Many homeowners know that it is often time for a gutter cleaning. Every windstorm results in large-scale yard duty as residents rake and pull leaves out of every corner of their properties. One of the more challenging, and most tedious, jobs is cleaning the leaves out of the rain gutters that line the roof. Not only must homeowners climb up and down a ladder to clean their endless gutter line, but they may have to do this chore multiple times a season. Neglecting this crucial task, however, can end in costly disaster. The leaves may pile up and cause blockages, which prevent rain water from draining properly, and can cause leaks along the roof, onto the house’s siding, and into the foundation. Even worse, the leaves and debris that enter the downspouts can cause a downspout clog or even worse they can cause a french drain clog. Clogs in french drains can be very expensive. French drains are the underground drainage that takes the rain water away from you properly instead of allowing it to leak into your basement. French drains provide a place for the water to flow away instead of having the rain water and storm water flow inside. The expense comes when you allow the gutter leaves to enter and clog your french drain or your underground drainage pipe system.
Gutter Strainers Make French Drain Clogs Worse
People these days are very busy, and typically do not take gutter cleaning and gutter maintenance very seriously until their gutter awareness is "awakened" by some sort of event like gutter clogging or gutter pour over causing leakage and damage. One of those event that have a marked effect on a homeowner, is when he or she figures out that they have to keep gutter leaves and debris from entering the downspouts, french drains and underground storm drain pipes. As soon as homeowners realize they must keep leaves, twigs and debris from entering the buried french drains and pipes, the objective becomes far more important and challenging. The first thing the un-knowing homeowner does is install downspout Strainers, which is the first step toward making the issue worse and having to get out the ladder very frequently and even every 2 or 3 weeks to clear out the strainer which gets covered and clogged with debris too quickly:
Keeping French Drains from Clogging causes Downspout Strainer Overflow.
The first thing the unsuspecting DIY homeowner does, when they realize that they must keep gutter leaves out of the downspouts and french drains, is they usually go out and buy gutter basket wire downspout strainers and simply insert them into the gutter downspout opening in order to strain the rain water and keep the gutter leaves from entering the downspouts pipe, clogging the downspouts elbows and clogging the french drain or i-ground drainage pipes. The simple problem is that the downspouts gutter Strainers are too small. Simple wire basket or plastic downspout strainers become an overflow problem are too small and they do not have enough surface area to trap enough debris. Strainers will keep the debris out of the pipes, but due to the fact that they are so small and do not have much surface area, when gutter Strainers are installed, it often starts the horrible process of needing to clean and maintain that strainer far too frequently and possibly every 2 weeks. The DIY homeowner solves one problem by installing the strainer, but that original French Drain problem has now simply been traded for a maintenance problem because now he or she needs to get the ladder out far too often. Sure, debris is staying out of the french drains, but that's because it all needs to be scooped out by hand when that tiny strainer gets covered with leaves all too quickly. It is simple, the gutter strainer is too small.
Need A Full Length Gutter Strainer
The strainer works! But the downspout strainer is too small so as rain water flows through the strainer it deposits too much debris for such a small downspout strainer. Typically the homeowner is very disappointed being up on a ladder and coming to the realization that he or she simply traded one problem for another and now seems to have an even worse problem to solve. I can see him or her now, up on the ladder saying to himself, "the strainer worked! But it is too small ! If I only had a larger downspout strainer guard or better yet; If I only had a full length gutter strainer, the larger surface area would keep it from Clogging so soon and would decrease maintenance and increase the amount of time between ladder visits. A full length gutter strainer would do the trick! Where can I get a full length gutter strainer ?
Gutter maintenance is important, but it also doesn’t have to be difficult.
A Larger Strainer to Keep In-Ground Drain Pipes Flowing
When a homeowner goes through this process, he or she realizes that they just need a gutter strainer with much more surface area. The larger the surface area, the more debris they can keep from entering the downspouts pipes. Once the wire basket strainer causes way to many gutter clearing maintenance visits, the homeowner realizes he or she just needs a larger gutter strainer. The smart homeowners discover GutterBrush, because it is a gutter strainer and it happens to be the easiest DIY way of keeping debris from entering and clogging your french drain. The wire basket is too small, but it doesn't make sense to use two of them. Instead of using a downspout strainer, homeowners will solve the problem by installing a 3 foot piece of Gutterbrush self fitting brush leaf guard over the downspouts to keep pipes and buried drains from clogging. The 3 foot length of GutterBrush is a 3 foot downspout strainer; which is so large that it requires far less maintenance than smaller strainer devices.
Progress To The Easy Self Fitting Longer Lasting Solution.
Homeowners realize that the small gutter strainer will clog frequently but a 3 foot length strainer will last far longer without a cleaning visit because it has more surface area. Then they begin to understand, the larger the strainer, the less the maintenance. If they like the way a three foot gutter strainer will perform, then they would love a 6 foot strainer or a 12 foot strainer or even a full length gutter strainer. The larger the strainer, the less the maintenance while keeping debris from clogging those important french drains.
The Smart Ones Fill The Whole Gutter with the Gutter Brush Strainer
Its like a light just turned on in the homeowner's mind. The larger the strainer, the better. If a homeowner wants a very easy DIY solution to keep gutter debris from clogging storm drains and french drains, all they have to do is fill the entire gutter with this full length gutter strainer. See how easy this self fitting gutter insert is.
Homeowners realize, they love 3 feet of Gutterbrush but why stop there; 6 feet, or 12 feet or filling the entire gutter is even better and anyone can install this product because it is self fitting and requires no fastening. It's so easy to install, eventually it is also that easy to maintain. Anyone can do it if they can get access to the gutter which simply requires a ladder. Before you install GutterBrush, learn how to clean your gutters below.
Proper Gutter Maintenance
Before installing the GutterBrush gutter guard system whether you are installing 3 feet or filling the whole gutter, you will want to ensure your gutters are in good shape and clear of debris. Don’t worry, this may be your last full-scale gutter clean-up before GutterBrush does the work for you every year from now on. First, you will want to clean any leaves and other debris from your gutters and inspect them as you go along. Look for any corrosion or leaks along seams where sections of gutter meet.
Remember to check the downspouts for any obstructions, and clear those as well. After clearing the large debris, you might want to run your hose into your gutter to flush out any smaller particles. The running water will also alert you to any leaks along the path. Once your gutters have been properly cleared, it’s time to install GutterBrush.
Gutter Guard Installation
Before ordering GutterBrush simple leaf guard, you will want to measure your gutters size and total length. Most residential homes have Standard 5-in or Oversized 6-in gutters, and they have brushes for these common sizes as well as 4” small and 7 - 8” commercial / industrial gutters. Installation doesn’t take any special tools or expertise. Simply slide 3 foot sections into place. No cutting, fasteners or tools required and they also won’t change the appearance of your gutters. Although GutterBrushes are light enough to maintain the structural integrity of your gutters, they are also tough enough to withstand most weather and will last you for years to come.
Once installed, your gutter maintenance will be significantly reduced. Most leaves pass over the top of GutterBrush leaf guard system and when small debris does get caught, it will usually dry out and blow away in the wind. In cases with a heavy load of small seeds or pine needles, occasionally homeowners may need to address some limited maintenance by pulling out sections of GutterBrush and shaking clear any debris but this workload is much less than what it was without GutterBrush. The design of these brushes still allows for water to flow freely through the brush while blocking most debris. If or when maintenance is needed, banging the gutter brushes on a hard surface will get the debris to drop out so you can reinstall them in a clean renewed fashion.
The simple design and easy maintenance of GutterBrush makes this product perfect for people who loath gutter cleaning themselves or paying others to do it or for those who can’t physically clean their gutters. They can be installed by anyone with access to gutters and will keep your gutters flowing all year-round. Don’t let the leaves start dropping into your gutters this fall, before you install the GutterBrush leaf guard system.
Keep Downspouts and French Drains Flowing
Conclusion: Keep your downspouts and french drains following by protecting them from clogging by putting a 3 foot length of GutterBrush brush guard strainer over the downspouts opening. If you like the way 3 feet works, you will love the way 6 feet, 12 feet or full length keeps debris out of pipes and keeps the gutter from clogging. Anyone can install this full length gutter strainer in a DIY fashion.