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Which Gutter Guard is Best?
 Published by Steve Seaman
In today's world of multiple choices of gutter guard one should choose for their home, let me give you some hints. All the big box stores sell; wire mesh type, plastic mesh, snap on helmet and other time consuming do-it-yourself gutter guard attachments. While these are all good and cheap, they practice the old adage of, "you get what you pay for!" I have personally used every type I have listed and still have 15 feet of the plastic snap on mesh on the deck. Let's face it, they suck! The absolute best gutter guard on the market today are the helmet type. These install and are attached directly to the gutter. They have a small, 1/4 to 1/2 inch slit in the front to channel water in and through the gutter but do not let leaves and tree twigs in. Mesh type guards allow leaves to lay on top of the guard and keep water from getting channeled through the gutter causing over splash onto your siding. This will cause paint to fade, brick and stone will wear down over time also and can cause mold in the long run. Plus you have to keep blowing the leaves off and this can cause the mesh guard to blow off. While you will need a professional company to install the helmet guards, they guarantee them for ten to fifteen years and they payoff over time. One other thing the helmet guards have is you can choose a color that can go with your three tab or architectural shingles. If the color fades over time, you can take a little time or hire out someone to re-paint them for next to nothing. All in all for the money, time and effort you will have to spend every year to maintain your guards, do the helmet guards really sound too expensive?
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