Preparing Your Gutters for the Fall Season

Fall is a beautiful time of the year, especially because of the trees: the leaves explode into vibrant yellows, reds, and oranges – their swan song before slowly falling to the ground – or, in the homeowner’s case, this means slowly falling straight onto the lawn and into the gutters. However beautiful, fall is an imperative time to clean your gutters, and there are a few steps that could save you from big problems throughout winter.  Downspout guards like the Wedge are a good idea during the fall; even if that’s the only time they’re in your gutters. They’ll prevent massive blockages from fall foliage in your downspouts, and make the cleaning process much easier. This ensures that when winter comes around, there aren’t the huge frozen blocks of muddy leaves clogged in the enclosed pipe. These melt much slower than snow, so they’ll be sure to cause heavy, stressful backups in your gutters that are nearly impossible to clear.

Depending on your roofline, you might consider using a leaf blower to clear your roof in the fall. The leaves and debris up there will inevitably be carried into your gutters, so if your roofline is gradual enough, using a leaf blower may save you some agitation. However, if your roofline is too steep, do not attempt this! Leaf blowers are heavy pieces of machinery, too awkward to safely navigate a steep roof with.

If you’ve been thinking about installing, or having one installed, fall is a great time to invest in a gutter guard system. Ideally, you’ll want it installed in the early fall (or even better, late summer) before the leaves start to fall. The end of fall may require some cleaning, as debris and foliage still tend to sneak in, but you should find the amount of leaves present in the gutter channel has been reduced, and that you don’t have to stay on the ladder for nearly as long.

Gutter Guards Work!

Gutter Guards, also known as Gutter Protection --

Wouldn’t it be great if all gutter guards actually worked as they were advertised to? Maintenance-free forever, no more clogged gutters, no more blocked downspouts, and all accomplished by simply installing a plastic cover over your gutter. Yes, that would be fantastic. But the harsh reality is that not all gutter guards work as intended – in fact, there are only one or two systems that are as close to “maintenance-free” as we’ll probably see for quite some time.

The majority of gutter guards are a plastic piece, the width of the gutter, installed to cover the channel. The plastic piece has a reverse curve to the underside, a large hole, or perhaps a slotted knockout, allowing water to flow in, but stopping leaves and the other debris from being carried into the channel. Good idea, but it doesn’t always stop the tree buds and seeds in the spring, and it certainly wouldn’t stop a colony of bees from making a nest in your gutter. This system still requires you to clean the gutters at least twice a year, and makes the whole process that much more difficult, since you must remove the guard before you clean. These systems may reduce the frequency of cleaning, but they are no where near the “maintenance-free” salesmen hype they are sold with.

The more effective systems, such as the micro mesh systems or an aluminum perforated system witch is our choice of the two. The guards install over the channel and is pitched to your roofline, allowing water to flow in while blocking out all other debris. No rust, no debris, and no hassle. These are as close to maintenance-free as you’re going to find right now. If you’re not comfortable on a ladder, or you’re just plain sick of cleaning your gutters, systems like these are certainly worth the price.

If you’re looking for a system that only blocks the leaves and other large debris, and you don’t mind still getting up on a ladder 2-4 times a year to scoop out the smaller gunk, then the gutter cover systems may work for you.

Most Common Gutter Materials

Hundreds of years ago, hardwood gutters were considered the standard. There weren’t many more options than that until technological advances made plastic and metal mass production possible. Although still in use today, wooden gutters are used primarily for restoration of historic homes. Without a doubt, aluminum and vinyl are the most popular materials for gutters today – they’re affordable, lightweight, rust proof, and require little to no upkeep, other than the seasonal clearing. Although not as common, gutters can also be made of steel, copper, or wood; however, aside from galvanized steel, these materials tend to be more expensive than aluminum or vinyl, and sometimes won’t provide the same benefits.

Once a standard, wood is now easily the least popular of all gutter materials used. Wooden gutters require a considerable amount of time spent solely on yearly maintenance alone to prevent replacing and are also very expensive. Expect to pay between $12 to $20/foot depending on the type of wood used. To prevent rot and enhance the wood’s water resistance, it’s strongly recommended linseed oil be applied at least once a year.

On the other hand, copper is an excellent choice of gutter material, for more reasons than just adding aesthetic appeal to your home’s exterior. Copper gutters are durable, never need a finish, and they won’t ever rust. They’re also a wise addition to homes along the coasts exposed to salty conditions, or in areas with acid rain. Copper gutters also develop a desirable patina over time that turns the copper into a pleasant green color. They require no more maintenance than routine cleaning, unless you intend to strip the patina every few years with products designed to do so. It’s recommended that a professional install copper gutters, as mistakes made with copper can get expensive quickly, but once installed, copper gutters actually raise the value of your home. Seamless copper gutters usually run around $19/foot.

Galvanized and stainless steel provide gutters with great durability that work well for homeowners in colder climates. Steel contracts half as much as aluminum, helping to prevent the gutter from pulling away from the house and sagging. Hot-dipped galvanized steel is coated in zinc to prevent corrosion, and does so especially well against ice and snow. Other galvanized coatings even carry guarantees for 50 years. Unfortunately, without any sort of coating, galvanized gutters will only last around 5-10 years before showing signs of rust. Seamless galvanized gutters will cost between $6 and $8/foot to have installed. If you’re looking for the durability of steel, with the corrosion resistance of aluminum, you might be thinking stainless steel. Indeed, it will never rust, but be prepared to shell out $20/foot to install.

You lose durability with aluminum, and vinyl tends to get incredibly brittle with age and in extreme cold, but both system materials are cheap and easy to find, and are also highly resistant to corrosion. Aluminum is the most common seamless gutter material, and can come in runs as long as 100+ feet for about $6-$9/foot. This option is the most recommended in the professional industry. Today 99% of every home in America has aluminum seamless gutters installed. Vinyl is the most popular among do-it-yourselfers installing sectional gutters; this option is not recommended. The flexibility and resilience of vinyl works well for warmer climates, and works well for wallets, too.