It’s important to have gutters on your home. You want to direct water away from the roof and the base of your home.
The gutters are going to get clogged with debris every so often. You’ll need to clean them so they can stay clear and function properly.
If you want to cut down on the number of times that you need to clean them, installing gutter covers should help. If you’ve never used gutter covers you’re likely wondering if they work.
Do gutter covers work well or are they not all they’re cracked up to be? Read on to learn more about them so you can decide whether you want to buy some for your home.
Do I Need Gutter Covers?
Technically, gutter guards aren’t needed. You don’t have to install gutter guards to get your gutters to work correctly.
This doesn’t mean that gutter covers can’t be helpful. You can buy many different types of covers for your gutter.
Some are simple mesh guards that attach to the gutters to keep large chunks of debris from blocking things. There are other designs as well, but they all function the same.
You’ll attach the cover to the gutter and it’ll help to keep it from getting clogged. It can help to limit the amount of gutter maintenance that you need to do.
Gutter guards or gutter covers are sold under many names. You can find these products at local hardware stores, department stores, and online retailers.
Buying what you need won’t take much money at all. So you can buy gutter guards if you’re interested without breaking the bank.
Are Gutter Covers Worth It?
Many would say that gutter covers are worth it. It just comes down to your expectations.
One positive to keep in mind is that gutter covers don’t cost much money. You can buy a guard for your gutter easily and installing the cover won’t take much effort either.
So you can get what you need without it being a big deal. It’ll then make it a little bit simpler to maintain the gutters.
This doesn’t mean that you get to ignore the gutters, though. The gutters do still need to be cleaned at regular intervals.
These guards are designed to keep large debris from clogging the gutter. You’ll still have to remove the debris from on top of the gutters and rinse everything out once or twice per year.
Theoretically, it’ll lead to far less gutter maintenance, but some say that they still have to clean the gutters just about as often as they did without the gutter guards. So don’t think that buying gutter guards keeps you from having to clean the gutters.
Why Are Gutter Covers Bad?
There are a few reasons why using gutter guards might be negative. It’s best to learn about all of the potential downsides so you can weigh them against the positives.
Installing gutter covers will add to the weight of the gutters. This might wear the fascia down faster than usual.
If you notice the fascia bowing, the gutter covers likely played a role in weighing everything down. Also, you need to know that installing gutter guards doesn’t make it so you don’t have to clean the gutters.
Leaving things alone will cause debris to build up on top of the gutters. This will add weight to the gutters that might even make the gutters fall if it becomes a big problem.
So gutter covers can give people a false sense of security. They think that it’ll keep them from having to clean the gutters, but it isn’t designed to do that.
These guards are designed to allow water to flow through the gutters. Debris can’t enter the gutters due to the guards being there, but it can still sit on top of the gutters.
Eventually, that debris might get so bad that the water might not be able to get through. So you still have to climb a ladder and remove the debris from the gutters periodically.
This is likely going to be easier than cleaning the gutters without gutter guards, but it still involves the same type of work. Knowing this, it’s up to you to decide whether gutter guards are worthwhile.
Final Thoughts
Now you know what you need to know about gutters and gutter covers. Gutter covers are also referred to as gutter guards.
These guards attach to the gutters and help to keep debris from getting inside. They do an excellent job of keeping large pieces of debris from getting in the gutters.
Since gutter guards are inexpensive, it’s practical for most people to buy them. They make maintenance easier and should make it so you’ll have to clean the gutters less often.
You do still have to do some work, though. So you shouldn’t let having gutter guards give you a false sense of security.
If you think that gutter guards would help you out, it’s a wise move to buy some. Installing them won’t take long and you won’t have to make a huge investment to get what you need.
You can get away without buying gutter covers if you’d rather not bother, though. This isn’t a necessity.
If you don’t want to buy gutter guards, it’s fine to focus on cleaning your gutters often. You might want to clean the gutters once every six months just to be safe.
Some people can get away with cleaning the gutters once per year, but it depends on how many trees are near your home. Whatever you do, be sure to keep the gutters in good working order to protect your home.
I have a bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems and over 10 years of experience working in IT. As a homeowner, I love working on projects around the house, and as a father, I love investigating various ways to keep my family safe (whether or not this involves tech). I’ve also played guitar for almost 20 years and love writing music, although it’s hard to find the time these days.