Installing Gutter Guards

Installing gutter guards on your gutter system can prevent problems such as leaf litter, and other debris. One of the biggest problems with gutters is that rainwater washes everything down into them, so if you live underneath a deciduous tree, or you are close to parks, you may find that your gutters end up clogged with leaves and dented by twigs and branches hitting the sides of the gutters. The gutter guard basically fits over the top of the gutter and prevents leaves from falling into the downspout and other parts of the gutter system. To ensure that litter doesn't clog your gutters, the best solution is to install gutter guards.

Step 1 - Measure the Guards

To ensure that you get a good fit on your gutter, you will need to measure the gutter guards. These come in standard lengths and can be purchased from any local hardware store, so you will get ones that are not properly fitted to your particular gutter. You can amend this by measuring the guards, and then cutting them down to size. Use a pair of scissors, or a handy penknife, to cut down the gutters to the perfect length for your pipes.

Step 2 - Put the Guards Up

The next thing that you will have to do is to lift the guards onto the roof. You could get a friend, family member, or glamorous assistant to help you lift the guards while you stand on the stepladder and move the guards into position. Make sure that you have the guards up the correct way by looking at the guard closely, and then move them slowly along the pipe until they pop into position. You should feel a definite difference when the guard is popped onto the guttering. Make sure that you don't install the pipe before you have fitted it properly, or you may be unable to fit all of the pieces onto the gutter.

Step 3 - Screw into Place

Once the guard has been fitted by connecting it like that, you should then be able to screw the pieces onto the side of the pipes, or onto the roof. This screwing means that the guards cannot be lifted off of the roof by high winds, as this would make them very dangerous. Using your screwdriver, insert a screw into each hole in the gutter guard, and then screw into the wall.

Step 4 - Finishing Up

Once your gutter guards have been installed for a while, it might be a good idea to check that the guards are not full of leaves. They catch a good many leaves, so you may have to clear them out regularly, but it is less sloppy than having to unclog a gutter.