What are the best gutter guards in the UK?

With many different types of gutter guards currently on the market in the UK, it’s a question that’s fairly difficult to give a definitive answer to. And if you get the choice wrong, you could end up with something that’s flimsy and inefficient which will ultimately cost you your time. effort and money.

Fortunately, having used and seen the results of various gutter guards over the past few years, we’ve got a pretty good idea. Just to be sure, we’ve taken our experience and combined it with surveys of our previous clients to come up with this definitive guide to the best gutter guards money can buy.

With that being said, let’s not waste any more time and get stuck in (pardon the pun).

Quick Look:

• Best Gutter Guards Overall: Easy Innovations Hedgehog Brush
• Runner-up: LeafTek
• Our Budget Choice: GroundMaster Gutter Brush
• Micromesh Gutter Guards: KAIISSA
• Best Down Pipe Covers: Pukkr

Best Gutter Guards Overall: Easy Innovations Hedgehog Brush

When considering effectiveness, value for money, versatility and ease of installation, it’s hard to look past Easy Innovations’ Hedgehog Brush as the best gutter guards overall.

This hedgehog brush is a relatively new style of gutter guard but its effectiveness has already proven to be solid. Once placed in your gutters, it works by filtering out debris, dirt and leaves whilst allowing rainwater to pass through unhindered. This essentially means you’re eliminating any chances of blockages which can lead to roof and property damage.

With a 10 year manufacturers guarantee, this gutter guard is virtually indestructible when placed in your gutters and is set to last you many years. This eliminates the need to have your gutters cleaned twice annually which, over the course of 10 years, could save you up to £2000.

One of the best aspects of this gutter guard is the length of the bristles (which can be cut to size if needed). Unlike some other gutter brushes on the market, Easy Innovations’ hedgehog brush contains long bristles that are suitable for 95% of domestic gutters in the UK. This means installation is likely going to be seamless for you, taking away the worry about whether they’ll fit in your gutters or not.

Another indirect benefit of the bristle length is that you’re effectively reducing the risk of birds nesting in your roof as they’re quite often discouraged without easy access. With it being illegal to move or destroy bird nests in the UK, you’ll be ensuring you avoid any issues for years to come.

Pros

• Stops dirt, debris and leaves from entering your gutters and causing blockages
• Very easy to install as you can simply tuck the gutter guards into your gutters
• Great value for money and can save you up to £2000 over the course of 10 years
• Dissuades birds from nesting in your roof

Cons

• None

Runner-up: LeafTek

In terms of overall effectiveness and durability, LeafTek’s innovative gutter guards are well ahead of the game. So why have we ranked them as runner-up? Simply put, they’re very expensive to purchase, you’d need to get them delivered from the US and if you’re not a capable DIYer, you may need a professional to install them.

But despite the downsides, we thought it would be worth mentioning them nonetheless because there might be a few people out there who simply want the most effective and durable gutter guards.

So what makes them so good?

Firstly, these gutter guards have been crafted to attach to the top of your gutters by using screws and magnetic nut setters. Once installed, your gutters will be completely and securely sealed off. This means debris, leaves, twigs or seeds will all be stopped from entering and clogging your guttering – saving you on expensive repairs. So what happens to anything that lands on the gutter guard? It simply blows away with a light breeze allowing you to clean up from the ground instead.

Secondly, the gutter guards provide an excellent drainage system. Whilst some other gutter guards can slow the rate of rainwater movement, LeafTek includes 404 1/8″ holes per sq. ft which allows efficient drainage even when it’s absolutely hammering it down. These tiny holes also prevent shingle sediment from your roof washing into your gutters.

Finally, the gutter guards are made from heavy-gauge aluminium topped with extremely durable baked enamel which means they’re virtually guaranteed not to deteriorate or rust. You can expect to get at least 35 years of service out of them which will save you thousands in cleaning costs.

Pros

• Extremely durable materials means they’ll last for at least 35 years
• Attaches to most UK guttering with the option to purchase 5″ or 6″
• The low profile nature of the guards are invisible from the ground so you don’t need to worry about matching colour
• Super efficient drainage system can handle even the toughest the British weather has to throw at them

Cons

• Difficult to install
• Expensive

Our Budget Choice: GroundMaster Gutter Brush

For our budget choice we’ve gone with GroundMaster’s gutter brush which has many similarities to Easy Innovations’ hedgehog brush but without the price tag.

Like Easy Innovations, GroundMaster’s gutter brush fits most British guttering, can be altered to fit those with overhanging roof tiles and ultimately does well to stop dirt, debris and leaves clogging your gutters.

So why is this brush cheaper than Easy Innovations’ hedgehog brush? Performance wise, there’s not a great deal of difference. The issue with this brush is that you really need to be meticulous when installing it.

We’ve found that the hedgehog brush is that much sturdier and so doesn’t leave any gaps whereas GroundMaster’s version can bend in places if not installed correctly. If you get it wrong, then there’s a chance you’re opening yourself up to some problems further down the line. Of course, having peace of mind that it’s installed properly might mean hiring a professional which negates any savings.

Pros

• High performance in catching leaves and debris
• Tends to stop birds from nesting in your gutters
• Good value for money
• Fits most guttering in the UK

Cons

• Needs to be installed meticulously

Best Micro Mesh Gutter Guards: KAIISSA

If your gutters are relatively low maintenance you might be better off ditching the higher priced gutter guards currently on the market and go for simple micro mesh gutter guards instead. Our go-to in this instance would be the mesh guard sold by KAIISSA.

Once installed, this mesh gutter guard is a capable protector against anything from larger insects to leaves. Like LeafTek, it also has the benefit of making sure you don’t get any birds using your gutters for nesting which consequently makes cleaning them a nightmare.

Whilst not quite as easy as gutter brushes to install, amateur DIYers shouldn’t have too many issues with this micro mesh gutter guard. At 6″ in width, it’s easily attachable to almost all UK gutters and comes with 10 handy clips that work well by securing the mesh guard into place.

We should note however that if your roof tiles hang over your guttering too far, the method of simply rolling this guard into place will be severely hampered and thus we would recommend using a gutter brush or LeafTek instead.

In terms of durability, you can expect to get plenty of use out of these guards as they’re coated with UV-resistant polyethylene. The clips are also fairly sturdy so you shouldn’t expect to have them come out of place.

Pros

• Easy to install
• Very cheap solution to gutter guards
• UV-resistant makes them durable
• Fits most UK gutters

Cons

• Tough to install where roof tiles protrude too much

Best Down pipe Covers: Pukkr’s Metal Gutter Guards

Undoubtedly the cheapest and lowest maintenance way to give your gutters a little bit of protection is by installing a few down pipe covers. Whilst these won’t work as well as actual gutter guards, they’re better to have than nothing at all.

Installation is as simple as it gets – all you’ll need to do is push them into your down pipes (they come in a pack of 4) and wait until you get some resistance. Once in place, they work effectively at stopping leaves, dirt and moss from washing down your pipes and blocking them.

In our experience, you won’t need to worry too much about your gutters getting blocked and overflowing as the rainwater easily passes through the mesh covers. We should note however that you’ll probably need to clean them every so often but as the debris has collected in one place, cleaning is much quicker.

Pros

• Stops leaves and dirt from blocking your down pipes
• They work well to localise gutter rubbish which makes cleaning much easier
• Extremely cheap with minimal effort to install

Cons

• You’ll still need to occasionally clean your gutters

Are Gutter Guards Worth It?

In our opinion, gutter guards are definitely worth it. They stop debris, leaves and shingle sediment from blocking your gutters and saves you money on hiring a gutter cleaner.

Depending on which gutter guards you buy, you may find that you don’t need to touch your gutters for years but of course, that means you’ll need to choose the right product.

How Easy Are Gutter Guards to Install?

Gutter guards can be very easy to install, especially if they’re highly compatible with your current guttering. Gutter brushes for example can just slot right in (clips to hold them in place are optional) with minimum fuss and effort. Mesh guards are a little bit more difficult to install but nothing a seasoned DIYer can’t take care of.

Some high tech gutter guards such as LeafTek involve screwing the guards into place which can be a bit labour intensive so when buying a product like this, make sure you have the know-how or are prepared to hire someone to install them for you.

Gutter Guard Buyer’s Guide

Type of Guard and Fit

When it comes to the fit of your guard, you shouldn’t really have too many issues. Almost all of the gutter guards sold in the UK have been purposely-made and will come in options of either 5″ or 6″ (make sure you know the width of your guttering before buying). The type of guard on the other hand comes with a variety of options.

Currently, you can choose anything including:

• hedgehog brushes
• aluminium covering
• mesh covers
• foam guards

In our experience, hedgehog brushes and aluminium coverings are the best options but any gutter guard is going to significantly improve the protection of your gutters.

Purpose of the Guard

Think about what you’re trying to achieve by installing gutter guards before buying. For example, if your home is surrounded by lots of tree cover, it’s likely you’ll do best to buy aluminium covering or a hedgehog brush as these will be the best for avoiding leaf build up. Likewise, if your roof is particularly prone to shingle sediment, only aluminium covering is going to help protect your gutters.

If you don’t normally suffer with too many issues, you may even be better off buying some cheap mesh covering.

Material Used

The materials used to manufacture your chosen gutter guard will go a long way in determining its durability. Aluminium that has been heat treated will avoid rusting and can last you many years whereas plastic is a cheap material that can be prone to UV damage so that’s something to bear in mind.

Untreated metals will also be prone to rusting and will lose effectiveness over the years. That’s something thing to keep in mind.

From our experience, the synthetic materials used to make hedgehog brushes are virtually indestructible. Getting a good 10 years of use out of them isn’t unheard of.

Get Prices for a Professional Gutter Cleaner Near You

Not keen on cleaning your gutters yourself? You always have the option of hiring a professional to do the job for you. We have trusted contacts all over the UK who are ready to price your job.

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