4 Important Things You'll Want To Know About Gutter Covers

If you're getting older or you just have trouble climbing up a ladder to clean out your gutters, it's probably time to get gutter covers installed. Covers don't eliminate the need to clean out your gutters completely, but you should need to do it less often, and that's a big help when it comes to home maintenance. If you're not familiar with how gutter covers work, read on for four important things to know. 

1. Gutter Covers Keep Leaves Out

There are a few styles of covers, but they all have the goal of keeping leaves and twigs out of the gutter troughs and downspouts. This eliminates clogging that causes gutters to overflow. It's important to match the type of covers you buy with the type of tree debris you have to deal with.

If you have trees that release tiny seeds, needles, or fluff, you'll want covers with mesh or small openings so only water can get through.

2. Covers Install Different Ways

You might want covers that are easy for you to put on and off yourself in case you want to wash out the gutters occasionally. Some gutters snap into the troughs while others may need to be screwed to the roof or the fascia boards. You can call a gutter cover company to install the covers for you, but you or a gutter cleaning service may need to remove and replace them someday when it's time to clean your gutters. 

3. Covers Don't Detract From Your Home

Gutter covers are usually hidden from view so they aren't noticeable from the street. Since styles vary, you may want to compare them to make sure the style you choose will be hidden inside the gutters or fastened to the top so they are not noticeable. The covers are placed on or in the long troughs only since these have exposed tops.

4. Gutter Covers Have Several Purposes

Saving you from gutter cleaning is just one benefit of the covers. By eliminating leaf dams in the gutter troughs, the rain will always be able to flow to the downspout and away from your home. This reduces the risk of foundation damage and water leaking into your basement. Plus, leaves can cause water to sit in the troughs, and that can attract mosquitoes and other pests.

Keeping rain flowing away from your home is important for preventing ice dams and roof damage too. So when you're deciding if gutter covers are worth it, don't just consider reduced gutter maintenance, be sure to think about how the covers will protect your home by keeping leaves from clogging up the troughs.