In most cases most people think by putting in a fixed gutter guard or a screen guard they have been told that you never have to clean your gutters again. That’s not right. The problem with screen or fixed type gutter guards is that the fine material can still get in underneath. It can go through the gauze and get into the bottom of the gutter. In here you can get seeds, plants that grow, birds can drop their waste that carries seeds in the gutters, then they grow. You end up having to pull out the gutter guard or cut it or use a pressure cleaning that sprays the debris everywhere.
Also what also happens is you develop a full eco system so in the gutters you are developing worms, beetles and grubs which becomes food for cockroaches, mice and rats. The worms, beetles and grubs then live in the gutters and they are protected. Birds can’t get to them. The mice, rats and cockroaches then have a nice lounge room (under your roof) that they can move into. They come from their food source in the gutters and then move into your ceiling space. So whilst you have gutters with a food source, you have a ceiling with vermin in it.
There is no need to use fixed gutter guards. They don’t work – in most cases. Not to say that in some cases they are your only option, but you will always have this residue that goes through to the bottom of your gutters.
There is an alternative to fixed gutter guards. Removable gutter guards are always a great option. The leaves sit on top of the guard. The guard does not stop the residue going through to the bottom of the gutter. It will still develop and still grow an eco system. So nothing has changed from the fixed gutter guards to the removable gutter guard.
The big difference is this – with the removable gutter guard, you can easily remove the guard, brush off the leaves, clean out the gutters and then easily put the removable guard back into the gutter. (Watch the video demonstration) This saves you a lot of time and money when getting your gutters cleaned that needs to be done whether or not you have gutter guards in place. The advantage of this type of gutter guard is that even though there is debris on top or even underneath, the water can still flow through the gutters. (Find out why you need to clean your gutters regularly)
Another advantage of this particular removable gutter guard is that the vermin don’t like it. Mice, rats, possums, all don’t like it in their face. The food source is still in the bottom of the gutter. The cockroaches, the worms, the beetles, the grubs are still in there, but the bigger vermin can’t get to them.
The water can still run. On an annual basis, they guards can be removed, the gutters cleaned and you have a system that is very easy to maintain.
Want to find out more about the Gutter-Flow gutter guard system?
