Last week we told you about a little near disaster we had with a clogged downspout.
The other problem we’ve been having stems from some sort of design flaw while installing the gutter guard that was in place when we moved in. Or maybe just lack of attention to (obvious) detail. Our kitchen was an addition built sometime in the 1960s (maybe ???) and the roof over it differs from the rest of the house. The shingles are different and the drainage system is different.
The gutter guards however are the same. Since there aren’t any shingles to fold over the gutter guard, anything and everything can make its way into the gutter.
The remedy we’ve come up with is a different style guard we got at Lowes. (Durabuilt Rain Removal Gutter Protection) It has a rubber edge that acts as a seal to keep the debris from sliding down the roof into the gutter. DUH! Here’s a side by side of the old vs new as I was doing the installation.
Rather than sliding under the guard and into the gutter and down the spout, the leaves stop on top or just fall over the edge. It may require a little maintenance to keep the tops clear, but its definitely less work than what needed to be done before. If you’ve ever smelled the gunk that’s collected in a gutter, you’ll understand.
Fresh Nest Blog 