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Do you leave in an area with trees, and you’ve installed gutters in your home? Then you must know how much debris can be a nuisance when leaves and other matter fall on the roof. If you don’t clean the gutters as often as they should, then you’re in for a bad surprise.
- The gutters will be clogged.
- Therefore, overflowing and causing flooding in your home.
- Depending on the design of your home, you may experience roof/window leaks.
To prevent these problems, different manufacturers have made an array of gutter products for debris cleaning. These will ensure your gutter system drains the rainwater as efficiently as it should.
However, you should take time to consider what each product has to offer before making any purchase. This is because, depending on the make and principle behind it, each brand’s performance differs.
Most gutter products are custom-made to keep the gutters clean as well as the outlets and downspouts.
In This Post:
1. Gutter Covers
Gutter covers and gutter guards are used as filters over a gutter system to keep debris from blocking water drainage.
While there are several gutter covers and guards to look out for, you only have two cover types to compare.
2. Flat Perforated Screen Covers
During installation, the flat perforated screen covers sit flat on the gutter. If debris falls and sits on these covers and there’s rainfall, it will get wet and eventually disintegrate. This will clog the perforations of the cover, therefore, limiting proper operability. It is for this reason that you should have your gutters cleaned regularly.
3. Solid Reverse Curve/Helmet Cover
This cover will slide down the bottom roof shingle and snap at the top front of the installed gutter. It works by collecting water through a cutout, thoughtfully designed to extend the front edge of your gutter.
As rain falls, the water falling on the helmet cover adheres to it via the process of water adhesion/surface tension. Although an accurately installed helmet cover may hold even during heavy rains, its design is somewhat challenging.
When you’re experiencing extremely heavy rains, you may notice the helmet cover overflowing. However, if you have infrequent heavy rains, this cover type will come in handy in cleaning debris from gutters.
When installing either helmet or flat perforated covers, ensure they are well placed and set. This will prevent the gutter from being crushed or blown off by strong winds. Also, a good cover will remain sturdy and not crush in when, for example, a bird walks on it.
4. Oversized Downspout Opening
This is used on the outlets and downspouts of the gutter system. Using a supersized outlet will allow the passage of all debris that goes through the gutter. As such, it will keep the gutter outlet/downspout from clogging with debris.
A larger downspout opening will, therefore, ensure rainwater flows out of the gutters despite the presence of some debris.
Why Use a Larger Opening in Gutters?
If you live in an area with trees, then you want to keep your gutters debris-free for proper rainwater flow. To make the maintenance process less demanding by using a gutter system that employs a larger opening in the downspouts. It will flush out debris effortlessly for efficient drainage. It is also:
- Highly effective
- Easy to install
- Inexpensive
- Convenient since it can be retrofitted to old gutters provided they are functional.
