It’s one of the most common asked questions when homeowners are considering installing gutter guards; Do Gutter Guards Work? If “work” to you means significantly decreasing the amount of maintenance needed to keep you gutters clean and eliminating the need for interior gutter cleanings; then the answer is yes. If your idea of guards working is a 100% maintenance free solution, then we can’t answer that with yes. When we hear clients express dissatisfaction with how a guard product works, we’ve found that it is generally because they were promised unrealistic outcomes.
Are Gutter Guards Worth It?
Have you heard “never clean your gutters again” “100% maintenance free gutters” or anything along those lines? If you have, chances are that needing to do any sort of gutter maintenance after hearing these claims is quite honestly maddening. Since these unrealistic expectations were not met, it’s easy to assume things like “my gutter guards failed”. Because the truth of the matter actually is that your gutter guards haven’t failed you, your salesperson did!
There are many companies and products claiming to free you from ever worrying or needing to maintain your gutters again. But, this promise is just not something we as a gutter installers can guarantee, as no product is truly 100% maintenance free.
The idea with gutter guards is to significantly decrease the amount of maintenance needed, and to eliminate the need for 1-3 (or more) interior gutter cleanings a year. While, we have many clients who have not needed any maintenance after guard installs for over 10 years, we cannot promise that this will be the case for every situation. A common maintenance practice that may need to occur after installing guards is a quick brush off of the top of the gutter covers.
Our Solutionist- Danny
This idea of a sales person failing rather than your gutter guards, was brought to our attention by one of our Solutionists who hears these sort of statements in reference to gutter guards failing on a regular basis. The reason why a “failed guard” falls more heavily on the sales tactics, is because unattainable expectations are often set. This is ultimately leading to disappointing results – giving gutter guards a bad reputation.
If you’re like most consumers in this day and age, when you consider a medium to large project for your home you typically research online reviews. When searching, do gutter guards work, or best gutter guards, or even gutter guard reviews, things can quickly spiral out of control with an overwhelming amount of information on both sides of the spectrum. You’ll see anything from “this is the best investment I have ever made” to “a total waste of money, did not function as advertised”. So, who do you believe and what is the answer to this burning question of do gutter guards work and/or why are my gutter guards failing?
Gutter Guard Choices
In the world of gutter guards, there are many different product choices to choose from as well as installers. This is great, because there are many different circumstances they will be needed for. The unique qualities of a home can dictate the best type of guard to solve your issues. One of the most common concerns Danny hears from clients inquiring about gutter guards is “I have read a lot of negative reviews”. When sourcing your negative reviews, it is important to really breakdown the substance of it. Do the reviews say “these are not maintenance free” or “these did not work as promised and required more maintenance than I had hoped”? Because if that is the case, these reviews aren’t inherently bad. It goes back to the above statement referring to what was promised at sale.
If a 100% maintenance free experience was promised, then it would be easy to assume that these reviews make sense based on their expectations. A promise to “never have to clean your gutters again” should be a red flag. Sometimes, when something sounds too good to be true, it is. Sort of like a wrinkle-free shirt. While it will have less wrinkles than a cotton shirt, there is still likely to be a wrinkle or two. This especially depends on the activities performed while in the shirt. No product is perfect. Therefore, it’s not fair or truthful to make promises guaranteeing that your situation will never require attention again.
Do Gutter Guards Work?
So, the answer to the burning question of do gutter guards work, is yes. The answer to are gutter guards maintenance free is possibly. This separation of these two questions makes all the difference. In determining if you feel that your gutter guards failed you, or if indeed you feel satisfied with the results.
Gutter Screens Are Worth the Investment
A gutter guard installation is a great investment. They significantly decrease the amount of maintenance your gutter system needs each year. As well as prevent potentially damaging interior clogs. If you think your home could benefit from installing gutter guards, contact us today for your free estimate. We will help to determine the best solution for your unique home. We will also provide you with a realistic understanding of what to expect for your guard system.
Contact us today for your free gutter guard estimate.