Gutter guards are a very important addition to your home. They help to prevent debris and dirt from clogging your system, which can lead to significant water damage. However, they can also be a very costly addition to your property.
If you are looking to install gutter guards on your property or replace your existing system with a newer guard, finding the right options for your property can be a confusing task. There is a wide variety of options available for you, and there are some fantastic guards out there to suit all budgets.
When it comes to choosing guards, many homeowners opt for the cheapest style that they can find. Whilst these guards will often work effectively for the first few months, the cheap options can quickly degrade or fail, resulting in homeowners having to face regular gutter cleaning or paying to replace the entire system again.
If you are considering installing a cheap gutter guard on your property, we have taken a closer look at some of the most affordable solutions on the market, examining each guard’s various pros and cons.
Foam Inserts
One of the most popular styles of gutter guards on the market today is foam inserts. These are widely available and can fit almost every style of gutter and property in Australia, making them a very quick and easy guard to install. Made for a similar material as the foam noodles you use in a swimming pool, the guards simply fit into the gutter pipe and require very little installation or securing in place.
When compared to other types of guards on the market, foam inserts are a very affordable solution and they can provide a good level of protection to your home. The foam acts like a flat barrier all the way along the gutter, preventing leaves and other debris from entering whilst still allowing rainwater to soak through.
However, that flat level can still see debris build up and require you to regularly clean the gutters. Equally, the foam acts as the perfect environment to encourage organic debris and seeds to begin to sprout, which can cause major problems to your guttering. Additionally, exposure to the sun and the elements causes the foam to deteriorate and distort shape, reducing the protection it can offer.
Brush Gutter Guards
Another popular and affordable gutter guard solution for homeowners is using brush gutter guards. Sometimes referred to as hedgehog guards, this guard style features many outward bristles designed to push debris and dead leaves down towards the ground. Like the foam inserts, the guard slots directly into the open gutter pipe, often without requiring being affixed.
The densely packed bristles are able to prevent large debris from entering the guttering system while ensuring rainwater is unobstructed. However, whilst the bristles can prevent a lot of debris, they are not a complete solution and homeowners often still have to climb their ladder and remove smaller pieces that have found their way through the bristles. Some of the cheapest options actually tend to trap more debris than block it so this is something worth bearing in mind.
The material used to make brush gutter guards can also be somewhat of a fire hazard, so if your property is in an area prone to bushfires, then they are not a suitable gutter guard solution for your home.
Plastic Covers
Some plastic guards, particularly the more premium styles available on the market, offer fantastic levels of protection; however, the cheapest options on the market are not as effective. These styles of guards are designed to block the gutter completely, with the plastic featuring perforated holes, which are designed to allow rainwater to flow through freely.
One of the biggest issues with plastic guards is that the holes often do not allow water through. During heavy rain, the water rolls off and begins to build up, which can cause significant issues to your property. Another problem many homeowners face is mildew and algae building up, which can further block the holes.
The flat surface created by the plastic guard can also lead to debris building up, which will require homeowners to climb their ladders more frequently to clean them.
Plastic Mesh Guards
Another common and affordable solution for homeowners across Australia is using plastic mesh guards. This is a plastic version of the popular metal mesh guard and is designed to work in the exact same way.
However, despite being designed to operate in the same way as the metal version, the cheap options often result in water cascading straight off it, leading to major structural damage. Over time, exposure to the elements can also lead to plastic warping or fading in colour, making them unsightly and no longer as efficient as designed.
How to choose the right gutter guard
When choosing the right DIY gutter guard for your home, you might be tempted to choose the most affordable solution. However, these do not protect your home sufficiently enough and, over time, will cause you to clean your gutters more regularly or cause rainwater to start pooling, meaning you will need to replace them more frequently.
By investing in the right solution for a DIY gutter guard today, you will enjoy a higher level of protection that will last for a longer period of time. The right guard will depend on the size of your property, the type of gutters you have and the debris you are looking to protect it from.
If you are thinking of installing gutter guards on your property, get in touch with our team today and we can help you find the perfect solution.
At Aussie DIY Solutions, we offer a wide range of gutter guards to suit every possible DIY budget. We provide gutter guard kits & ember guard kits for corrugated, tiled, trimdek® and Klip-Lok® roofs and kits for box gutters and roof valleys.
We also provide solar panel mesh for solar panel protection from birds.
