Are gutter guards worth it in Glasgow? Honest pros and cons
Gutter guards are sold as the end of gutter cleaning. That is a bit strong. They can help a lot in the right place, and they do very little in the wrong one.
Here is the honest version, from people who clear gutters for a living.
What a gutter guard actually does
A gutter guard is a cover or insert that sits over or inside the gutter. Water gets through. Larger debris, mainly leaves and twigs, is meant to stay out or blow away. If you want the fitting side, our gutter guards in Glasgow page explains what we fit.
What a guard does not do is stop dirt that is already finer than the holes. That is the first limit to understand.
The three types in plain words
Mesh guards
A fine metal or plastic grille over the top. Leaves lie on it and blow off or dry out. Good against leaves, but moss and grit can still build up on the mesh and in the gutter below.
Brush guards
A long bristle brush, a bit like a bottle brush, lies inside the gutter. Water runs through the bristles, and leaves sit on top. They are quick to fit and can be lifted out for cleaning. They are not neat to look at, and fine debris can collect between the bristles.
Hedgehog guards
Another name for a brush guard, usually the round-bristle kind. We mention it because people search for it by that name.
When guards help
- Trees close to the house: leaf fall is the one thing guards are really good at stopping.
- Gutters that are hard to reach: fewer visits are needed if less gets in.
- Properties with a bad history of leaf blockages: a guard reduces what reaches the downpipe.
On a house under mature trees, a guard can mean the gutter stays clear between cleans for noticeably longer.
When they do not help
This is the part many sellers skip. Glasgow’s main gutter problem is often moss, not leaves. Moss grows on the roof tiles and slates, washes down and collects in the gutter. A guard sits on top of that, and the moss gets through it or builds against it.
- Moss and roof grit: a guard will not keep these out.
- Seeds and small debris: fine particles pass through.
- Gutters already full: fitting a guard over an uncleared gutter just covers the problem.
Clean first, then fit
Guards should always go onto a clean gutter. We would do a gutter clean first, check the joints and the downpipes, and only then fit a guard. Otherwise you are sealing wet debris in.
Even with guards fitted, the gutters still need checking. A quick look once or twice a year is much cheaper than finding out through an overflow.
The honest limits
- They do not make gutters maintenance-free.
- They can make cleaning slightly slower, because they have to be lifted or moved.
- They do not repair a leaking joint or a sagging run.
- Cost depends on the length of gutter, the height and the type, so we quote after seeing photos or the building.
Guards on tall or awkward roofs
Fitting is where tall buildings differ. A guard has to be put in along the whole run, and it has to be lifted or moved for any later clean. On a house we can often do that from the ground with reach poles. On a taller building, up to four storeys, we use the tracked access platform, so there are no ladders on your gutters.
It is one more reason to think about whether a guard really saves you visits. If you would be sending someone up anyway, the gain is smaller.
Questions people ask
Will a guard stop birds nesting in the gutter?
It can make it harder for them to get in, though it is not what they are made for.
Do guards cause overflow?
If they clog with moss and grit, water can run over the top instead of through. That is another reason to look at them now and then.
Can I fit them myself?
Some types are simple to push in. The difficulty is getting to the gutter safely, and checking it is clear and sound first.
So are they worth it?
If you have trees overhead and gutters that are a pain to reach, probably yes. If your gutters mostly fill with moss from the roof, a regular clean will do more for you than a guard.
If your downpipes block and overflow regardless, the cause may be elsewhere, and our post on why a downpipe keeps overflowing goes through it. Give us a call and tell us what is in your gutters, and we will say honestly whether a guard would help.