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What are Gutter Guards?

Updated: Oct 20, 2023


Gutter guards are designed to protect your roof gutters from being blocked by debris such as leaf matter. Gutters play an important role in maintaining the structural integrity and longevity of a home or building. Keeping gutters free flowing and functional, directing water from the roof during rain or storms to the down pipes is an essential part of any home maintenance programme. Gutter guards also provide the added benefit of preventing birds and vermin entering your roof space and allowing for the best quality water to pass into your tanks for those who harvest their water.

Types of Gutter Guard

Gutter guards can also be referred to as leaf guards or gutter protection and they can come in different forms. There are two main categories, internal gutter guards and externally fixed gutter guards. While all gutter guards have a similar purpose, some are more effective than others. Gutter guards that sit into your gutters are known as internal gutter guards. Examples of these would be the range of Gutter Whiskers, Gutter Foam and Bottle Brush. Unfortunately, the leaf matter and debris are held in the gutters with this system. The trapped leaf debris and some of the internal gutter guards themselves can break down over time, which can ultimately cause a bigger blockage and increase the potential damage to your building over time.

An externally fixed gutter guard is widely considered the preferable option for gutter protection. These systems install a mesh from the roof to the outer edge of the gutter. The installed mesh follows the angle of the roof to allow for water to run into the gutter and along to the down-pipes without obstruction from larger leaves, twigs and other leaf debris. Externally fixed gutter guards are the perfect companion to an efficient gutter system, assisting the removal of water away from the roof, away from the walls and preventing the damage to your building from water and moisture retention that can occur with blocked gutters. They also come in a wide variety of colours to match to your roof.

Benefits of Gutter Guards

With an externally fixed gutter guard system in place, the majority of leaf debris is prevented from entering your gutters and allows for the rainwater to naturally flush the gutters as the water flows to the down pipes.

Gutter guards are widely installed to prevent the entry of birds and vermin to the roof space. The gutter is the most common entry point for birds and rats to get into a roof, so a comprehensive gutter protection system has been proven to effectively solve this problem.

In addition, gutter protection is crucial for keeping tank water clean and pests out of tanks for people harvesting water. There are certain mesh varieties that are food grade, like the Tapex mesh installed by LeafScreen. This means that water that has been collected off the roof is safe to consume after it has come in contact with the mesh. Choosing a gutter guard that meets the food grade requirements is a wise consideration when selecting the best gutter guard to install for your home.

Finally, to ensure that you are going to get the benefits you are investing in, select a gutter guard product that has proven its effectiveness over time and has comprehensive warranties to give you peace of mind in your product choice.

Choosing the Best Gutter Guard Protection System for Your Home

There are a number of gutter guards available, but they are not all created equal. The best way to provide protection to your gutters and to keep them intact and functional is to invest in an externally fixed gutter guard. Externally fixed gutter guards will stop the majority of leaf debris from entering the gutters, to allow water to pass through to the down pipes. These gutter guards are also frequently installed for their ability to prevent birds and vermin accessing the roof space or to allow for the best quality water to pass through to water tanks. Choose a gutter guard that has a proven track record for success and comprehensive warranties to best protect your gutters.


Start Today. Get a FREE, NO-OBLIGATION quote for a long-lasting gutter guard solution. Call us on 0800 53 23 53 or fill in the Contact Form>>

LeafScreen New Zealand provides gutter solutions across the upper to central North Island, including Whangarei, Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Rotorua, Taupo. And we can service the lower North Island - Wairarapa, Wellington areas.

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