Do Gutter Guards Work in Heavy Rain? (What to Expect)

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It’s imperative to have gutters that work to protect your home. Gutters keep rain from pooling on your roof, and that helps to prevent damage.

Normally, you have to clean your gutters once or twice per year to keep them from getting clogged. Leaves get stuck in the gutters and can prevent the water from flowing through to the downspout as intended.

This is why people install gutter guards. Gutter guards make it so large debris can’t get in the gutters, and rain should always be able to flow through properly.

What happens when there is heavy rainfall, though? Do gutter guards work properly in heavy rain?

Continue reading to learn everything you need to know about gutter guards and heavy rain. It should allow you to know what to expect when you install gutter guards.

What Are Gutter Guards?

Gutter guards are screens or covers that are designed to be installed on top of your gutters. These guards make it easy to keep debris from clogging your gutters.

You can buy gutter guards from many different places. They’re sold in home improvement stores and you can also buy them online.

There are different types of guards that you can purchase. Depending on the design, the way that they protect your gutters might differ slightly.

Typically, people install guards that are made out of some type of mesh material. The mesh allows water to pass through without letting large pieces of debris clog things up.

So leaves, twigs, and other types of debris won’t be as problematic. Cleaning your gutters will be less time-consuming than usual if you install these guards.

When Should You Install Gutter Guards?

Installing gutter guards will be a good move for many people. This is especially true if you notice that your gutters get clogged regularly.

Depending on whether you have many nearby trees or not, you may or may not find gutter guards to be a good investment. Some people might not find these guards necessary, but others will find them to be incredibly convenient.

If you check your gutters often, you might be able to clean them out without dealing with significant clogging. Those who only want to clean their gutters once a year or so will likely benefit greatly from using these guards.

When you have trees close to your home, it’s good to have guards to protect your gutters. You still need to clean the gutters sometimes, but clogging won’t be as likely.

Gutter Guards Can Work During Heavy Rain

So when you’re experiencing heavy rain in your area, will your gutter guards work? Yes, gutter guards can work just fine in heavy rain.

If heavy rainfall is causing your gutters to overflow, that doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the gutter guards. You see, gutter guards exist to block debris from clogging the gutters.

They don’t inhibit the flow of water in any way. The function of gutter guards has nothing to do with helping you deal with heavy rain.

However, there are times when people will have issues with their guards, and those problems might be exacerbated when there are strong storms in your area. Some things can go wrong that will cause issues with the guards not working as well as you want them to.

Below, you’ll learn about some of these things. It should allow you to understand what to do to try to keep things working well.

Why Do My Gutters Overflow in Heavy Rain?

When it’s raining hard outside, it can cause the gutters to overflow. This is something that can happen when the rainfall is very heavy.

If there’s so much water that it’s overflowing, it might not have anything to do with the guards. It’s simply that the rain is too much.

The overflowing shouldn’t be too bad, though. Your gutters should be functioning.

If they’re not, you might have a blockage. Or there could be a problem with the gutters where they have become detached and aren’t guiding the water toward the downspout.

Gutter Guard and Gutter Detachment

Heavy rainfall has the potential to cause your gutter guards to become detached. This can also cause your gutters to come loose if it’s raining hard enough.

This won’t happen if the gutters are installed well. If the gutters were installed wrong or if they aren’t secured to the roof quite right in some areas, you might notice that they’ll come loose.

Do the guards appear to be pulling away from the roof? Are the gutters crooked or do they appear to be even?

Examine the gutters and the gutter guards when it’s safe to do so. You might need to attach the gutters to the fascia better or you might need to have the guards reinstalled.

Debris Covering the Guards

Is there debris covering your gutter guards? Even if the guards keep the gutters from getting clogged, you still need to remove the debris from on top of the guards every so often.

Failure to do so will cause clogging of a different type. The debris on top of the guards can keep water from getting through to the gutters.

Instead of having water flow normally, it’ll overflow or pool on the roof somewhere. This is very bad and something that you need to avoid.

Installing gutter guards doesn’t keep you from having to clean. It just makes cleaning easier and you shouldn’t have to do it as often.

The Design of the Gutter Guard

The design of the gutter guard can play a role as well. Some designs seem to work better than others.

For instance, flat mesh screens seem to be more likely to get packed with debris. So you should choose recommended gutter guard designs that are known to work the best.

Consider buying gutter guards that utilize a raised mesh design. This design does a better job of keeping debris out while also allowing water to flow through uninhibited.

The gutter guards will be less likely to come loose or get weighed down if they’re made out of a strong yet lightweight material. Aluminum frames are highly recommended.

The fasteners that you use to secure the guards to the gutters matter as well. Use strong fasteners that will secure the guards to the fascia boards if at all possible.

If you take this advice to heart, it’ll be easier to keep your gutters working well. Buying gutter guards with a bad design will not work nearly as well as you’re hoping.

How Often Should You Clean Gutter Guards?

Exactly how often you’ll need to clean the gutter guards will depend on what it’s like in your area. Some people live near a lot of trees and they deal with more debris than usual.

On average, you should clean the gutter guards once or twice per year. There is a chance that you might need to do so more often if you have many trees near your house.

No matter what, you should expect to clean your gutters at least once per year. You need to climb up on a ladder and remove the debris that’s on top of the gutter guards.

Even gutter guards that have a good design won’t be able to keep working properly if you never clean them. Eventually, the clutter will become too much and water won’t make it through any longer.

So be sure to clean the gutters as regularly as necessary. You might need to do it every six months or just once every year.

Is Buying Gutter Guards Worth It?

Many people think that buying gutter guards helps. These guards can help to keep the gutters from getting clogged as often.

They don’t prevent you from having to do maintenance, but they’re helpful. These guards aren’t all that expensive either.

So if you want to have an easier time, it’s likely worthwhile to buy gutter guards. If you don’t mind cleaning your gutters a little more often, it might not matter so much.

The gutter guards won’t help with heavy rain, but they won’t make things worse either. They just help to keep debris from clogging the gutters.

Final Thoughts

Gutter guards are well worth buying for many people. They can make it simpler to clean your gutters, and they might make it so you won’t have to clean the gutters as often.

Understand that the gutter guards won’t keep you from having to clean your gutters. You still need to remove the debris or else it’ll eventually block the water from passing through to the gutters.

Buying the right type of gutter guards will help. You should consider buying gutter guards with a raised mesh design.

Install the guards properly and ensure that they’re secured to the gutters properly. It’s best to use strong fasteners that connect directly to the fascia.

If you clean your gutter guards off periodically, they should work well. You’ll have a good experience and your gutters will direct the water away from your home as they should.

Tell your friends and family what you learned today if they have questions about gutter guards and heavy rain. It’ll help everyone to have an easier time protecting their homes.

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