Gutters can be victimized by Mother Nature in many different ways; everything from rust and corrosion to wind, ice, and snow can cause damage to gutter systems. But there’s one enemy of gutters that really has the potential to wreak havoc: hail.

That’s what Eltham College in Australia found out on Christmas Day, 2011.

theage.com.au

The man with the sunglasses is holding what’s left of the gutters from one of the school buildings at the northern Melbourne college. It’s been over a month since a December 25 hailstorm swept across the Australian state of Victoria on the southern coast of the nation. But the damage was so severe that it forced Eltham to remove the hail-smashed gutters from several of its structures.

Thankfully, hail damage of this magnitude to gutters is rare. A more typical case looks much like this:

dreamhomecompany.com

This Indianapolis home was damaged from a hailstorm in July of 2010. As you can see, it almost looks like someone took a hammer and pounded the inside of the gutters. It’s not uncommon for hail damage to occur from the inside out in gutters, because the mouth of the gutters face the sky and provide a wide area to collect hailstones.

However, hail damage can also occur to the outside of a gutter.

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In fact, the hailstones don’t need to be that large to cause gutter damage. Stones that are about 3/4 of an inch in diameter (or smaller than a golf ball) can cause dents and bumps in many gutters — especially if the storm is accompanied by high winds.

It’s not just gutters that can get dinged up. Hail can also harm gutter guards:

yelp.com

A storm in September of 2010 in Painesville, Ohio resulted in deep dents and crevices on this home’s gutter guards — although it appears that the gutters themselves escaped serious harm.

And downspouts won’t escape the wrath of hailstorms either.

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iptop-restoration.com

If the downspouts are exposed to the direction from which the storm is rolling in, they could bear the brunt of the hailstones’ fury.

Thankfully, homeowners’ insurance policies usually cover hail damage. This means that once a policy’s deductible is met, any gutter repairs or replacements won’t cost the homeowner a dime. An inspector hired by the insurance company will have to come out and assess the damage before any repair work begins. And if a storm pounded a large number of homes in your area, then it may take a while for contractors to get you on their schedule. But in the end, you will wind up with gutters that are untouched by the harshness of hailstones.

Until the next hailstorm, that is.

In all seriousness, there is a big debate about whether salting your gutters is a good idea. So let’s weigh the pros and cons.

Pros

There are some individuals who swear by putting salt in their gutters. One of the best ways to do this is to pour rock salt into a large sock, stocking, or panty hose section, secure the open end with twine, and place these items of clothing perpendicular to the gutter section about 18 inches apart along your roofline. The end of each salt-filled “container” should hang over the gutter a little bit. You can also tie several of these containers together and place them in each downspout to melt ice there.

Gutter salting proponents note that the salt will melt any ice buildup in your gutters (like it does on sidewalks, driveways, and other flat surfaces). The melted ice will then run easily through your gutter system, and ice dams will dissolve and allow runoff water from your roof to enter your gutters.

Cons

Opponents of gutter salting point to the potential damage that salt can do. Even regular rock salt has the potential to change the color of your roof or adversely affect its structural integrity. In addition, salt can be corrosive enough to damage aluminum gutters, as well as metal flashings and downspouts. Finally, the salt can mix in with the water that drains out of gutters and downspouts — which can then fall on the flora in your yard and weaken or kill plants, grasses, shrubs, or flowers. These harmful effects can be magnified if you use calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, and other chemicals instead of regular salt.

So What Should You Do?

In the end, it’s really each homeowner’s decision as to whether or not their gutters should be salted. Factors to consider include:

• the number of snow and ice days each year
• the amount of plants or grasses that sit right next to the home
• the type of metal used in roofline guttering and flashing.

Another alternative is to consider more fixed solutions like gutter guards or roof-heating systems to prevent ice dams from building up. But at the end of the day, each person should weigh the benefits against the potential long-term risks — and then make an informed decision about salted gutters.

Nowadays, people are finding other ways to express their creativity through gutter installation. Here are eight of the best efforts we found.

1.

latimesblogs.latimes.com

This is one of those houses where traditional gutters would have stuck out like a sore thumb. That’s why the homeowner went with metallic exterior gutters that were positioned in straight lines and sharp angles.

2.

cre8ive-photo.com

The challenge was to get the runoff water from the upper story of this home onto the ground instead of the downstairs patio. This boxy copper design accomplished that goal with style and pizzazz.

3.

dipity.com

For a house with an exterior that exudes old-world charm, you can’t settle for gutters that scream new-world humdrum. These metallic gutters were angled and painted to blend in with the façade and not draw the eye away from the home’s timeless beauty.

4.

copper-by-design.com

On the other hand, some homeowners want to utilize gutters to accent their dwelling’s appearance. Installing some of these intricately-designed copper scuppers and downspouts add a unique touch to a home while ensuring proper runoff water collection and direction.

5.

cre8ive-photo.com

Traditional gutters don’t match up very well with the outdoorsy, old-west lodge look. That’s why this homeowner went with a rounded gutter fashioned to look like the wood which was found on many log cabins in the 19th century.

6.

copperexclusive.com

If a structure was built with a heavy dose of European design, then American-style gutters will simply not suffice. The gutter pieces on this home illustrate two things: that leaderboxes can be customized for an ornate and decorative look, and that copper gutters do not have to be copper-colored.

7.

rutlandguttering.com

If you have a semicircular roof over your porch, then you’ll have to get creative with your guttering. This homeowner selected half round copper gutters with a continuously curved radius that were accompanied by cast copper decorative pineapple theme downspout brackets and decorative copper gutter hangers.

8.

coloradoseamlessgutters.com

But the most innovative award definitely goes to this homeowner, who wanted runoff water directed to a specific spot on the property. Billed as an “alternative sculpture downspout,” this series of gutters uses rounded sections in a “step-down” configuration to provide accurate drainage in an incredibly artistic manner.

So how often should you have your gutters cleaned?

Most experts agree that the rule of thumb is twice per year, with one of those cleanings occurring after the leaves have dropped from the trees. Another way to remember this is to clean your gutters as often as you pay your auto insurance premiums, replace your smoke detector batteries, or change your clocks.

However, some homes require gutter cleaning more often than two times each year. Some of the factors which may necessitate a more frequent cleaning schedule include:

• the presence of trees that hang over your roof
• frequent heavy rains which wash roof debris into your gutters
• a “downhill” positioning of your home, where one or more nearby houses or structures are at a slightly higher elevation (which allows debris from those buildings to blow onto your roof)
• a lack of gutter covers

However, there are steps you can take to reduce the number of times each year that you have to clean out your gutters, such as:

• installing gutter guards or screens to keep debris out
• installing seamless gutters so that leaves and pine needles don’t get stuck in gutter seams
• inspecting your gutters at least once a year to make sure they are still lying flush against your eaves in order to prevent misalignment and its resulting clogs
• flushing out your downspouts and making sure they are not blocked by debris

Now, the final question: should you clean out your gutters yourself, or should you hire a professional to do it?

There is no single correct answer. You should weigh the costs of such a service against the time you would spend doing it yourself. Gutter cleaning can cost as little as $75 depending on the size of your home; and servicemen will also check for leaks and cracks while completely removing all debris and blockages throughout your gutter system. If you’re still unsure, then clean your gutters yourself the first time and then hire a service for the other semiannual cleaning. That should help you reach a decision for how you handle gutter cleaning in future years

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-        How hard is the job, and how long will it take?  Is it something they’ll have to do every day, or something that will only be done once?

-        Do you have the tools available to let them get the job done safely?

-        Have they already committed to something else?  If your teen is actually spending their summer working a paying job, going to summer school, or otherwise accomplishing something, it’s worth going light on them.

As for motivation, cash is, of course, the traditional motivator.  Generally, for jobs around the house, the going rate for a small task is $3-$5, while a big task, like getting the lawn cleared, raking, or other heavy, time-consuming work is generally $10 or higher.  But if your teen is saving for a major purchase, like a game console or a car, consider offering them a package of chores and in exchange you’ll match what they’ve saved at the end of the summer.

Now, what should they do to earn that pay envelope?  Here are five ideas:

-        Cleaning the gutters. It’s an ideal job for a teenager, after all: slow, boring, messy, and time-consuming.  Also, it’ll teach them not to throw things in the gutter.  It’s also a one-time chore that allows you to set higher rewards.

-        Mowing the lawn. This is great for busy teens, as the lawn generally needs a mowing once or twice a month, not constant daily care.

-        Resealing the driveway. Driveway sealing is many things: hot, unpleasant, and likely to get you covered in black sludge.  In other words, it’s a job you want to do close to home.  It’s also fairly simple to do well, which is a definite bonus. Obviously this would cost you more than $10.

-        Painting the outside of the house. Need something painted?  A teen with free time can get the paint up and the job done, especially since it doesn’t require much finesse…just some painter’s tape and a little patience.

-        Cleaning the windows on the outside. Once again, it’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it.  If you live in a one-story house, you can just leave your teenager unsupervised and go do something else, like nap.

Remember, always be fair to your teenager and respect their time.  It may seem like they’re doing nothing (and they probably are), but they need to learn that chores are something rewarding, not something Dad annoys them with.  Unless they’re being brats, in which case, heap it on.

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Generally, it’s nice that your neighbors take an interest in maintaining their homes; cleaning their siding, getting their gutter free of standing water, maintaining their landscaping, that kind of thing.  It keeps up property values, it makes a good impression on visitors and prospective homeowners, and it just looks nice.  All of this is true … unless you live next to eighty-year-old Kevin Lavelle.

Lavelle, of the town of Stockport in the U.K., was a conscientious handyman, keeping his house exterior clean and neat. But he forgot one rather important aspect of it: wearing pants.  Or a shirt.  Or anything else.

Yes, Lavelle did all his outdoor chores completely nude.  Why is really known only to him, but he’s not alone: leaving aside the fact that nudists are fairly common, albeit usually in places where we can’t see them, there are events like World Naked Gardening Day (you’ll have to Google it), celebrating frolicking in nature while in your birthday suit.

For most of us, that raises the question of how you deal with burrs, thorns, insects finding new and exciting places in your body to bite, and so on. But hey, to each their own.  We’re sure they use lots of insect repellant and step carefully, and hopefully have a lot of very high fences.

Advocates of running around a garden without your pants insist it just feels nice to be outside naked.  Whether it’s nice for anybody else who might wander by and see what’s happening is not a question the WNGD organizers have addressed.

So, how did Lavelle’s neighbors react to the sight of their neighbor trimming the roses in the buff?  They called the police, who, upon arriving (and promptly looking away), arrested Lavelle.

Lavelle is currently under house arrest and will be on the sex offender register for seven years, which seems a bit much since all he was doing was walking around naked on his own property without a fence.  That seems like more of the “stern-talking-to” type of offense.  “Sir, please put on some pants.  Yes, a tight Speedo will be fine.  Well, not fine, but you know what we mean.”

For us, this is a conundrum: would we rather have our neighbors maintain their homes and lawns nude, or not at all?

On the pro side, any maintenance to a home is a good thing: it looks good, it keeps the neighborhood values up, and it gives everyone a sense of pride in where they live.

On the other hand, we can see that sense of pride being immediately negated by the fact that we all know exactly what the neighbors look like, and we’re assuming that’s a terrifying sight.  Even if your neighbors are all perfectly chiseled and attractive people, there’s still the fact that you can never hold a dinner party again.

You know what?  Here’s the solution: if you want to do your chores nude, sit around your house naked and call a handyman service to do them for you.  That way, everyone wins.

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If you’ve already started looking for gutter protectors, you’re probably well aware that there are various brands and types of gutter protectors to choose from. Here are five questions to ask yourself before purchasing one.

Source: http://www.sxc.hu

1. Can I install them myself? If you buy your gutter protectors at the hardware store or home improvement center, ask a sales associate whether they recommend letting contractors install them or doing it yourself. If you’re looking at a certain product that you’ve seen advertised somewhere, be aware that certain types of gutter protectors require that the company or dealer install them.

1. How are installation costs figured? If you need to have your gutter protectors installed by someone else, be sure to ask not only for a cost estimate, but also how the company arrives at that figure. Is it a flat fee based on the square footage of your home, or does the installer charge by the linear foot? Will you be charged extra for a multistory home or for each corner or bend? Make sure you understand the contractor’s cost structure before agreeing to any installation job.

1. Do you guarantee the results? Many companies like to toss around the word “guarantee” when talking about their service, but you should inquire as to exactly what products or results are being guaranteed. Are they only guaranteeing their labor? Or do they promote some type of “no-clog guarantee” for your gutters? If the latter is the case, determine what constitutes a clog and identify the procedure for getting the company to remedy the situation. Finally, if they are guaranteeing that they are giving you the lowest price, figure out how they will compensate you if you find a better deal elsewhere.

1. What kind of warranty do these gutter protectors have? Most products come with some type of warranty, but some installers will claim that their gutter protectors will last for a certain period of time (or forever). Be sure to ask them what must happen to your gutters before they will replace them under warranty (i.e., rust spots, leaks or cracks, allowing debris to clog gutters, falling off your roof, etc.). Many contractors are counting on homeowners to ignore a warranty’s fine print, so be sure to educate yourself and keep track as to whether the gutter protectors are lasting as long as they should.

1. Will installing these gutter protectors void my roof warranty? This is one aspect of gutter protectors that consumers often don’t think about. While many gutter protectors simply lay atop your gutter or fasten to the gutters themselves, certain products attach directly to the side or top of your roof. In these cases, the installation of these products may cause a roof’s warranty to become null and void. If your roof is beyond its warranty period, then this won’t apply to you. Otherwise, find your most recent roofing contract and check to see if it has a warranty which covers leaks – and whether or not gutter protectors will violate the terms of the agreement.

Installing gutter protectors is a serious investment, so you want to make the right choice the first time. That’s why it’s vital to ask questions before putting the gutter protectors on your home.

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Chipmunks. Sometimes, Alvin and his friends like to cause a little mischief in your gutters. You can try to keep them out by affixing hardware mesh cloth over your gutter downspout openings. Or you can use rat poison to get rid of them for good.

Squirrels. These rodents seem to be everywhere, including your gutters. But the truth is that squirrels can only get into your gutters if they have access to your roof. So keep overhanging tree limbs pruned back from your roofline. If you have telephone or electrical wires running over your house, consider putting baffles on them so squirrels can’t tightrope their way onto your roof.

Birds. Even our fine-feathered friends may try to build a nest in a gutter or a downspout. One way to discourage birds’ nest-building is to cover the gutter with a gutter guard. Since birds do not like objects looming over their heads, they will look for other places to construct their nests.

Raccoons. Okay, so they don’t really have laser-light eyes like the one in this photo. But these pesky and crafty creatures can root around in your gutters and cause damage. The most effective way to get rid of them is by using a metal cage trap. The doors on these animal traps are rigged to slam shut when the animal trips a mechanism inside them.

Possums. See raccoons (above).

Feral cats. If you have feral cats in your area, some of them may try to chill out in your gutters after climbing atop your house. There really isn’t any product on the market that can repel cats (and you can’t put a dog on a roof), so your best bet is to trap them and take them to your local shelter or animal control office.

Snakes: Yes, it is possible for snakes to make their way into your gutters – either through downspouts or from overhanging tree limbs. There are two main ways to prevent snake infestations: clearing your gutters of debris where they can nest, and eliminating small rodents (the snakes’ main food source) on your property.

Lizards. Most species of lizard are not harmful to humans, but that won’t help calm a family member who freaks out when they see one. Like snakes, the best way to deal with lizards is by taking away their food source — in this case, insects. So step up your pest control efforts near your gutters and throughout your entire yard.

You may love animals, but that doesn’t mean you have to tolerate them living in your gutters. But with a few preventive measures, you can keep the fauna away from your home — and keep runoff water flowing smoothly to its destination.

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How can you get some “leaf relief” for your gutters? Here are four tips:

1. Trim your trees

Start the leaf relief by getting rid of some branches. Climb up onto your roof or a tall ladder and pare back the small limbs that hang over your roof. And then trim another three to four feet away from your roofline so that high winds don’t blow leaves back onto the roof.

2. Invest in gutter protection

There are several different products which can provide you with leaf relief by protecting the insides of your gutters from leaf accumulation. You can install gutter guards, which consist of metal mesh or aluminum covers that allow rainwater to enter your gutter while keeping leaves and other debris out. Or you can place porous strips or “brushy” items inside your gutter than perform the same function.

3. Clean your gutters at least twice a year

To remove the buildup of leaves already in your gutters, you can buy one of many innovative products to make the job easier. There are long spray wands or vacuum extensions that don’t require the use of a ladder to get the leaves out. You can even have a robot provide you with leaf relief if you purchase a remote-controlled gutter cleaner which moves along your gutter and lifts out leaves and twigs.

4. Plant evergreen trees

There’s no better way to achieve leaf relief than by getting rid of leaves at their source. That means removing trees that supply the fallen leaves and/or planting new evergreen trees near your home. If the leaves stay on their limbs year-round, then they won’t end up in your gutters. This is an especially attractive solution if you are building a new home on a vacant lot.

You don’t have to resign yourself to dealing with piles of (sometimes soggy) leaves that clog up your gutters every fall. Planning ahead and taking control of your leafy situation can help you experience the joys of “leaf relief”– and let you enjoy the autumn months even more!

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Judging by the ads you see on the Internet, no-clog gutters are just a phone call or email away. Many companies and contractors market their products and services with the “no-clog” moniker, and a few even offer some sort of warranty or guarantee. But do they work as well as advertised?

One thing to keep in mind: no-clog gutters can still cause problems. Why? Because these products can work so well in keeping things out, they can even prevent water from getting into the gutters. That can lead to runoff/overflow/spillage onto the ground next to your home, which exposes your home to foundation issues over time.

Let’s take a closer look at three gutter protection systems which claim to provide customers with “no-clog gutters.”

1. Gutter Guard. This product claims to be clog-free because of its closed system. The installers actually hang an entirely new gutter, which has a curved portion on top and a small slit on the side, through which water runs into the gutters. The idea is for leaves and debris to bounce off the curved portion. The trouble is, debris can still get caught even in that small opening, which leads to water spillage onto the ground. Plus, it’s much harder to clean out that clog-causing debris because of the closed system.

1. Triangle Gutter Filter. This product’s design involves a sturdy-yet-porous material laid at an angle inside the gutter that holds back debris while allowing water to seep through. The concept is sound, but in practice the debris buildup can get so heavy in places that the water won’t seep through the material. As a result, the runoff often ends up spilling over the gutter’s edge onto the ground.

1. Brush guard. It shares the keep-everything-out-but-water idea embraced by the Triangle Gutter Filter, but instead utilizes a long, spiny “brush” which sits inside the gutter. Leaves and debris are supposed to settle atop the brush while allowing water to drain through the gutters. However, excessive debris accumulation on top of the brush can actually channel the roof water over the gutter entirely – so it falls next to your foundation instead of flowing toward your downspouts.

In short, there really is no system that can truly provide you with no-clog gutters. Your best bet is a type of gutter guard system, which provides a cover to repel debris – a cover that can be removed, if needed, to clean the interior gutters. While many types of gutter protection products can help (even the ones touted as “no-clog gutters”), you shouldn’t believe that they will singlehandedly solve all of your gutter clogging problems.

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