All this rain! June it rains and never stops!
If you live anywhere in the Midwest or on the East Coast, do your recent weather reports look like this:
Read the rest of this entry »
June It Rains and Never Stops
June 14th, 2013Gutter Guard Problems
June 10th, 2013We had a homeowner contact us recently. They were having gutter guard problems. Water was getting behind their MasterShield system and running through their soffit and down their siding. They had been getting a lot of rain recently and were getting upset that every time it rained, the gutter guard problems were occurring.
Concerned, we contacted the local dealer, who quickly went out to troubleshoot. The report we got back was worth sharing, because the gutter guard problems weren’t issues with the MasterShield system at all. They had roof problems and, without a proper repair to the roof, there was no way that our gutter guard (or anyone else’s for that matter) could solve the water related issues they were having.
Gutter Guard Problems May Be Other, Bigger Problems
Let us explain. The home is located in a northern state bordering one of the Great Lakes with very cold winters and lots of snow. Incredibly, on roof installed about 10 years ago, there was no ice and vapor barrier installed over the roof sheathing at the lower end of the roof near the gutters. Ice Barrier goes under the shingles to protect from water damage.
To make issues worse, there was no starter course of shingles at the roof edge, nor was their drip edge installed. In places on the roof, the shingles were stacked one over the other, not staggered, essential to keeping water from wicking under the shingles and onto the wood. Shingle granules were dislodging from the roof at an alarming rate as well. Had any building inspector looked at the roof, they would have acknowledged it was not installed to local building codes. In fact, a warranty claim by the homeowner to the shingle manufacturer resulted in no claim; the roof wasn’t installed to the manufacturer’s specifications.
The roof issues were so bad, there was no way to install MasterShield under the shingles. Since the homeowner wanted a gutter guard, the system was fascia mounted so as not to touch the roof in any way. The homeowner chose not to address their roof issues at this time.
The homeowner may have solved the issue of their gutters ever clogging, but their first investment should have been in their roof. Rainwater will flow where it wants to and without a roof that properly sheds water, it will follow the path of least resistance. In the case of this homeowner, water was probably seeping under the shingles, getting to gaps in their wood subroof, which was causing water to get into their soffit. Gutter guard problems weren’t created, but because they had a leaking roof, it was easy to guess the issue was with the gutter guard.
Before installing any gutter guard, have your installation team look at your roof and make you aware of any issues that exist. If they come back to you with something, do yourself the favor and address them before installing your gutter guard. You really want to be able to manage water the way it was designed to be managed. Gutter guards aren’t designed to fix existing problems, but solve the issue of gutter clogs and cleaning. You may wind up thinking you have gutter guard problems when you really have something else to address.
Cicada Invasion 2013
June 3rd, 2013Adding to what seems to be a growing trend in zombies—popular cable television shows, movies, video games and the like, if you live on the East Coast, you’re in for a zombie-like treat this year. The cicada invasion 2013 is set fill your world with zombie-eyed bugs that will outnumber humans approximately 600 to one.
Read the rest of this entry »
Are All Gutter Guards Worth the Money?
May 29th, 2013
One of the most common questions we get asked is if gutter guards are worth the money. While it might seem a funny question to ask a bunch of folks who have a vested interest in saying yes, you might just appreciate the logic of our response.
Read the rest of this entry »
IKO Roof Shingles Approves MasterShield Installation
May 22nd, 2013Another popular and well known roof shingle manufacturer, IKO Roof Shingles, has reviewed MasterShield’s installation instructions and has given our installation methodology the green light with IKO Roof Shingles.
Read the rest of this entry »
What Are the Biggest Problems with Reverse Curve Gutter Guards?
May 21st, 2013Despite having some of the most promising marketing messages you can imagine, reverse curve gutter guards have some serious problems. Although they sell on the fact that you can forget your gutters or you’ll never clean your gutters, people that buy these systems often wind up with added problems, not the solution to the problem they hoped for.
Read the rest of this entry »
The Top 5 Gutter Guard Complaints
May 13th, 2013Before you buy a gutter guard, you should be aware of common gutter guard complaints people that own them have. We often hear from people who come to us to buy their second gutter guard because the first one they chose didn’t work. We completely understand their level of frustration, this is not a purchase to be made twice! Your choice can be an informed one if you’re aware of common gutter guard complaints and you’ll save yourself the hassle of buying a second system.
Read the rest of this entry »
New Roof Gutter Issues No One Will Mention, But Should
April 30th, 2013Have you just installed a new roof? Over its first year new roof gutter issues can occur. You should know about what they are and what you can do about them. In fact, your roofer should let you know about them, but no one ever seems to think to bring it up. We think they should.
Read the rest of this entry »
New Roof and Gutters – 4 Things Everyone Always Gets Wrong
April 22nd, 2013Planning on a new roof and gutters this season? Too often, your roofer or gutter installer take short cuts that wind up leaving you with problems afterwards. Want to be new roof and gutters savvy to make sure you’ll get the job done right? Read on.
Read the rest of this entry »
5 Gutter Mesh Problems and How to Avoid Them
April 15th, 2013Hard to believe, but gutter mesh has been around since 1891. That year, Charles Smith and Samuel Slaymaker received a patent for the first gutter mesh, describing it as a wire gauze that would keep debris out of a gutter and allow rain water to be collected into a cistern.
Interestingly, gutter mesh has not become a gutter staple, although Consumer Reports named a version of it as one of their best buys. We’ve listed five problems gutter mesh has, because in many cases, you won’t be aware of any issues until you wind up frustrated and annoyed.
Read the rest of this entry »
