Every guard goes on a clean gutter

Guards keep leaves out of your gutters

A gutter guard is an aluminum cover that sits over the open top of the gutter. Rain drops through its openings, while leaves and twigs stay on top until wind or water carries them off. That way the gutter keeps moving roof water to the downspouts instead of filling up with wet debris. It also means nobody has to climb up and scoop out a packed gutter every time the trees drop.

A guard only works on a gutter that is already clean and draining. So the job starts with emptying every run and flushing the downspouts, because a guard set over old sludge just hides the clog. Then we check that each run still slopes toward its outlet and that the hangers are holding. After that the guard is cut to length and fastened along the run. Corners get their own cuts so no gap opens where two runs meet.

Skip the cleaning and the guard fails from underneath. Leaves left in the bottom of the gutter hold water. In Florida heat that wet mat turns to muck and clogs the outlet from under the guard. Skip the slope check and water pools in the low spots no matter what is on top. On a good install, the guard lies flat along the whole run and rain drops through it instead of running off the front.

• Gutters emptied and downspouts flushed first
• Slope and hangers checked on every run
• Aluminum guard cut to length for each run
• Corners cut so no gap opens
• Work area cleaned up before we leave

Local oaks and pines clog open gutters

Most streets around Oldsmar sit under oaks and pines, and each tree drops something different into a gutter. Live oaks shed their old leaves in late winter and spring, not in fall. Right behind the leaves come the oak tassels, the stringy flowers that pack into a wet mat. Pines drop needles most of the year, and a needle lies flat and slides into gaps that a leaf would never fit through.

That matters because of how it rains here. From late spring through summer, afternoon storms drop a lot of water in a short burst. A gutter has only a few minutes to move it. One that is half full of tassels and needles overflows in the first heavy downpour. The water sheets off the roof edge and lands right against the house. Over a summer it digs a trench in the bed below and splashes dirt up the wall.

Most homes around here are concrete block with stucco, many of them one story ranch houses under asphalt shingle roofs. The block itself takes rain well, but stucco that gets soaked at the base storm after storm starts to stain and crack. Soil that stays wet beside the slab can let a corner of the house settle. On the older wood frame houses in Dunedin and Safety Harbor, overflow rots the fascia board the gutter hangs from. A gutter that stays clear keeps that water away from all of it.

We check the roof edge first

A guard sits where the roof meets the gutter, so the roof edge decides how it goes on. On an asphalt shingle roof we look at whether the first row of shingles hangs out over the gutter and how far. Some guards tuck under that row, and some fasten only to the gutter lip. On an older roof, lifting brittle shingles to slide a guard under them can crack the seal strip. That choice gets made before anything is cut.

Sometimes the check at the roof edge turns up a problem a guard cannot fix. If the metal drip edge is missing or the shingles stop short, water runs behind the gutter no matter what sits on top. You hear about that at the estimate, not after the guard is on. One customer, M F, wrote that Blair "accurately identified the project's complexity and recommended involving a roofer to ensure a long-term solution."

Guards also have to match the gutter they sit on. Most houses here have K-style aluminum gutters, the kind with a flat back and a shaped front that looks a bit like crown molding. Half round gutters show up on some older homes and custom jobs. They need a guard made for that curve, because a flat guard laid across one leaves gaps at the sides. Wider gutters on big roofs need a wider guard, so we measure the gutter width first.

Gutters with guards still need a check

A guard cuts down how often a gutter needs attention, but it does not mean you never look at the gutter again. Fine debris still gets through or sits on top. After a dry spell, oak tassels and pine needles can lie across the guard and cover the openings. Then the next heavy rain runs right over the top. Asphalt shingles shed grit as they age, and that grit washes through and settles in the bottom like sand.

The simplest check is to look out a window during a heavy afternoon rain. Water should come out of every downspout in a steady stream. If water spills over one stretch of gutter, something is sitting on the guard there or has packed in underneath it. Most of the time brushing off the top and rinsing out the gutter gets it draining again. We handle that upkeep too, if you would rather stay off the ladder.

Storm season is the other time to take a look. Strong wind can lift a guard that was only resting in place, and a falling branch can bend a section down into the gutter. A guard fastened along the run holds up better in wind than one that just snaps in. After a tropical storm passes, walk around the house and look along the roof line. You are looking for any piece that sits crooked or has pulled away.