Gutter Guards: Do they work?

Posted on November 19, 2014January 17, 2018

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Don’t get caught up in the hype before you read this important article.

Gutter cleaning is my favourite task, said no-one, ever. So it comes as no surprise that a host of solutions in the form of guards and screens are advertised to prevent your gutters from clogging and save you from what could be a dangerous household task. However not everyone agrees they are worth the time, cost, and effort to have them installed.

Gutter guards and screens are sold on the premise that they will perform three jobs for the homeowner:

1. Keep leaves and debris out of the gutter.

2. Catch all the water.

3. Be able to be maintained easily by homeowner

Gutter guards fall into two categories: gutter covers and screens. Screens are wire mesh, nylon or foam, cheap to install. Screens do help with the necessity of cleaning but some debris is small enough to pass through the screen. This material decomposes while holding moisture in forming a sludge that after time causes blockages.

Covers sit onto of your gutters and limit water flow because they cover the gutters. during heavy rain these systems are shown not to catch the water, but cascade over the edge onto the ground below. In mild to heavy conditions virtually all guards and screens fail to do all three tasks effectively.

Pros of using gutter guards:

• Prevent birds and rodents from nesting
• Eliminate need for frequent cleaning

Cons of using gutter guards:

• Can be expensive. $700-several thousand dollars.
• Not 100% foolproof. Require additional cleaning
• Some systems practically ineffective, shop carefully
• Leaning a ladder (as in hanging Christmas lights) against a guard will dent and reduce effectiveness –

Homeowners shouldn’t expect that gutter guard systems will be maintenance free, and some guard systems are harder to clean once clogged. In some cases the cost of the gutter guard system can cost more than several years of professional gutter cleaning. Depending on your situation, such as the height of the home or amount of trees around the home it may make more sense to hire a professional cleaner.

We’ve been using IMAGINE Maintenance to do the annual top to bottom high dusting and window cleaning at our North Vancouver retail shopping center for 5 years. They have a proven track record for understanding our needs, planning ahead, staffing appropriately, and coming to the job prepared. They’ve proven time and again that they can meet our expectations on time and have provided valuable insight to the condition of our building above what we thought we already knew. Their clean uniforms and pleasant demeanour make them easy to identify and communicate with and their approach to customer service has made it very easy to sort out any discrepancies with minimal fuss. I have no reservations about recommending IMAGINE Maintenance to manage any property cleaning project.

– Lonsdale Quay Market

Our commercial building is comprised of mixed use tenancies which consist mainly of high-end retail. Thus, the appearance of this area is extremely important. We recently contracted IMAGINE Maintenance to clean the awnings at the retail level and found their work to be coordinated efficiently and completed in a timely manner which reduced any inconvenience to our Tenants. Their cleaning methods made the awnings appear almost brand new. We would definitely recommend this company.

– Warrington PCI (Property Management)

We began our relationship with IMAGINE Maintenance in 2013 when we started piecing out the more complex components of our maintenance projects to outside companies. We soon recognized the value in their service and their ability to adapt to our clients’ strict security, record keeping, and trades policies. They have had challenging logistics to work with and deadlines to meet and have proven to be more than capable. They conduct themselves professionally and with an emphasis on safety, which is of utmost concern for our organization. We continue to rely on IMAGINE when large challenging projects emerge and have every confidence in their ability to deliver. I recommend they be given serious consideration for your project.

– Compass Group Canada – Eurest Services

IMAGINE Maintenance has been maintaining the windows at our flagship location since our grand opening in 2010. Not only was it important to us that our chosen vendor be competitively priced, reliable, insured and with good references, but also to provide a plan for safe work around our inventory. IMAGINE has delivered on every promise and will continue to be our trusted window cleaning vendor.

– A.K. (Controller, Ferrari Maserati of Vancouver)

I had the IMAGINE team clean my fabric awnings on my home. They returned my email very promptly and set up an appt to give me an estimate for the cost of the work. Initial contact to arrival was within a few days. After that, they provided me with an estimate that I felt was very reasonable and told them to proceed with the work. Again from the time I gave the go ahead to the service appointment, it was all within a week. Very efficient. Two men arrived and carried out the work within 1.5 hours. They were pleasant, knowledgeable and professional. I will have them return when my awnings will be in need of service again. I would recommend this company as my experience with them was 100%. I am sure you will not be disappointed.

– D.D. (Home Owner, Burnaby)

Our commercial building is comprised of mixed use tenancies which consist of mainly high-end retail. Thus, appearance is extremely important. We recently contracted IMAGINE Maintenance to clean the awnings at the retail level and found their work to be coordinated efficiently and completed in a timely manner which reduced any inconvenience for our tenants. Their cleaning methods made the awnings appear almost brand new. We would definitely recommend this company.

– S.N. (Property Development Group)

After reviewing several contractors’ proposals we hired IMAGINE Maintenance to perform the exterior window cleaning services at our newest facility on Hastings St. Due to a lack of anchors on the roof, preventing rope-style window cleaning, the previous company was only able to clean the first four floors of our six-floor building. They presented us with a proposal that utilized aerial lifts and ensured that every window would be properly cleaned. Also, their proposal included relevant insurance and WCB documentation, combined with a price that met our budget. I was confident we made the right choice. The work was scheduled for a weekend when we are less busy. The crew did a great job and they even managed to clean the difficult to access windows in the alley. I would not hesitate to recommend IMAGINE Maintenance, we have already booked them for next year!

– Union Gospel Mission