Gutter Guards Improve Gutters

What is a gutter guard, and why do I need it?

Most homes and buildings these days have roof gutters that collect and divert rain water. These are great because when going in and out of your home during a rain storm means avoiding a serious waterfall and getting you soaking wet. It also means preventing flooding in the foundation, seeping into the basement, or even water damage to gardens. When a massive rainstorm moves through, water is diverted into water collection barrels to use later, or maybe is forced into the city drainage and away from the property. However, when the gutters get filled with debris, they can’t work efficiently. Leaves, dirt, and other gunk backs up the gutter water, not allowing it to release as intended.

This backup can cause serious damage! The collecting rainwater can flood into the eaves, causing water damage. The water can also begin to flood over the top of the gutter, causing the exact damage the gutter was installed to prevent. The weight of the water can cause bending or sagging, or if the water stands long enough, it can become home to breeding mosquitos.

A gutter guard, however, will prevent not only clogging, but also keep you from constantly having to clean out your gutters, which is absolutely no fun. They operate by covering the otherwise open gutter just enough to keep large debris out while still collecting as much water as possible.

Are there different types of gutter guards?

There are two categories of guards: covers and screens. Screens allow more water than covers, but also allow in smaller items such as tiny blooms from trees. These are things to consider when choosing a gutter guard. Within these two categories, there are five main types of guards:

• Foam-This plastic screen sits in the gutter itself, blocking debris but not water
• Bottle Brush- Just as the name implies, this guard is made of bristles like a brush; debris is collected by the brush while water trickles into the gutter
• Nylon- Guards made of this material work best in winter because the design and material prevent snow build up
• Mesh- These metal sheets are just like screen doors for the top of your gutter
• Reverse Curve- As the name suggests, the curve is reversed to push leaves and debris out of the gutter completely, while still collecting water

What should I know before installing a gutter guard?

• Gutter guards can be installed right to the gutters you already have
• Aside from blocking out leaves, guards also keep out rodents or birds from making a nest
• Guards mean less gutter cleaning duty; this also means the gutters will last longer since there won’t be debris to decay the material
• By filtering out elements, you’ll have more efficient rain water collection

Not all guards are the same, however.  Investigate and purchase the highest quality possible and have them installed by a professional.

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Snow Guards Save Lives and Property

Snow guards are vital for home owners and property managers alike, especially when maintaining sloping roof tops in snow and ice conditions.

There you are, minding your own business walking in to work when suddenly whoomp! A roof avalanche takes you out. Or worse yet, the same situation occurs, only you are the business owner, your employee happened directly beneath the falling ice, and now you are liable for the injuries befalling your employee. Falling snow and ice from sloped roof-tops can make dangerous situations both for people and their property in winter. But this can all be prevented with snow guards.

So, what is a snow guard?

A snow guard is a device, most likely made from metal or plastic, that protrudes from the roof. The purpose: to prevent accumulated snow and even ice from avalanching down off the roof and onto you, a guest, animals, your car, trees, or anything else valuable that can be damaged from the heavy snow and ice. It does this by slowly melting sections or at least controlling how much debris can fall at any given time. Amazingly, the guards can be matched to your roof so that they seem invisible!

Can I install snow guards myself?

Installing guards is best left to professional installers. The handyman or homeowner who tries to install a system may do so incorrectly, which potentially could cause more damage to the roof. If the pattern isn’t correct or if the attachment isn’t solid enough, it could increase possible damage to shingles, gutters, or other property. A licensed and practiced roofer can install the system for you since they have experience taking into account roofing type and thickness, slope of the roof, and even possible snow loads. This then determines the pattern, placement, and guard size or material.

Snow guard basics
Though you should talk to a professional installer, the basics of how the guards work is:
• Begin with high quality products that match the type of roof you have
• The guards should be placed as to hold snow and ice where it is, so several rows are necessary
• Have the roof pitch, roof dimensions, and selected snow guard (what color or decoration you are interested in) ready to give a professional installer
• The guards should be then placed in a staggered fashion across the roof

So, what kind of snow guards are there?

There are so many different types of guards to choose from to meet your needs. You can choose from material type, roof type, and even decor. The type of guard installed depends entirely on your roof, and your aesthetic choices. The following list is not comprehensive, but is just an example of what kinds of snow guards you will need based on your roof:

• Tile- Tile roofs require Pad-Style or Pipe-Style fittings
• Metal- Metal roofs will require Fence-style, Pad-Style, or Pipe-style fittings
• Solar Panels- Solar Panels require specific fittings meant just for solar arrays
• Shingle- Shingled roofs require Pad-Style or Pipe-Style





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What is a Rain Chain?

So what is a rain chain and how will it help your home?

A rain chain is a unique alternative to having the more common and traditional downspout that helps drain the gutters. The rain chain uses a collection of cups and chains where the water will flow from the gutter and down to the ground. It's a lot more visually beautiful to have instead of a much longer downspout that resembles a pole.

Additionally, a rain chain will also provide some easy listening acoustics that range from a small trickling of water traveling down the chain and all the way up to what can sound like a miniature waterfall.

History

The rain chain was first developed in Japan to create a water feature that carried water down to either a drain or storage container as a way of storing rain water. Some families in Japan, hundreds of years ago, even had the water deposited into larger barrels for the household to use down the road - for tasks such as baths, cooking, and laundry.

In many homes and temples, the Japanese would have the water from the rain chain flow into ceramic or stone pots to collect the rain as a way of providing even more of a display for the water collection. Even here in the United States, there are people who will want to have redwood or cedar containers underneath each rain chain - with smaller decorative pebbles inside the container.

Usually, the rain being collected regularly, would help moss grow in between the pebbles. There are also instances when some would use a paver tile or stones to help break the water's fall.

Japanese temples had also incorporated the rain chain into the design of the buildings to add even more visual beauty when people would come to frequent. A similar product was also found in South America where the rain chain was considered a better option than machine downspouts.

Natural benefits

The idea of having a rain chain is how it can be linked to the Japanese term of feng shui - literally meaning "wind and water" 

- which is the art of moving matter in a specific order in an effort to create harmony within the environment. It is a practice that has been used for thousands of years in Asian

In feng shui, there is another term of "chi" that represents the universal energy that surrounds us. Finding a balance between people and the natural elements of the environment is considered good chi. In a lot of ways, both can be accomplished with a combination of having a few rain chains as a way to have a peaceful and tranquil way to connect with nature.

Installation

The installation of a rain chain is very basic in nature and only involves having to hang the chain from a hole where the gutter's downspout would usually hang and utilizing the attachment pieces that usually come with the gutter kit. In the event of a mismatch between the hole in the gutter and the chain, one might have to purchase a new installation kit to make the hole smaller to enable the water to trickle into the rain chain.

GutterSupply.com usually sells each type of rain chain at about eight and a half feet with nearly 20 cups per chain. Each style features cups and flower patterned cups that are open at the bottom to allow the flow of water.

More information

Additionally, GutterSupply.com will also offer various types of metal that compose the different rain chains - aluminum, copper, galvanized steel and zinc. The online gutter supply store also offers a vinyl gutter rain chain. For more information about the different styles and composition types of rain chains, as well as pricing, you can visit GutterSupply.com and click on the corresponding links for rain chains.

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