Worried your overflowing gutters could lead to costly foundation damage, mold under your house, or even illegal runoff issues? Are you wondering if gutter guards are actually worth the investment or if they’re just another “solution” that still needs regular cleaning?
At RoofSmart, we install hundreds of gutters and gutter guards every year. Each time, we help the homeowner identify their gutter issues and find the right gutter guard to protect their roof.
We know that Seattle’s non-stop rain and year-round pine needle shedding make gutter maintenance more than just a seasonal task. And we also know that no homeowner wants to spend thousands on a system that doesn’t solve the real problem.
In this article, you’ll get an honest breakdown of what gutter guards actually fix, when they’re worth it, when they’re not, and how to know if they’re the right fit for your Seattle home (or not).
What problems do gutter guards actually solve in Seattle homes?
Before you invest thousands of dollars in installing gutter guards on your roof, it’s worthwhile to investigate how helpful they’ll be. To start, let’s consider the problems that gutter guards fix.
If your gutters aren't working, then that means water is overflowing somewhere. If you're lucky, it's just overflowing the front of the gutter and flooding your land.
Gutters can get filled with debris and clog easily, leading to overflowing water:
But if it floods your landscaping, what happens? Here are the possible consequences of overflowing gutters:
- Water under the house: Flooding your land means water will oversaturate next to your foundation, and you'll get water infiltration under the house because it goes down and disperses. And depending on the slope of the earth around you, it might drain back underneath the house.
- Crumbling, ruined house foundation: Over time, it'll compromise the foundation itself and cause the house to settle, crumble, or collapse (but that takes a while).
- Mold underneath your house: You'll end up with a bunch of moisture in the crawlspace that evaporates up through the structure and creates a bunch of mold.
- Erosion and deterioration of your property: Constant water overflow can eventually lead to erosion of the land, which can ruin your plants and wash away the dirt. You’ll end up with a muddy, rotten wasteland for a yard.
- You cause illegal flooding: Overflowing gutters can be illegal because you're discharging your water runoff onto the surface. And in many jurisdictions, it's required to be tight-lined into a storm sewer. The reason it's supposed to be tight-lined into a storm sewer is to prevent all of the flooding issues mentioned above.
Why do so many Seattle homeowners install gutter guards?
Gutter guards can help protect your gutters from clogging up with debris (like leaves or pine needles).
In most areas, there are usually two shedding seasons for trees: spring (seeds) and fall (leaves). So you have a better chance of getting away with only cleaning the gutters a few times a year.
However, in the Seattle area, we have pine and fir needles that shed constantly, in addition to the regular fall and spring shedding from other trees. This means that Seattle area homeowners have to clean debris out of the gutters more frequently, or they’ll overflow.
Do gutter guards still require maintenance in Seattle?
Here’s the real kicker: gutter guards still require at least some maintenance. While it’s true that they’ll reduce the number of times you have to clean out your gutters, you’ll still have to clean off the gutter guards.
If you don’t clean off your gutter guards, it can eventually cause clogs that lead to overflowing water, and then you’re back to square one with the flooding damage.
In extreme cases, debris build-up can lead to moss growth:
If gutter guards still need cleaning, are they even worth it?
So why would you bother with the gutter guard? If you still have to maintain your home, a properly installed gutter guard should prevent that big problem, right?
The idea behind gutter guards is that they reduce the chances of overflowing and getting water damage. It helps prevent clogging and water build-up that can cause catastrophic problems.
Gutter guards can buy you time between your maintenance. So it's a little bit of a luxury versus having open gutters. It’s the difference between rushing outside when it starts pouring rain to clean debris out of the gutters and waiting until it's sunny to blow debris off the gutter guards.
When are gutter guards a smart investment for my Seattle home?
Gutter guards can be a great addition for homeowners who need help keeping up with their gutter maintenance.
Gutter guards are the right fit for you if:
- You have a lot of trees on your property and near your home
- You’re sick of constantly cleaning out your gutters
- Your gutters are constantly clogged with debris, causing water to overflow
- You’re worried about your underground drains filling up or clogging
- You don’t have separate sewer and storm drains (everything goes to septic, even though your gutter shouldn't drain into that)
When should you not get gutter guards in Seattle?
However, just because gutter guards are a great solution for some Seattle-area homeowners, it doesn’t mean that they’re the right fit for you.
Here are situations when gutter guards might not be best for your home:
- You’re moving out of your house soon
- You're young and able-bodied and have more time than money
- There aren’t a lot of trees near your house
- You only get moss on your roof, but not tree debris
- You have built-in gutters
- You have a flat roof
Most homeowners in the Seattle area have a traditional sloped roof and trees on their properties. But some residents have flat roofs, which aren’t really compatible with gutter guards.
Or, if you’re further away from Seattle, you might have found property with no trees. This is rare, but we have inspected a few homes like this.
How much should you expect to pay for gutter guards in Seattle?
At this point, you know that gutter guards can reduce the risk of water damage, clogged drains, and constant cleanings, especially in a climate like Seattle’s. But they’re not for everyone, and they’re not a magic fix. The real value comes when you understand what problem you’re solving, and whether that value justifies the investment.
Now that you’ve learned what gutter guards do (and don’t) fix, and whether they’re a good fit for your home, the next step to decide if you want gutter guards is to figure out what they’ll actually cost.
At RoofSmart, we’ve helped hundreds of Seattle homeowners navigate this decision with confidence.
Start by reading our article “How Much Do Gutter Guard Installations Cost in Seattle? A Pricing Guide for Homeowners” to learn what drives the price, why costs vary, and what you can expect to pay based on your home and gutter type, so you can move forward informed and confident.
Topics:
