are clogged again the following weekend. Can you keep your gutters clean manually? Probably, but to be as effective as a leaf guard, you would need to be on your roof regularly, possibly weekly.
Hopefully, one day, leaf guards will come standard on new houses. They’re that essential to protecting a home. But for now, leaf guards are one of those things that homeowners still need to purchase for themselves – like refrigerators, stoves and washing machines.
Like appliances, some brands of leaf guards are more reliable than others. How can you decide which will gutter guard is worth it?
How To Find The Most Reliable Leaf Guard
This is similar to choosing an appliance. There are 3 basic things we all look for in making a big purchase for our home: function, reliability, and appearance. Read our article on “Do gutter guards work” – to see how different types of guards work.
Let’s look at leaf guards from this perspective:
1. Function:
When shopping, ask yourself, will this leaf guard keep my gutters from clogging?
Any leaf filter, micro-mesh or sponge that has any type of holes – no matter how small – will let enough debris through to either clog the gutter or clog the leaf filter itself. You need to select a leaf guard that is completely solid. For more information about this, peruse our articles The Must Read Guide for Identifying the Best Gutter Cover System or Leaf Filters vs Advantage Gutter Guard®.
2. Reliability:
Will this leaf guard work in the long run? If there’s a problem, will the company back its product?
You wouldn’t buy a large appliance that only guaranteed itself for a year or whose warranty was from a company that was notorious for not taking care of issues. The same should be true of leaf guards. They shouldn’t need to be replaced regularly and if there is an issue, the company should address it.
To know whether a product, and its company, are reliable read reviews. Go to at least 2-3 different review sites for that product in your area. Why in your area?
For two reasons:
- To make sure that it works for the debris your gutters are facing.
- To make sure the local company really backs their warranty.
3. Appearance:
Gutters are a big part of your curb appeal. It’s important that they look good. In fact, a well done gutter installation can greatly elevate the look of a home. Before selecting a leaf guard, look at photos of homes with the product. Does the leaf guard look like a bunch of metal on the roof? Or look cheap or plastic? Does the color stand out? Then, don’t buy it.
Products like Advantage Gutter Guard® have a minimal, sleek elegance that trims out the roof line and gutter.
Stop Worrying About Clogged Gutters
To fully take clogged gutters off the worry list – you need reliable gutter protection. A solid, proven leaf guard like Advantage Gutter Guard ® will turn your gutters into superheroes. Your gutters will go from extremely high maintenance to virtually no maintenance.
Proven leaf guards, like Advantage Gutter Guard ®, will deflect tree leaves, pine cones, pine needles, and other tree debris, as well as block birds and squirrel nests, and wash away the dirt. They will never become clogged and they will be backed by a company that has a proven track record of taking care of customers. They will even improve the appearance of your home.
Don’t believe us, check out some of our reviews:
Customer Experiences
“OK in the last 10 days it has rained like Noah was coming back! I had gutter covers installed several months ago and I could not be more pleased…Installation went as expected the color matches my roof and in spite of all the rain we have had in the last two weeks they have performed perfectly. No more, “Dang it is going to rain, let me get the ladder and see what is going to clog up and put water in my basement.”
These folks are reliable and trustworthy and if your are tired of gutter issues you should give them a call.” – Thomas Mahoney
“Gutter cover of KC® has a great product. I compared all of them. Trust me, I have a 50 ft cotton wood that grows next door to my house and these covers save me about 4 to 5 gutter cleanings a season. I was skeptical that this system would work where others had failed. But since install I’ve not had to mess with my front gutters. I was getting some spill over during heavy rain but all I did was mention it to Larry and someone came to the house within no time, assessed the situation and made the fix no charge! Very pleased with gutter cover of kc. You can trust these folks!” – Gene Lucas
Are Clogged Gutters Costing You Time?
“Money can in fact buy time. And it buys time pretty effectively,” said Professor Dunn, who worked with colleagues at Harvard Business School, Maastricht University and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Dunn continues, “And so my take-home message is, ‘think about it, is there something you hate doing that fills you with dread and could you pay somebody else to do that for you?’ If so, then science says that’s a pretty good use of money.” Who doesn’t dread cleaning clogged gutters?
What do you feel is more valuable, time or money? Stress from clogged gutters can manifest itself in many ways such as leaking gutters, gutter chores, foundation issues, wet basements, damaged gutters, and of course the stress caused by climbing ladders. So the big question is, would you rather spend your time worrying about cleaning your gutters or pay someone to clean them for you? Even better yet, pay someone to eliminate the chore of cleaning your gutters all together.
A blog posted by the BBC caught our attention. It’s a question that probably comes up often, quality of life vs saving money. Which outweighs the other?
Of course, the cost comes into the factor most – if not all the time. But can you really put a price on your own time? These are questions everyone has to ask themselves, and the outcomes will certainly be different for everyone. However, it is an important question to consider.
We want to save you time and your sanity in dealing with gutter issues. Rather than you cleaning the gutters or paying someone to clean your gutters, we eliminate all of that. We guarantee clog-free gutters for a lifetime. So how much time will that save you? Maybe a little, maybe a lot. But, it will save you time, the time you can spend doing something you enjoy.
Prof Dunn states; “Past research has found that people who prioritize time over money tend to be happier than people who prioritize money over time.”
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