Do Gutter Guards Work in Heavy Rain?

If you didn’t already know, a gutter system is an exterior feature on your home that consists of horizontal channels located underneath your roof. These horizontal channels are then connected to several downspouts. This system functions by collecting water when it’s raining before diverting it into the downspouts and away from your home and property.

Ultimately, your gutter system functions to help protect your home and landscaping from water related damage. However, traditional styled gutter systems, also known as open faced gutters, have some disadvantages in their design, which can cause clogging. Clogging can be one of the reasons why water damage may occur. As a result, some homeowners may choose to install gutter guards onto their gutter systems to help prevent this type of issue from happening. However, a common question that many homeowners have is: “do gutter guards work in heavy rain?” Therefore, we are going to answer this question in detail to provide you with a better understanding of whether gutter guards are worth installing on your home.

Do gutter guards work in heavy rain?

As mentioned, gutter guards are a secondary protection feature that attach onto the top of open faced gutter systems to help prevent fallen leaves, twigs, and other debris from falling into your gutters and causing them to clog over time. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that they will protect your home from heavy rainfall, as their main purpose is to protect against debris. Typically, there is nothing attached to the gutter guards that is going to slow down the rainwater from entering your gutter system.

Why does rain run over my gutters?

Some gutter guards may not be able to prevent all fallen debris from collecting in the bottom of your gutter system. Therefore, you still may experience clogging of your gutters over time if you do not maintain them correctly. As a result, during heavy rainfall, if your gutter system and gutter guards are unable to divert and drain the collected water away from your home quick enough, you might experience excess water flowing over the sides and soaking into your surrounding property. This could also lead to potential water damage such as:

• Flooding in your basement
• Leaks in the upper levels of your home
• Staining on the sides of your home
• The growth of mold, mildew, and rust
• Erosion of your landscaping
• Rotting of your home
• Insect and pest infestations

How do you stop heavy rainwater from jumping the gutter?

During heavy rainfall, the speed at which water hits your roof and drains into your gutter system can become severely impacted, causing it to jump over the gutters, rather than into it. This could end up causing moisture damage and can sometimes be caused by too much overhang of your shingles at the edge of your roof. Therefore, here are some tips to help rectify the problem and prevent heavy rain from jumping your gutters in the future.

• If your shingles extend too far past the edge of your roof, consider trimming them slightly to ensure they end just past the edge flashing.
• Install gutter splash guards to guide the rainwater from spilling over the edge of your roof valleys.
• Ensure that your gutters were installed properly. When installed, your gutters are placed at a slight angle to ensure the water is able to flow into your downspouts correctly. However, if the gutter pitch, or angle is too low, then the water will pool and overflow, rather than move towards your downspouts and drain.
• The height of your gutter placement can also cause heavy rainwater to jump over the edge as well. Therefore, if the height of your gutters is too low, it will not collect properly. Accordingly, it should hang just under the edge of your roof for smooth collection.
• The size of your gutters should fit the size and design of your roof. Therefore, if they are too small, they will not be able to manage the amount of water and the force at which it is traveling. Thus, causing the water to shoot outwards. 

Should I remove gutter guards in winter?

Gutter guards can be potentially harmful in the winter, depending on what part of the United States you live in, and how much snow your area receives each year. Here are some of the problems associated with having gutter guards installed during the cooler months:

• The creation of ice dams that can end up causing damage to sections of your roof
• Excess built up snow which can lead to extended moisture exposure on your roof  
• The formation of icicles caused by water flowing over the edges of your gutters and freezing 

Therefore, the best thing you can do is prepare your gutters during the fall to ensure they are ready for the winter months if you live in an area of the United States that experiences harsher winters. You can either remove your gutter guards and clear out any fallen debris regularly to avoid clogging, or you can install gutter heaters. However, some of these options may be costly and time consuming.

How do you slow down water in gutters?

If you are in the market for a new gutter system, it may be worth looking into the many benefits that come with installing LeafGuard® gutters onto your home. LeafGuard® gutters are strategically designed using a one-piece patented system that not only helps prevent debris from falling into your gutters but is also proven to handle up to 32 inches of rainfall per hour. This by the way, is more than three times the amount of the heaviest rainfall that has ever been recorded within the United States!

LeafGuard® gutter systems use an innovative liquid adhesion process that causes the fallen rainwater to adhere onto the top of the gutter system before gliding smoothing into the gutter channel below in a controlled manner. This helps stop rainwater from shooting or dripping over the edges of your gutter system during heavy rainfall which will ultimately help protect your home from any water damage.

Moreover, other benefits of choosing to install LeafGuard® gutter systems onto your home, that you may not know of include:

• Investing in a high-quality gutter system now, especially if you live in an area where heavy rain and snowfall is common, may save you time, money, and the hassle of dealing with inconvenient repairs in the future.
• Unlike other gutter systems and gutter guards, LeafGuard® gutters come sealed with a heavy-duty paint that will not peel, rot, crack, or rust during their lifetime.
• LeafGuard® gutters come in a variety of colors. This way, you can match your gutter system to your exterior design while enhancing your curbside appeal and potentially increasing your property value which will come in handy if you ever decide to sell.
• LeafGuard® gutter systems come with a lifetime clog-free guarantee, saving you the time and stress of diagnosing where potential leaks may be coming from. 
• LeafGuard® gutter systems often require less maintenance throughout the year. Additionally, you should no longer have to worry about cleaning your gutters from fallen debris due to their strategic design.
• LeafGuard® gutters are customizable to fit your home and ensure a seamless installation process. If you choose this type of gutter system over gutter guards, you can expect that the installation process will only take a day to complete so you can get back to your normal routine as soon as possible without worrying about renovation details.
• In addition to their one-piece gutter design, LeafGuard® gutter systems are constructed using a thick, durable aluminum that is 20% thicker than industry standards. Additionally, LeafGuard® downspouts are also 30% larger than other companies on the market. Another benefit of LeafGuard® gutters is that they are supported every two feet along the system, which is twice the industry standard, to make sure they remain protected against severe weather conditions while functioning properly. 

Final Thoughts on Whether Gutter Guards Work in Heavy Rain

As you can see, while there are some benefits to installing gutter guards onto your home, such as preventing fallen debris from clogging your gutters, they may not be able to handle heavy rainfall effectively.

Therefore, if you are ready to update your home’s gutter system with LeafGuard® gutters, the experts at Local Home Pro and our trusted contractors are ready to help get your home renovation project underway as soon as possible. Book your free consultation with us today!