Learning Center · Guards
Gutter Guards: What They Do and What They Do Not Do
The phrase gutter guard covers a foam insert, a snap-in screen and a stainless steel micro-mesh system equally, and they do not perform or cost alike. This guide explains what each one does, reads the one manufacturer warranty we install line by line, and says plainly what no guard fixes.
Updated October 12, 2026
Read This First
The short version
- A guard keeps leaves and sticks out of the gutter. It does not fix a flat gutter, a short downspout count or a bad fascia.
- We install two products: a powder coated snap-in screen and LeafBlaster Pro stainless micro-mesh by Gutterglove.
- LeafBlaster Pro has a 40 year limited parts warranty you can transfer. It does not cover hail or changes to the guard.
- The product warranty on a guard is the maker’s: a LeafBlaster Pro claim goes to Gutterglove with your receipt. The snap-in screen has no manufacturer warranty on file.
To find out whether a guard makes sense on your gutters, start with Get Help or call or text 512-575-5052.
Short version: 2 min. Full page: 6 min. Want the detail? Each section below opens with a tap, or switch to Full at the top to open them all.
Direct Answer
Do gutter guards work?
They cut cleaning on a tree covered house and do nothing for a gutter that overflows for other reasons.
Yes, for what they are for
A guard does one job: it keeps debris out of the trough so water can get to the downspout. Under live oaks, pecans and cedar elms, that turns a cleaning every season into a rinse of the surface. A micro-mesh guard also keeps out shingle grit and pine needles, which a screen lets through.
No, for everything else
A guard does not add fall, add downspouts, fix a sagging run or stop water from shooting past the gutter on a steep roof. If the gutter overflows with nothing in it, a guard will not help, and the cause is in our sizing guide. Fix the gutter first, then decide on the guard.
Know the Product
Gutter guard is not one product
Foam, screen and stainless micro-mesh are all called guards, and they neither perform nor cost alike.
Three different things
Foam inserts sit inside the gutter and fill it. Screens, in plastic or metal, snap under the shingle edge or onto the gutter lip and stop leaves while letting small debris through. Micro-mesh systems put a fine stainless steel mesh on a metal frame over the whole gutter and stop nearly everything. Products sold as gutter guard range from a foam insert costing a few dollars a foot to stainless micro-mesh systems whose makers publish much higher rates; ask what the product is before comparing prices.
How to tell them apart on a bid
Look for the brand and the material. A screen is a screen. A micro-mesh product names its mesh and its frame metal. If a bid says gutter guard with no product name, it has not told you what you are buying.
Two Products
The two guards we install, and what each is
A powder coated snap-in screen for leaves, and LeafBlaster Pro stainless micro-mesh for everything down to grit.
Powder coated snap-in screen
A metal screen with a baked powder finish that snaps onto the gutter. It stops leaves and sticks, lets water and small grit through, and is the lower cost option. It has no manufacturer warranty on file. It can be lifted out for cleaning.
LeafBlaster Pro by Gutterglove
A stainless steel micro-mesh guard made by Gutterglove, sold for 5 inch and 6 inch gutters. The fine mesh stops leaves, needles, seeds and roof grit, and water passes through the mesh into the gutter. It is the product to choose under heavy trees or where grit from an aging roof keeps clogging the outlets.
Neither is magic
Debris still lands on top of either guard. Most of it dries and blows off. Some of it sits, especially in an inside corner or under a valley, and needs to be brushed off once or twice a year. The cleaning and upkeep guide covers what that looks like.
Read Before You Buy
The LeafBlaster Pro warranty, line by line
40 years, parts only, transferable, 10 years near a shoreline, and void for hail, modification or paint overspray.
What it covers
Gutterglove’s written warranty is a 40 year limited parts warranty. It covers defects in manufactured parts, and the company chooses whether to repair or replace. It does not include labor to take the guard down or put it back, hardware, or shipping. It is transferable to a later owner of the home. Keep the document and the receipt, because the warranty says losing them voids it.
The coastal rule
Within 5 miles of a shoreline, including a lake, the warranty drops to 10 years. That reaches homes near the coast in the Houston area and homes on the lakes around Austin and Georgetown.
What voids it
The exclusions list is long, and these matter in Texas: hail, windstorm, tornado, improper installation including contact with copper, removing or modifying components, paint overspray, tree sap and bird droppings on the guard, and structural movement of the roof, gutter or fascia. A claim must be made within 90 days of finding the defect. In plain words, the warranty is about a defective part, not about storms or neglect. For a storm damaged guard, read our hail damage guide.
Whose warranty it is
The product warranty on a guard is the maker’s. If a LeafBlaster Pro part fails, the claim goes to Gutterglove with your receipt, and we will help you document it. The snap-in screen has no manufacturer warranty on file.
Deciding
When a guard is worth it, and when it is not
Heavy trees, tall ladders and grit clogs argue for a guard; an open lot and a one story roof argue for cleaning.
Worth it
A two story house under live oaks that drop in spring and pecans that drop in fall. A gutter that fills with shingle grit from an older roof. A homeowner who should not be on a ladder. In those cases the guard pays back in cleanings not done and falls not taken.
Not worth it
A one story house on an open lot with no trees over the roof. A gutter that is about to be replaced anyway, since the guard comes off with it. A run that overflows for sizing reasons. Guard rates and the gutter rates they sit on top of are in our cost guide, and the gutter service page explains how we install them.
Common Questions
Questions homeowners ask
Do gutter guards really work?
Yes, for keeping debris out. A screen stops leaves and sticks, and stainless micro-mesh stops needles and grit as well. No guard fixes a gutter that is flat, undersized or short on downspouts.
What is the LeafBlaster Pro warranty?
A 40 year limited parts warranty from Gutterglove, transferable, reduced to 10 years within 5 miles of a shoreline. It excludes labor and is void for hail, modification, paint overspray and contact with copper, among other causes.
Who warrants a gutter guard?
The maker. The product warranty on LeafBlaster Pro is Gutterglove’s, claimed by the homeowner with the receipt; the snap-in screen has no manufacturer warranty on file. We help with the documentation.
Are gutter guards hail resistant?
A stainless mesh on a metal frame holds up better than plastic, but the LeafBlaster Pro warranty specifically excludes hail. Hail damage to a guard is an insurance question, not a warranty one.
Do you still have to clean gutters with guards?
Less often, and from the top. Debris that sits on the guard, especially in inside corners, is brushed off once or twice a year. The trough itself stays mostly clear.
How much do gutter guards cost?
Our planning rates are a per foot amount on top of the gutter work, listed in our gutter cost guide: the snap-in screen at $5.90 a foot, LeafBlaster Pro at $10.60 a foot on 5 inch gutters and $12.95 on 6 inch.
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