photo by Sassy Gardener
Over the years I’ve seen many ads for fantastic devices that promise to keep your gutters clean. If you have lots of leaves and pine needles clogging up your gutters, finding a surefire solution would be a great boon.
No perfect solution
Unfortunately, it’s doubtful that anyone will ever invent a perfect gutter guard. Some guards let pine needles, seeds, and bits of leaves through…and clog.
Others have such tiny holes nothing but water gets through. But the leaf litter piles up on top causing its own cleaning chore.
Or rainwater shoots over the gutter and onto the ground below. Which begs the question: why even bother with gutters?
Gathering information
If you are willing to take a chance, and spend some bucks, on gutter guards, take a look at these helpful websites:
- Gutter Guard Reviews–seems to be unbiased
- Precision Gutters–downspout cleanout and other accessories
Popular brands
Here are some of the major contenders:
What to look (out) for
Does the guard have to be nailed to the roof?
Do the gutters have to be lowered?
Can you remove the guard if/when you do need to clean the gutters?
What do owners say about it (online)?
Rain chains
And now for the other half of the gutter/downspout team.
Downspouts are a bit ungainly with their bends at the gutter sticking out from the walls of your home. For a romantic alternative you might want to consider rain chains. They can be actual chain links or decoratively shaped cups of all sorts.
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