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Gutter protection systems are designed to repel solid debris like leaves, pine needles, and particulates, while still allowing runoff water to drain into the gutter troughs and flow toward the downspouts. To this end, several different types of gutter protection products have been created. One of the newest entries into the gutter protection marketplace is called the Gutter Guardian. Let’s take a closer look at this product and compare it to Gutter Helmet®.
What is Gutter Guardian?
Like many other gutter protection systems, Gutter Guardian provides a cover which operates on the “reverse curve” concept. This sloped piece of metal allows water to cling to its surface and run down into the gutter below, while causing solid debris to slide or bounce off and onto the ground below. But the major difference between Gutter Guardian and other similar products is the fact that Gutter Guardian is an all-in-one gutter cover and trough system. This means that a homeowner’s existing gutters must be removed before the Gutter Guardian can be installed.
The Gutter Helmet® Difference
By contrast, Gutter Helmet® fits on top of any currently-installed gutter system in good working order. Its specially-coated, textured, and ribbed surface can accommodate 22 inches of rain per hour (which has never been recorded in the U.S.). Gutter Helmet® has proven to be so effective that it has been approved by numerous major roofing manufacturers. It also has a lifetime transferable warranty
Which One is More Effective?
How well does Gutter Guardian work? It’s difficult to say, since the product’s website provides little more than marketing claims and a few customer testimonials. Furthermore, the website doesn’t even provide very many actual close-up photos of the Gutter Guardian — only animated images.
The company that makes Gutter Guardian, Dixie Home Crafters, is a window installation company which previously offered a gutter protection system (under the name of Gutter Guardian LLC), but for some reason decided to change its product. In other words, the newest Gutter Guardian system (curiously referred to as the Original Gutter Guardian), has not been tested or analyzed in real-world conditions for any length of time.
On the other hand, Gutter Helmet® received its first product patent way back in 1981 and has been a fixture in the gutter protection landscape ever since. It has received accolades from many quarters, including the host of popular TV series Hometime, Dean Johnson. And Gutter Helmet® is guaranteed by the company to last for the lifetime of your home.
Both Gutter Guardian and Gutter Helmet® are installed by professional contractors who are specially trained in their respective products. The cost of each system varies depending on the individual home, so an on-site estimate is required. But since Gutter Guardian is an all-in-one system, the material cost for installing both the gutter and the gutter cover is likely to be higher than that of Gutter Helmet®, which allows its product to be put up over existing gutters.
In the end, it’s up to homeowners to choose the gutter protection system that best suits their needs. If they want to gamble with an untested product and wave goodbye to their existing gutters, then they should choose Gutter Guardian. But if they’d rather go with a quality product that has been keeping gutter systems clog free for decades, then they should contact Gutter Helmet®.
