When selecting the best gutter guard for your gutters, you will need a gutter cover that meets three important goals. A gutter cover that:
Is effective in preventing clogging of gutters by trapping all clogging matter before it reaches the collection surface/trough of the gutter
Does not clog itself and hinder water from falling through the cover into the collection surface of the gutter
One that accurately reflects the specific environmental and climatic concerns of the geographical location if the house. Areas with dense forest cover will require gutter cover with a different design to that of houses in deserts or plain areas.
Available Types of Gutter Covers
There are different types of gutter cover based on the design, the material and style used to make the gutter covers.
Additionally, gutter covers may be referred to using different names such as gutter shields, gutter screens, gutter filters, gutter protection and gutter covers.
All types of gutters covers have the same objective of stopping clogging and reducing the need for maintenance on gutters. The efficiency in meeting these goals is determined by practicality and suitability of the gutter covers to the environmental and nature of the house.
For this reason, poorly-selection of gutter guards will cause overflowing gutters.
Gutter Screens
Gutter screens are metal covers with small perforations for letting water pass through and are intended to sit on the upper side of the gutter.
Gutters with gutter screens often have high likelihood water overflowing because the perforations on the screen prove too big allowing needles, seeds and debris to fall through and find a way to gather on the troughs of the gutters.
Also, leaves and large debris clog the holes on the screen inhibiting water from passing through the holes. When it rains, water runoff from the roof overflows on the side of the gutters because it cannot pass through the hole of the screens.
There is only one type of gutter cover screen that Gutterilla recommends which is our solution when replacing gutters is not an option. Check out the gutter guards here.
The Gutter Brushes
Gutter brushes are an affordable preference in place of gutter protection. Gutter brushes, however, do not work effectively as other alternatives for gutter guards such as the GutterShutter System.
The Gutter Brushes are a type of a bottle brush made of tough bristles. They are placed inside the gutter trough to trap debris from gathering on the bottom of the gutter. When water runoff from the roof lands on the gutter brushed, the debris is caught between the bristles of the gutter brush while the water runs through the gutter.
With gutter brushes, the gutter will need to be cleaned regularly because the gutter brush only traps the debris from the water but cannot remove debris caught between the bristles.
The Foam Gutter Protection
The foam gutter cover resemble the gutter brush as far as the installation method and affordability is concerned. The foam gutter guard is a polyurethane foam inserted in the gutter that is porous to water but catches debris and other clogging material above the trough of the gutter.
The following are the disadvantages of Foam gutter covers
- They are made of polyester material which wears out after some time.
- They are porous to roof grit. The roof grit ends up on the bottom of the gutter’s trough.
- The Foam Gutter Covers, like Gutter brushes, require regular cleaning to remove debris that accumulates on the upper side of the polyurethane foam.
- Foam Gutter Covers drain water rather slowly and are not suitable for areas that experience high and heavy rainfall like Austin. The water on the gutter must be drained at a faster rate for areas with heavy rainfall.
There is only one type of gutter guard that Gutterilla recommends which is our solution when replacing gutters is not an option. Check out the Raindrop covers here.
Mesh Gutter Covers
Mesh Gutter Covers have a similar design but smaller holes compared to gutter screens. Mesh Gutter Covers do not allow debris or other clogging material to enter the gutter.
However, in times of heavy rainfall, the holes on the Mesh Gutter Covers are too limited to aid in swift drainage of water; rainwater on the roof washes over the mesh gutter covers completely missing the gutter trough.
All in One Gutter Structure
These are gutter designs that are sold together with gutter covers. The all-in-one gutter systems are time-saving for homeowners as they do not have to spend time separately searching for guards for their gutters.
It is good to note that the bracket system that fixes the gutter system to the fascia board may be unable to support the weight of the gutter together with that of the gutter covers. This is a failure likely to cause gutters to move and sagging away from the fascia board which creates a gap for roof water to pass through and will eventually fall on the ground.
The GutterShutter™ System
We at Gutterilla recommend the GutterShutter™ System to our customers. The design feature of the GutterShutter™ System allows water molecules to adhere and clamp together to ensure all roof water is captured and well-drained away from the vicinity house.
The GutterShutter System operates seamlessly because it is wholly covered and airtight; there are no openings on the sides of the gutter. Also, there are no fillers and no screens that make it difficult to clean the internal parts of the gutter.
This gutter system is supplied in two parts, that is, the gutter and a protective gutter layering to ensure there is stronger affixing to the fascia board using the bracket system. The bracket system on this design on GutterShutter ensures the gutters do not sag or move away throughout the economic life of the gutter system.
