Choosing The Best Gutter Guards For Your Home

Did you swear that last autumn would be the final time you pulled that rickety old ladder out of the shed to scoop and sweep leaves and debris out of your gutters? If so, now is the time to make some decisions on a new solution to prevent water overflow and get rid of all that maintenance hassle. 

Back in the day, there were few options in the gutter market. In order to make sure the water from rain, snow, and ice came off your roof, you had to have an open gutter system to allow precipitation to travel through the connecting downspouts and out away from the foundation of your home. Open gutters, however, allowed not only water but leaves, whirlybird seeds and sticks to also deposit into the gutter, clogging them up and eventually causing overflow unless they were cleaned.

In the autumn, I get hundreds of calls from homeowners for gutter cleaning, many of whom don’t want to do it themselves because of the hassle, danger, and dirty work on the ladder. Luckily, over the past few years, gutter manufacturers have smartened up, creating shields to install over your current gutters, as well as closed gutter systems that can replace your current setup.

Gutter guards come in a variety of materials and sizes, but they are all designed to maximize water flow through while keeping leaves and twigs away from the water channel. The least expensive option is steel mesh screens which slide in and sit above the gutter lip itself. That arch design helps to ensure that debris can’t get stuck in the back of the gutter and they generally come with a five-year warranty against rusting or corrosion.

A step up from mesh screens is a heavy duty aluminum option which can be fitted from the front and back, avoiding the need to remove roof shingles for installation. These products come with a ripple design to prevent leaves from drying on the surface and they are generally backed by a 20-year warranty so you don’t have to worry about replacing them every few seasons. I like these because the design strengthens the gutter which comes in very handy during major snowstorms when many homes in the area suffer from heavy and dangerous ice dams.

Finally, we have the Rolls Royce of gutters, otherwise known as Leaf Relief. These heavy aluminum gutter shields can drain nearly 30 inches of rainfall in one hour, which is 15 inches more than the highest rainfall ever recorded (for inquiring minds, that’s 12 inches in one hour in Holt, Missouri). For homeowners who want no maintenance, this is the gutter product for you. The 25-year no clog, no overflow warranty gives it the same lifespan as a new roof and the inset design makes it invisible from the road. Best of all, dry debris blows away with just a six mile per hour breeze. 

No matter what type of gutter guard you choose, you want to make sure it’s the best product for your home. While any gutter guard will reduce debris getting into your gutter, the right guard will depend on the trees in the area, how much rainfall you get, the position of your home, and the size and age of your current gutters. Once those factors are taken into consideration and the appropriate product is chosen, you can say goodbye to messy cleaning and sit back to enjoy the beautiful falling leaves this autumn.

Bob O’Donnell is the owner of O’Donnell Bros. Inc., a Bristol-based home improvement company established in 1975. Email your questions for Bob to info@odonnellbros.com with the subject line “Ask the Pro.” All questions may be considered for publication. To contact Bob for your remodeling needs, get in touch with us here. Advice is for guidance only.

Get Rid of That Funky Roof Mold

Have patterns of strange, streaky stains appeared on your roof this spring? My phone rings off the hook for roof cleanings this time of year, and as I drive around town, I see so many houses decorated with unsightly roof residue, which frequently emerges during the April rainy season. But what are the stains, why have they suddenly popped up, and what can you do to get rid of it? They are all good questions, so let’s get you some answers.

Stains on the roof are generally algae, which gets carried by wind or birds from roof to roof, and may not be visible until they have enough moisture, heat, and humidity to grow and spread. The manifestation of an algae problem is those black streaks that you see. Now don’t be too alarmed, algae isn’t necessarily going to ruin your roof immediately, but it does affect the curb appeal of your home and the problem could end up damaging and pulling up your shingles if not dealt with for a long period of time.

An interesting fact is that copper, zinc, and lead are toxic to algae, and many newer roof shingles contain copper granules, which act as a barrier against any mold growth. Homes with older roofs won’t benefit from this technology, but it explains why you won’t see algae where metal flashing has been installed. If you’re susceptible to algae and in the market for a new roof, be sure to inquire about this type of shingle.

So now that we know what it is, how do we get rid of it? The easiest way to rid your roof of algae is a good cleaning solution, which can be picked up at the hardware store, applied using a pump sprayer and rinsed with the garden hose. One tip is to give any plants below the roof a good drink of water beforehand so they don’t absorb the solution. If you’re not comfortable on a ladder, call a professional to help you complete this task. A clean roof isn’t worth a trip to the hospital, and a local area home improvement specialist will be able to complete the job in just a few hours.

Once the roof has been cleaned, you might want to do something to prevent the mold from coming back again. As I mentioned, copper, zinc and lead-coated sheet metal are toxic to algae, so installing a strip of flashing will help stop that nasty fungus in its tracks. Choose a strip that’s at least six inches wide, and have it installed at the roof peak to ensure that the metal molecules wash down with the rain and protect the roof from mold build up.

Bob O’Donnell is the owner of O’Donnell Bros. Inc., a Bristol-based home improvement company established in 1975. Email your questions for Bob to info@odonnellbros.com with the subject line “Ask the Pro.” All questions may be considered for publication. To contact Bob for your remodeling needs, call O’Donnell Bros. Inc. at (860) 589-5155 or visit http://www.odonnellbros.com. Advice is for guidance only.

Spring Lawn Care Tips During a Drought

This week’s short patch of warmer weather probably had you thinking about your lawn and wondering what you can do prepare it for summer while the city is still under mandatory water restrictions. Our drought status isn’t likely to be updated until at least May, so in the meantime, I thought it would be a good idea to give you a few tips on how you can try to preserve your grass as we continue through this dry spell.

Of course, grass needs water to grow, but outdoor watering right now is not possible, so first let’s focus on the soil. Healthy soil is key for root systems to grow and with proper aeration and management, soil can actually retain moisture incredibly well. When water is scarce, roots will dig deep to find the nutrients that they need. If they can’t find what they are looking for due to compaction, low pH levels, or layers of dead materials, the roots will start to die off and you’ll find yourself with a brown lawn. However, if your soil is in good shape, you don’t need to water your lawn as much, regardless of our drought status. Here are most common methods of maintaining good soil.

Topdressing is the application of a thin layer of compost to your lawn. The nutrient-rich composition of organic matter in compost can give your lawn the biology boost it needs to stay strong during drought conditions.

Aerating is a method by which a homeowner uses a machine to punch small holes into the lawn, allowing air, water, and nutrients to reach the roots of the lawn easier. This is an excellent practice during drought times as it allows what little precipitation we may get to reach the most important part of the lawn faster.

Dethatching is the process that removes old and dead organic materials such as leaves from your lawn. The long winter generally kills anything that isn’t attached to roots, and these materials can get compacted into your lawn, placing a barrier between your grass and the sun, air, and water it needs to grow. Removing the thatch is key to let the new, living material get to the surface.

Once your soil is in tip-top shape, you can decide whether to try and preserve the grass you have or look for a drought tolerant alternative. If you’d like to try and keep your grass until the drought lets up, mow it as infrequently as possible and cut it at the highest setting on your lawn mower.

For those who are interested in drought-tolerant grasses, some of the most popular warm season varieties include Bermuda grass, Zoysia grass, and Buffalo grass, but each variety performs differently depending on the amount of sun and traffic they get, as well as the soil composition.

Hopefully, we won’t need to worry about drought tolerant lawn care in the near future, but if you are looking to make a major change with your landscaping, always consult with a professional who can help you choose which solution is right for your needs.

Bob O’Donnell is the owner of O’Donnell Bros. Inc., a Bristol-based home improvement company established in 1975. Email your questions for Bob to info@odonnellbros.com with the subject line “Ask the Pro.” All questions may be considered for publication. To contact Bob for your remodeling needs, call O’Donnell Bros. Inc. at (860) 589-5155 or visit http://www.odonnellbros.com. Advice is for guidance only.