Gutter Guards in St. Louis, at a glance
A gutter guard is a maintenance reducer, not a maintenance eliminator, and any company that promises you will never touch the gutters again is selling you the wrong expectation. Fitted over a sound, correctly pitched gutter they earn their keep here. Call (314) 429-6000 for a free estimate.
What a gutter guard is actually for
The job is to keep leaves out of the trough while letting a heavy St. Louis rain through.
Those two goals fight each other. A tight screen blocks debris and can also shed water straight over the edge during a downpour. An open cover passes water and lets small debris through with it. The right choice depends on what falls on your roof: oaks drop catkins and small leaves that defeat coarse screens, maples drop seed pods that jam louvered covers, and pines drop needles that stand up in almost anything.
We look at the trees over your house before recommending a style. That is a five minute conversation on site and it prevents the most common complaint we hear about guards, which is that the water now runs behind the gutter instead of into it.
The gutter comes first
Sizing
Five inch handles most St. Louis roofs. Large or steep roofs need six inch, or the trough overflows regardless of what is on top of it.
Pitch and hangers
Correct fall toward the downspouts and hidden hangers screwed into solid fascia. A guard on a sagging gutter fixes nothing.
Roof edge detail
Drip edge and gutter apron layered so water leaves the shingle and lands in the trough instead of behind it.
When the gutter itself is worn out, guards over it are money spent on the wrong part. We quote the gutter and the guard as separate lines so you can see which is which.
What guards will and will not do
- They will keep leaves, sticks and most bulk debris out of the trough
- They will cut cleaning from several times a year down to roughly once
- They will reduce the standing water that rots fascia and feeds mosquitoes
- They will not stop ice dams, which come from attic heat loss
- They will not fix a gutter that is pitched wrong or pulling off the house
- They will not eliminate maintenance, because fine grit still collects on top
That list is the whole honest picture. Guards are a reasonable purchase for a house under heavy tree cover and a poor purchase for a house with an open lot and a two year old gutter system.
How we install
Free assessment
We look at the gutters, the fascia, the roof edge and the trees, then price the work in writing.
Repair or replace the gutter
Seamless aluminum formed on site in the length your house needs, with no seams to separate later.
Fit the guard
Secured to the gutter and the roof edge to the manufacturer detail, not wedged under the first shingle course.
Test with water
Run the hose, watch the downspouts, confirm nothing is passing behind the trough.
Gutter guard questions
Do gutter guards really stop you from cleaning gutters?
They cut the frequency down a great deal. They do not eliminate maintenance. Fine debris, shingle grit and seed pods still collect on top of any guard and need to be brushed off, usually once a year here.
Which style holds up best under St. Louis tree cover?
Micro-mesh over a solid frame handles maple seeds and oak catkins better than the older louvered covers, which tend to shed water past the gutter in a hard rain.
Can guards be added to my existing gutters?
Often yes, if the gutter is sound, pitched correctly and firmly attached. If the gutter is sagging or the hangers are pulling out, fixing that comes first or the guard just rides along on a failing system.
Will gutter guards stop ice dams?
No. Ice dams come from heat escaping into the attic and melting snow that refreezes at the cold eave. Ventilation and insulation fix that, not guards.
Do you install gutters and guards during a roof replacement?
Yes, and that is the best time. The drip edge, gutter apron and hanger placement all get detailed while the roof edge is open.
Free gutter and guard estimate
Send this over and we will call to schedule a look at the gutters and the trees above them.
Tired Of Cleaning Gutters?
Free assessment of the gutters you have, a straight recommendation, and a written price for the work.