9 Reasons Why You Should Install a Gutter Leaf Guard

Why should you get a gutter guard for your home?

While gutter leaf guards may not directly prevent possible issues from taking place, they can offer you significant advantages in specific circumstances.



1. Fire Protection

If you live in an area that is prone to bushfires, clogged gutters may pose fire hazards to your property if taken for granted. Embers can be carried by the wind, settling in gutters and igniting any debris they come into contact with. Gutters that are clogged with dry leaves, twigs, pine needles, and other debris can potentially catch fire and spread quickly. In other cases, when wet leaves get exposed to direct sunlight, they are likely to heat up and ignite.

Gutter guards help prevent these risks by providing a protective barrier between the embers and any debris that has been stuck up in your gutters. With the help of gutter protection, you can keep your home safe from the risks of house fires.

2. Pest Control

Aside from preventing gutters from getting clogged, gutter guards also keep pests away by blocking them and preventing them from nesting in your gutters. A gutter guard not only filters out debris but basically creates a barrier between your home and pests, so you don’t have to worry about them invading your gutters.

Without a gutter guard, pests and critters such as birds, mice, and snakes can live in the gutter and even make their way into your home. Blocked gutters filled with all sorts of debris such as leaves, moss, and twigs may also become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other insects that like to lay their eggs in standing water.

Gutter guard installation not only prevents pests from causing potential damage to your gutters but they help you maintain your gutters with minimal effort.

3. Protect Your Home

It may not be apparent, but the soil surrounding your house can be prone to excess water. When it comes to house foundations and its surrounding soil, even a moderate amount of water flow can become overwhelming. That's where an effective gutter guard system comes into play, as it helps keep your gutters clear from leaves and debris causing overflow.

Excess moisture saturating the areas around your property's foundation can result in soil expansion. Not only can this exert pressure on your home's foundation but it can also cause soil erosion, which is a major contributor to the stability of the ground. In both scenarios, water poses a significant threat to the integrity of your home.

Installing a gutter guard can help keep your water flow in check by ensuring that no debris accumulates in your gutters. In addition, a gutter guard helps you retain the right amount of moisture in your property which is necessary for soil stability.



4. Avoid Water Damage

Without a gutter guard, leaves and other debris can stick to the sides of your box gutters and restrict water flow. leading to overflows, water pooling around your home, and ultimately water damage. Additionally, the added weight of excess water can also strain the gutters, potentially causing visible cracks in your roof, foundation, and walls.

While water damage is not always immediately visible, it can cause long-term structural damage to your property. Over time, watermarks on walls may also make your property look unappealing. By installing gutter guards in your home, you can prevent these issues from occurring. Gutter protection using a gutter guard is a cost-effective way to protect your property from water damage and ensure that it remains strong for several years.

5. Mould Growth

As water starts to accumulate in box gutters, it can become a breeding ground for mould and bacteria growth. Moulds basically thrive in areas where there is water and moisture, and blocked gutters can be a haven for them.

While moulds continue to grow in your gutters, plants may also begin to spread their roots in the damp soil that has accumulated in box gutters. When this happens, it can cause even more damage to your property, leading the structure of your building to erode.

As a result, the house becomes prone to rot and deterioration, which is a condition that moulds like to settle in. If not addressed quickly, they can spread through your home and potentially cause health problems to residents in the long run. To help reduce mould growth and prevent plants from taking root in your gutters, you should consider installing gutter guards in your home.

Gutter guards not only provide gutter protection against leaves and other debris but they also allow water to flow freely, preventing it from pooling and becoming stagnant. With gutter guards, you reduce the likelihood of blocked gutters, lowering the potential for mould and mildew issues which are too costly to repair.

6. Prevent Ice Dams

If you live in an area where winter occurs, you know how frustrating it is when trapped water freezes in your gutter and turns into ice dams. Not only does the weight create tension and pressure to box gutters but ice dams generally get your gutters clogged as soon as they freeze. In addition, the accumulated water may cause moisture in your roof, which in turn, may result in further damage to your home.

Installing a gutter guard helps prevent ice dams from forming which lessens the risk of roof leakage and water damage. While gutter guards alone are not enough to prevent ice dams from forming, they can help prevent debris from piling up in box gutters.



7. Reduce Maintenance

Nobody enjoys the constant task of climbing up a ladder to remove clogs or wet debris from their gutters. That's why gutter guards are a great option to minimise the amount of time spent on maintenance. Gutter guards provide gutter protection to keep debris away from your gutters. Thus, you can reduce the number of times you have to clean them out, saving you both time and money paying for professional cleaning services and DIY maintenance.



8. Preserve Home's Aesthetic

A gutter guard helps keep leaves, pine needles, and other debris from entering your gutters. Thus, helping you maintain the cleanliness and functionality of your gutter systems. When a gutter is clogged, it can lead to water overflow, which can cause damage to the roof, siding, foundation, and landscaping, negatively impacting the appearance of your property. By installing a gutter guard, you can reduce the need for frequent gutter cleaning and minimise the risk of water damage, preserving the overall aesthetic appeal of your property.



9. Improve Home Value

Without a doubt, gutter guards can increase a property's value by preventing it from deteriorating. Gutter guards are designed to block leaves, twigs, and debris which causes clogging and further damage over time.

By installing gutter guards, water and debris can't easily penetrate your gutter system and damage your home, ensuring it lasts for a long time. In other words, when a property has gutter guards, the next owner won't have anything to worry about. Hence, if they were to choose between two properties, they would most likely choose the one that has a gutter guard.



How do you prevent leaf build-up in gutters?

Dried leaves are one of the main causes of blocked gutters, which is why you need to clear them up before they cause any bigger problems over time. Here are some ways you can prevent leaves and other debris from building up in your gutter systems.



Trim the trees

If your house is surrounded by trees, it most likely means that leaves are constantly falling into your gutters. To alleviate this problem, you have the option to trim the trees around your house. This will help minimise the amount of loose leaves falling on your roof and in your gutter system.



Regular cleaning

If trimming the surrounding trees is not a viable option, then the next best thing is to regularly check and clean your gutters manually. Depending on how big your tree is, you may climb up and scoop the leaves out of your gutters every month if you have the chance. But if there are no surrounding trees, box gutters can typically be cleaned at least once or twice a year.

Install a downspout leaf trap

Removing dried leaves manually is not bad but it may not always be an easy task. If you want to make your life easier, installing a downspout leaf trap is a good solution to get rid of dried fallen leaves and prevent them from falling inside your gutters. This type of trap is usually attached to the downpipes where you can easily remove the leaves by hand.



Install a gutter guard

A gutter guard is designed to prevent leaves and debris from entering the gutters and clogging them. It not only allows water to flow freely but it also prevents potential water damage which can affect your overall property over time.

Most gutter guards are installed on the gutter edge and roof corner, and may also include installing the gutter guard on your roof valleys. If you are trying to look for a long-term solution for gutter protection and to prevent the build-up of leaves in your gutters, gutter guard installation is the answer.

Takeaway

Gutter guards are a valuable addition to any gutter system as they provide essential gutter protection against blockage caused by leaves, twigs, pine needles, and other debris. Not to mention, a gutter guard system can also preserve your property's aesthetic appeal by safeguarding it against damaging conditions.

Significantly, gutter guards offer several advantages to property owners, providing them peace of mind that their home will remain protected against pests, potential water damage, mould growth, and, of course, ember attacks. Not only do most gutter guards help keep your gutters clean, but they also help protect them against damage that these elements can cause to your home.

Indeed, investing in a quality gutter guard system is one of the best decisions you can make if you are looking for long-term solutions for your gutters. At All-Flow Aluminium Gutter Mesh, we offer the best gutter guard solution to suit all roof types. No need to worry about the installation being complicated, because All-Flow's gutter guard products are easy to install. For more information about our gutter guard products, contact our friendly team today.