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WORST GUTTER GUARDS
-Products To Avoid In 2024-
There are many styles of gutter guards which are all designed to keep leaves and other debris out of the gutter systems, while still allowing the rain water to flow through the gutters. Some of these styles work better than others, while some cause more harm then good. In this article we go over the worst gutter guards on the market currently, and explain why we don’t suggest these types of products.
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GUTTER SCREENS
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GUTTER BRUSH
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FOAM INSERTS
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LEAF GUARD
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LEAF FILTER
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GUTTER HELMETS
GUTTER SCREENS
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Allows Debris Into The Gutter System
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Collapse Into Gutters Causing More Problems Then Without
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Come Loose Easily & Form Gaps
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Attracts Birds
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Short Lifespan
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Possible Increased Gutter Cleaning Prices
One of the most common and cheapest style of gutter guards are called gutter screens. Gutter screens are designed to attach to the top of the gutter and typically come in vinyl, aluminum, or rubber coated steel. These are popular due to their cheap price point.
In most situations vinyl gutter screens do more harm then good. They typically last about 5 years tops and then eventually collapse into the gutters and start forming blockages. Once they reach that point they become more harm then good. Leading to needing to having to clean the gutters out more often to keep them from overflowing.
CLICK HERE to learn more about vinyl gutter screens.
GUTTER BRUSH
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Debris Easily Collects On Top
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Cause Water To Cascade Over Gutters
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Increased Gutter Cleaning Frequency
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Need To Manually Remove Them And Shake Them Clear & Then Reinstall
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Possible Increase In Gutter Cleaning Pricing
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Short Lifespan
Another one of the cheaper products you can buy for leaf protection, gutter brushes are also popular due to their ease of installation. Anyone with a ladder can slide these into the gutters. They easily tuck under the brackets and stay in place.
The main problem with gutter brushes is that debris gets stuck to them and then easily piles on top. Once piles of debris accumulate the water cascades right over the gutters. In addition, whenever it comes time to clean the gutters out you’ll need to pull all of these out and shake them free of debris, then re-install them. If you pay a company to clean your gutters, there may be additional costs to manually pull these out and reinstall them. Lastly, it should be noted that they are brittle and only last a few years. Especially if you have to pull them out a bunch of times.
All in all, gutter brushes may require you to clean your gutters more often if you have trees nearby which is why they are one of the worst gutter guards.
FOAM INSERTS
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Debris Easily Collects On Top
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Seedlings Sprout And Grow In Them
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Cause Water To Cascade Over Gutters
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Increased Gutter Cleaning Frequency
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Need To Manually Remove Them And Shake Them Clear & Then Reinstall
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Possible Increase In Gutter Cleaning Pricing
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Short Lifespan
Much like gutter brushes, foam inserts are popular as anyone with a ladder can slide them into the gutters with little knowledge of gutter systems. They are designed so the water is able to flow through the foam and drain the the gutters without clogging.
The problem with foam inserts is that the debris also easily collects on top of them and eventually cakes onto the foam. Another issue with foam inserts is that seedlings and plants are able to sprout and grow on them. That’s because the foam, in combination with nutrients from decomposing plant materials, make the perfect environment for plants to sprout. Another issue with foam inserts is that they are brittle and don’t last long. Especially from removing them and shaking them clean just as you’ll have to do with gutter brushes.
Gutters with foam inserts may also require more frequent gutter cleanings than if you didn’t have them at all.
LEAF GUARD
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Water Cascades Over Gutter In Moderate To Heavy Rain
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Not Able To Be Serviced By Other Gutter Companies
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Attracts Birds Which Form Clogs
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Very Expensive Price Point
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Tampers With Roof Shingles
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Not Compatible With All Roofing Eaves
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Installation Is Outsourced To Lowest Bidding Local Contractor
Leaf Guard are one of the more expensive brands of leaf protection systems. In fact, these are typically 3 to 4 times the price of standard gutter guards. Since Leaf Guard is a big nationwide company, there are no local locations. What they do is subcontract the installation out to the lowest bidder that is local to you.
There are many drawbacks to this style, but the most notable is that water cascades directly over the gutters in moderate to heavy rains. Leaf Guard systems are a type of gutter cover called reverse curve which are designed so that the water travels across the hood and then drips into the gutter. They are designed so that the debris flows right over the covers. However, that is not always the case. Acorns, twigs and sticks, and other debris often find there way into them and form clogs.
A huge drawback to them is that they are not able to be serviced by local gutter companies. Leaf Guard feature a one-piece gutter cover system. Meaning the gutter and the helmet are one solid piece of aluminum. The only openings are the gap across the front and the end caps. To remove clogs from a Leaf Guard system, the gutter will need to be pressure washed out, or possibly removed and then reinstalled. Because of this, most gutter companies are not able to service them.
LEAF FILTER
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Most Expensive Product On The Market
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Water Cascades Over Gutters In Moderate To Heavy Rains
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Screens Cause Issues Once Dirty
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Not Compatible With All Roofing Eaves
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Installation Is Outsourced To Lowest Bidding Local Contractor
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Ice Dam Accumulation
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Increased Gutter Cleaning Service Pricing
By far the most expensive gutter guard product currently on the market is Leaf Filter brand gutter covers. Easily coming in at 4 to 5 times the price of standard gutter systems, the sticker price shock when you hear the price may leave you breathless.
Leaf Filter are a type of gutter system called wire mesh, which is basically a fine mesh screen similar to a window screen. They are designed so that the water can drain into the gutter and all debris is to roll over the edge. However, just as with all other gutter guards, Leaf Filter have their own faults. Once debris settles on the mesh screen long enough to break down and decompose, it clogs the screens which causes water to flow over the screen.
CLICK HERE to learn more about Leaf Filter gutter guard systems.
GUTTER HELMETS
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Water Cascades Over Gutter In Moderate To Heavy Rain
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Attracts Birds Which Form Clogs
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Tampers With Roof Shingles
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Not Compatible With All Roofing Eaves
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Increased Gutter Cleaning Pricing
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Increased System Gutter Removal Pricing
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Not Durable – Short Lifespan
Much like Leaf Guard systems, Gutter Helmets are also a style of leaf protection called reverse curve. They are designed so that the water is able to flow across the hood to eventually drop into the gutters. These have the exact same problems as Leaf Guard, except These are more flimsy and less durable. Therefore they have a shorter lifespan in areas that see a lot of debris or rainfall.
One plus side to Gutter Helmets compared to Leaf Guards, is that they are mostly able to be serviced but gutter companies. These attach to the top of the gutter, so they are able to be somewhat loosened to removed debris. However, most gutter companies charge additional fees to clean gutters with helmets on them. That is because the gutter helmets need to be loosened or possibly removed to access the inside of the gutter. Which can add a lot of time to the service.
CONCLUSION
There are many top contenders for the “Worst Gutter Guards Award” as most styles are more problematic than good. If these products worked properly, we would use them and suggest them.
As always, this article does not include links to any products that we may be trying to sell or make commission on sales. This way you know that the information we are providing is honest, unbiased, and is not a paid for advertisement.
BEST GUTTER GUARDS
The most effective style of gutter guards currently on the market are perforated aluminum gutter guards. Most local gutter companies use and suggest perforated aluminum for many reasons. Their durability, efficiency, and clog proof performance are among the benefits these have over all other styles. The perforations make it so that debris is never able to enter the gutter system. Only fine particles such as silt or shingle grit are able to make it through the small sized holes, which flush out every time it rains.
