Gutters are an important feature of your home. They allow rainwater to drain from your roof and help to ensure that water does not collect near your home's foundation, where it can cause damage. A question many homeowners have regarding their gutters is whether installing gutter guards is a good idea. This article looks at three critical reasons gutter guard installation is a sound investment in your home.

Pests 

Gutters tend to collect a lot of debris, especially if you have large trees near your house. Falling leaves, twigs branches, and other tree litter can easily clog up your gutters. Not only will this impede the drainage of water from the roof, but it can also create conditions for a variety of pests, such as rodents, birds, and insects to make themselves at home. Mice, squirrels, and birds have all been known to create nests in debris-filled gutters.

Stinging insects, such as wasps, bees, and hornets, are also attracted to messy gutters and may decide to take up residence there unless the gutter is cleaned out on a regular basis. Ants and snakes could find their way into a littered gutter as well. Mosquitoes and termites might also become an issue. Gutter guards go a long way toward avoiding these pest problems without forcing you to continually remove debris from the gutters yourself.

Freeze

Gutters are subject to icing over in freezing conditions. Gutters might freeze because debris has caused water to collect in the gutter. When the temperatures drop low enough, the water in the gutter will turn to ice. Frozen gutters are a problem because they do not let water drain to the ground.

To deal with frozen gutters, you can try pouring hot water on the ice, although this is tricky because you will typically need a lot of hot water to melt all of the ice. One idea is to hook up a hose to your water heater and let the hot water flow all along the length of the gutters. The best idea, however, is to avoid the problem in the first place by installing gutter guards. The guards will stop debris from collecting in your gutters, greatly reducing the chances of the gutters freezing.

Time and Expense

A third excellent reason to install gutters is that you do not have to waste your valuable time by cleaning the gutters yourself or spend money to have someone else clean them. To learn more, contact a gutter installation professional near you.