Leaf guards are installed inside or over your gutters to keep debris — mainly large leaves (hence its name) — from clogging up your gutter pipes. Because gutter cleaning is often deemed an undesirable chore, you’ve probably wondered just how well a leaf guard would do when it comes to reducing your workload and making your gutters significantly more functional.
Sadly, the majority of leaf guards are ineffective at either catching large amounts of water or blocking debris; the best they can do for your gutters is lengthen the time, somewhat, between cleanings.
However, if you’re still not convinced of their ineffectiveness, here are some of the basic types of leaf guard styles to help you decide which is right for your gutter system.
Reverse Curve/Surface Tension
These types of leaf guards are fully closed on top but boast a curved tip, which causes water to drop down into your gutter while debris and leaves fall to the ground below.
While these styles of leaf guards can be effective for getting rid of leaves, they are highly ineffective during severe rain.
Mesh Screen Cover
You can install a mesh screen cover over the top of your gutters, which will prevent larger items to pass through while still letting rain in.
Certain types of mesh screen covers are better than others, however, this depends mostly on what you have around your home.
Bottle Brush/Bristle
With this method, small bristles are installed throughout your gutters in order to keep large debris out while allowing an easy flow of water. Unfortunately, these types of leaf guards tend to get clogged fairly easily, making them extremely ineffective in the long run.
Non-Gutter cover
Technically, non-gutter covers aren’t actually leaf guards, but rather complete gutter replacements. These do, however, do a good job of properly pushing water off of your roof without collecting much debris.
Foam Type
Foam leaf guards have the ability to fit on the inside of your gutters; which allows them to block any large debris from getting inside. While they are supposed to be able to allow water to pass through, around the foam itself, they are oftentimes deemed ineffective during large downpours.
Our Conclusion
While there does exist a few types of leaf guards that may help keep your gutters clean (to some degree), they’re generally are so cost-prohibitive, which is why we, at Glass-Geeks do not recommend them to our customers. Keep in mind, we have never run across a gutter/leaf guard that we did not have to clean under, including gutter helmets.
By having your gutters cleaned by the experts at Glass Geeks, you will not only be satisfied with the spotless results but also, the reasonable price that comes with it. Get a free quote for gutter cleaning today!
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