Leafguard – A life without leaves…

Thinking of installing leafguard?  Not sure whether to bother at all or are you just putting off doing it because deciding which one to go with is a bit overwhelming? Certainly there are a myriad of products available – off the shelf and from the internet. First of all, let us convince you of the argument for having leafguard installed.  Then we’ll give you our opinion as to which are the worst and the best on the market.

Leafguard – A worst case scenario of guttering without it

Autumn is the time when we start to notice leaves.  Or at least we should do…

While they can be a thing of beauty as they fall to the ground with their subtle shades of gold and brown, they can also be the sinister bearers of internal flooding problems too as they land in your gutters and clog your downpipes.

Before you know it, you will have rain water backflowing into your eaves and then it will start to run down the walls or even through the light fittings. In extreme cases, the ceiling could cave in – like this property we were called to after a heavy storm!

The image above illustrates our point.  It is taken from a worst case scenario like the one we’ve just described – blocked gutters full of native tree debris caused the rain water to backflow into the building and then the ceiling to collapse.  Installing a good quality leafguard product would have prevented this from happening.

Leafguard – the poor products defined

Well first of all let us tell you what defines a poor quality leafguard product.  It is the cheap, DIY plastic leafguard product available from any large hardware chain. It is usually designed to tuck into the gutter. The problem with this design is that the leaves usually get caught between the product and the guttering so you’re just shifting the problem a little higher up the gutter.  Also, the hardware chain won’t tell you that you’ll probably need to replace this type of leafguard product within a couple of years as the UV rays from our harsh Australian sun break it down fairly quickly.

Leafguard – the best products defined

In our opinion, the best type of leafguard products are those that are designed to cover the gutter and continue on and attach to the roof. This superior design style assists leaves and debris to blow off the roof as there are no crevices for the debris to tuck in to or get caught in either.

Above all, a good leafguard product should be made of either aluminium or steel.  The products Roofrite recommend have different sized mesh holes which are sized for different protective purposes:  native leaves, fine leaves, heavy leaves, trees with gumnuts, preventing pests from accessing the roof space via the guttering.  Even ember attack.  The range on offer is comprehensive.

In our opinion, the best designed leafguard products are those that cover the gutter and continue on up and over the roof  where it is then attached to the roof. This superior design enables leaves and debris to blow off the roof as there are no crevices for the debris to sit in or get caught in.

And don’t forget the valleys.  These are often overlooked when installing leafguard but they are also a catchment point for leaves and debris.

Finally, the beauty of the aluminium and steel leafguard products is that they can also be color matched to your existing tile or Colorbond roof and/or guttering so it seamlessly blends in rather than becoming an unwanted feature.

Call Roofrite today to work out an individually tailored solution for your leafguard needs.

Tel: 03 9499 8059