Request a Free Gutter Estimate
In west county, gutters fill up fast. Redwoods drop needles and small twigs all year, bay trees add their own leaves, and in fall the oaks finish the job. Around Sebastopol, on the roads out toward the coast, it's not unusual for a gutter that was cleaned in October to be packed again by January. When gutters clog, water spills over the front, runs behind the gutter into the fascia, and sits in the trough long enough to rust steel and rot wood. Guards cover the top of the gutter so leaves and needles land on the guard instead of inside it, while the rain still gets through. They matter for another reason here as well: dry leaves sitting in an open gutter are exactly what wind-blown embers find during fire season.
Read on for who benefits from guards, how the main types compare, what installation involves and where guards fit in wildfire prep. Guards cut down on cleaning a lot, but they don't end it, so take a look at our gutter cleaning page as well. Most of the homes we fit with guards sit under redwoods, pines or big oaks. Every house gets an honest recommendation from us, including when guards aren't worth the money.
Is Your House a Good Candidate for Guards?
Guards earn their keep on houses with trees over or near the roof. If you're cleaning gutters more than twice a year, finding sprouts or mud growing in them, or seeing water pour over the front during storms even after a cleaning, guards will help. The same goes for gutters on a second story or a steep lot where getting a ladder up safely is a chore. Pine needles are a special case, since they slip through basic screens, so homes under pines need a fine mesh. On the other hand, a one-story house with open sky above it might get by with one cleaning each fall, in which case guards rarely pay off. We'll say so if that's your house.
Metal vs Plastic Guards, and Why Mesh Wins Under Redwoods
Most guards fall into a few types. Micro-mesh is a fine stainless steel screen stretched over an aluminum frame, and it stops almost everything, including redwood needles and the grit that washes off composition shingles. Perforated aluminum screens cost less and handle big oak leaves well, but needles work their way through the holes. Reverse-curve hoods rely on water following the curved front edge into the gutter while leaves slide off, which works best on simple roofs and can overflow in very heavy rain. Foam inserts and plastic screens are the cheapest option, but they hold debris, break down in the sun and can burn. In Sonoma County we steer most homeowners to all-metal micro-mesh, especially under redwoods and pines and anywhere in a fire hazard zone.
How We Put Guards On
We start by cleaning the gutters and flushing the downspouts, since a guard installed over a full gutter just traps the mess. Next we check the gutters themselves. If a run sags, drips or has pulled away from the fascia, we fix that first, or tell you if the gutters are too far gone to be worth covering. Then the guards go on in sections, fastened to the gutter's outer edge and set against the roof edge or the fascia, depending on the guard and the roof. We trim each piece to fit at corners and around downspout outlets so there are no gaps for leaves to sneak through. Most homes take anywhere from a few hours to a full day, and we haul off everything we pulled out of the gutters.
Gutter Guards and Wildfire Prep
Embers can travel well ahead of a fire's flames, and dry leaves and needles collected in a gutter sit right at the roof edge, one of the spots fire safety groups tell homeowners to keep clear. Metal guards help by keeping that fuel out of the gutter in the first place. California's wildland-urban interface code already asks for this on new homes in mapped fire hazard zones: metal gutters, with an approved device to keep debris out. Even where the rule doesn't apply, the same logic holds. For homes near open land or heavy trees around Guerneville, we recommend all-metal guards and a quick check before fire season, since guards reduce debris but don't make the roof edge fireproof.
Guards work best on gutters that drain well, so if water still pools by your foundation, see our downspouts and drainage page.
Common Questions
A few. Fine debris and pollen can build up on top of mesh guards, especially under redwoods, so they still need an occasional rinse or brushing. Cheap screens and foam inserts can clog, sag or break down within a few years. In very heavy rain, reverse-curve hoods can let water shoot past the gutter. And guards cost money up front. For homes with trees overhead, the time and ladder work they save usually more than makes up for it.
Start with what's falling on your roof. Big oak leaves are easy to stop, while pine and redwood needles need a fine micro-mesh. Then look at your gutters, because guards only work on gutters that are solid and pitched correctly. In Sonoma County, fire risk is the third factor, which rules out foam and plastic for most homes. On the estimate visit we weigh all three and recommend one guard, not a menu of them.
For most Sonoma County homes, yes. Plastic and vinyl guards can melt or burn when embers land on them, and once they soften they can drop debris right into the gutter. Foam inserts are worse, since they hold dry leaves inside the gutter and are combustible themselves. All-metal guards, whether aluminum or stainless steel mesh, cost more up front but won't add fuel at the roof edge.