Fall brings out the natural beauty of Toledo, Ohio. Known for beautiful yards, gardens and parks, the beauty of fall is in the air. When autumn arrives fluttering leaves fall from the branches and blanket the lawn, roof and, worst of all, the gutters. Just like clock work, the season sends Toledo homeowners to their ladders for the dreaded chore of gutter cleaning.
Protect your Yard and Landscaping with Gutter Guards
Not many people associate gutter guards with landscaping, possibly because they are on the roof while landscaping is, well, down to earth. But there is a close relationship between gutter covers and landscaping – and their messy breakup could cost you money. In fact, one of the purposes of gutter guards is to save you money on landscaping. Here’s how:
Gutter guards protect landscaping from excess water
Gutter covers are meant to channel rainwater away from the house into the drainage system. The better known reason for this is the prevention of rainwater from seeping into the house sidings and damaging the foundation. Gutter guards are also about preventing rainwater from defacing a house’s exterior or spilling into the house through the doorways and windows.But they also prevent the uncontrolled flow of excess water onto the lawn, flower beds, pavement and home garden. This, in turn, prevents lawn damage, grass and other plant diseases, and a deterioration of the pavements. The point: a soggy lawn and withered flowers or trees means the loss of many years’ worth of time and money – and an unnecessary new cost in restoration.
Similarly, landscaping is, besides whatever else landscapers say, also about allowing gutter protectors to do their work. A soggy lawn means that some water is slowly seeping into the house’s siding and onto the foundation, effectively making nonsense of the gutters’ best efforts.
You therefore need both the gutter covers and the landscaping in good shape to ensure your house foundation remains compact. It will save you money in the long run and protect your family from the health hazards of molds in the basement or walls.
How to tell your landscaping is in danger of excess water
The obvious signs of landscaping suffering from excess water would be a puddle of water in the yard, a soggy lawn and yellowing lawn grass or plants. These signs mean the house is already in danger of a weakening foundation and growth of molds.
But there will be advance signals of the impending danger. Look out for:
- Leaky Gutter: The tell-tale sign is rainwater cascading over some part of the gutter onto the ground. The spilling may begin as a barely noticeable trickle but with time a leaky gutter will announce its presence with a bubbly overflow. The leak may be down to poor quality of the gutter, age, or poor gutter design or installation.
- Ugly Gutter: This is a gutter that is slowly sagging out of shape, and usually comes with a gradual peeling of paint, rust and stains behind the eaves. It is a signal that rainwater is, or will soon begin, spilling onto the ground. The ugly gutter is a problem mainly caused by a combination of age and material exposure to the vagaries of weather.
- Gutter Clogging: This problem occurs when a gutter cover system is not cleaned for too long, allowing dead leaves, twigs, silt and other debris to accumulate and block the natural flow of rainwater.
- Gutter Ice Damming: This is the blockage of the gutter covers by the accumulation of ice, with the same effect as a gutter leak or clogging.
Ensuring your gutter guards do not damage the landscaping
There are two approaches to ensuring the relationship between your gutter guard system and the landscaping remains warm. These are:
- Gutter Maintenance: The rule of thumb is to get professional gutter cleaning at least twice a year – preferably at the beginning and the end of the rainy or leaves-shedding season. Minor cleaning can be done by the homeowners as the case may arise and any leak or clogging should also be quickly referred to a professional.
- Drainage System Maintenance: Ensure the water drainage system is able to channel the water from the gutter guard system. Sometimes the gutter guard product may be working but the drainage into which they feed is broken. Water drainage is generally run through piping buried under the surface and is easily fixed by home repair specialists.
Your landscaping doesn’t have to suffer, is helping homeowners in Toledo keep their landscaping in order. LeafFilter™ uses the most effective debris-blocking and water-managing gutter protection system in the industry. LeafFilter uses a surgical grade stainless steel micro-filter gutter guard that will never rust or corrode.
LeafFilter offers a comprehensive gutter protection system that has no holes, gaps, channels, or openings to ensure nothing but water enters your rain gutters. LeafFilter uses a 50 micron fome stainless steel filter which is so fine that a grain of sand cannot slip through.
The custom installation of our system will never damage your roof or void your roof warranty because our LeafFilter™ gutter guard is installed on top of your existing gutter. Being a completely sealed system, nothing gets into your gutter but rainwater, guaranteed. LeafFilter’s superior protection is unmatched in the business. A LeafFilter™ gutter protection system prevents twigs, leaves, pine needles, bee hives, birds and rodents from getting into your gutters.
LeafFilter™ gutter guards have a low-profile design that is barely visible from the ground and can be installed on any roof surface shingle, standing seam, terra-cotta, slate, steel or composite shingle. The LeafFilter™ system has a patented PVC base made from durable virgin vinyl that won’t change the aesthetics of your home and will never crack or fade. Our system is built to last, as LeafFilter™ is backed by a lifetime manufacturer’s warranty. Keep your gutters clean and free of debris with the LeafFilter™ gutter guard system. Visit us online or call for a free estimate today at 1-800-290-6106.
