A good gutter system is important to any home or building. If it is working correctly, it will direct excess water away from the building to help protect from roof leaks, foundation problems and other signs of water damage. However, while your gutter is protecting your home, what’s protecting your gutters? That’s what gutter guards are for! Here at Boak & Sons, we recommend and install Leaf Relief gutter guards. Leaf Relief has protection systems that can be installed to existing gutters or with a new gutter system to protect your gutters from snow and ice as well as leaves and other debris.

While we highly recommend Leaf Relief, there are many others out there! Unfortunately, some gutter protection systems that are installed can cause major issues down the road that completely blindside customers. That’s why our gutter experts here at Boak & Sons want to give you these helpful tips to make sure you make the right choice when selecting a gutter protection system for your home or building!

1. Read the fine print! With these gutter protection systems, we often hear of homeowners signing a contract to have a gutter guard installed, but what they don’t know is that some companies will only install them along with a completely new gutter system. This will greatly increase the cost of the job, even if your current gutters are in great shape! Here at Boak & Sons, our gutter experts can install Leaf Relief gutter guards on your current gutters, as long as they are still in good condition. We will never recommend full gutter replacement unless we know you need it, and that is always spelled out clearly in your free estimate BEFORE you pay us a dime. After decades of experience with roofing and gutter systems, we have seen the ones that work and the ones that don’t. That experience has shown that Leaf Relief is the best system available to protect your gutters.
   
   
2. Pay attention to what the guard is made of. Leaf Relief gutter guards are made of sturdy, substantially thick aluminum that resists rusting and UV damage. Some gutter guards are made of plastic, which may save you money up front, but these can be easily damaged by heavy debris and often are damaged by UV rays over time. Keep in mind that a cheaper gutter guard system may end up costing you more in the long run if you have to replace them!
   
   
3. All gutter guards still need maintenance! While gutter guards do a great job of keeping debris out of your gutters, that debris can still pile up on top of the guard itself. While cleaning your gutter guards is easier than cleaning your gutters, you should still check them for debris buildup! The nice part is, you normally won’t need to do this nearly as often as you would if you didn’t have a gutter guard. It’s also important to know that the wrong system being installed could lead to needing replaced prematurely, especially if you do not keep up with maintenance. If the system fails, they could cause even more expensive damage to your home.

These are just a few things to keep in mind when you’re making a decision on which gutter guards to install on your home. If you want more information about gutter guards and how they work, give our gutter experts a call! We’re always happy to provide free estimates for your gutter needs. Call us at 330-793-5646 or fill out a contact form on our website to schedule your free estimate today!