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Gutters are a vital component in a roofing system, redirecting water runoff toward the drains. They also serve an aesthetic purpose of enhancing the home exterior’s visual appeal. Of course, regular care and maintenance are necessary for them to stay in good condition, but if you want your gutters to stay both functional and aesthetically pleasing, you need to select the right material.

Zinc Gutters

Compared to other metals, such as steel, aluminum and copper, zinc offers a natural defense against rain and the other elements. One of its notable features is its zinc-carbonate patina finish, which develops as a result of weathering and lends the gutter material its anti-corrosive properties. Zinc also naturally keeps the mold, fungus and mildew at bay, which makes it ideal for climates that don’t have a lot of moisture and little sunlight.

Zinc is also one of the more affordable gutter materials compared to copper. It’s also more sustainable as it maintains its function and surface health for many years with minimal maintenance. The material can also be recycled infinitely and doesn’t lose its physical or chemical characteristics in the recycling process!

Copper Gutters

This material offers a uniquely elegant appeal that can help any residential home stand out in the neighborhood. Although it’s one of the most expensive in the market, it’s also considered one of the best long-term investments for your roof as it is highly reliable and durable. With regular care and maintenance, a copper gutter system can last for decades! 

Like their zinc counterparts, copper gutters form a blue-green patina on their surfaces –  also a result of long-term exposure to the elements. This coating is also what protects the material from corroding and is also a natural fungicide and algaecide that prevents organic growth from developing. This material has also been in use for roofing and gutter applications for centuries and it can be found in many historical structures around the world.

Which Should You Choose?

Both zinc and copper last much longer in ideal conditions than aluminum and other gutter materials. However, choosing between these premium products boils down to your preference, budget and architectural home style. Zinc gutters are a great choice if you want as much design flexibility as possible as they come in a wide variety of colors. Then again, you can’t go wrong with copper gutters, especially if you want a more rustic or class feel to your historic home exterior.

Gutter Helmet® of Northern Minnesota is the local name to trust for gutter guard installation. Call us at (866) 937-3508, or fill out our online contact form. We serve homeowners living in and around Duluth, MN.

A green and healthy landscape demands proper care and maintenance to keep it visually appealing. If you put off the necessary maintenance routine, your lawn can easily be overwhelmed by different threats such as pests and weeds. Neglecting to provide adequate water and nutrition can also gradually damage your lawn over time.

As a homeowner, it helps to understand the different threats against your lawn if it isn’t properly maintained. Gutter Helmet, a trusted gutter shield installer, explains some of the most common ones below.

Unhealthy Soil

Healthy soil goes a long way to keeping your lawn healthy. To avoid having poor soil, make sure to have your lawn aerated once a year to get more nutrients, water and air into the substrate. You may need to fix your soil by amending it with organic matter such as compost and mulch. It also helps to get your soil tested every few years to evaluate its condition and give you a better idea of how you can improve it.

Standing Water

This can be caused by several factors, but it’s most commonly due to the soil draining poorly as well as low spots in some areas of your lawn. As a gutter cap installer, we also understand that this can be caused by excess runoff from your gutter system. Make sure that your gutters and downspouts are aligned properly and draining safely away from your lawn. As for low areas, you can improve drainage and get rid of standing water by installing a French drain, which is a gravel-filled trench sloping down toward an exit point.  

Weeds 

If not properly managed, weeds can quickly affect the landscape. Not only will they look bad, they also threaten a lawn’s overall health because they steal nutrients from newly grown grass and crowd it out. To guarantee a healthy landscape, you should always be ready to deal with weeds. That means pulling them and/or investing in chemical weed control services to eliminate and protect your lawn against unwanted growth.

If you’re looking for the best gutter guards in the area, Gutter Helmet has you covered. Call us at (800) 824-3772 or fill out our online contact form to be connected to a dealer in your area.

It can be frustrating for some people during pollen season, especially those with allergies. However, aside from having allergy issues with pollen, you may also experience home maintenance problems. This is particularly true for homeowners with foam gutter guards. Since pollen is tiny and sticky, it can affect the performance of your gutter guards. 

What Are Foam Gutter Guards?

Other types of gutter guards sit on top of the gutter opening. Foam gutter guards, on the other hand, sit inside them. These gutter guards are made of flexible lengths of coarse polyether foam that allow water to pass through easily, but catch leaves, seeds, dirt and other debris. They are one of the easiest to install gutter guards, making them a popular choice among homeowners. 

However, most people who live in areas with plenty of sand, dust and dirt blowing around may not have foam gutter guards as their first choice. Debris may get caught inside the foam pieces and mix with water, which can give you a hard time cleaning. 

What Happens to Gutter Guards During Pollen Season?

The sticky nature of pollen makes it difficult to manage your gutters. When it comes to foam gutter guards, the water trickles through very small holes and into the gutter. During pollen season, however, those holes can become clogged. This prevents water from getting through into the gutters and causing water to likely spill down your home’s walls. Not only will you have to replace your gutter guard, but you may also have to deal with landscaping and siding issues. 

If you receive a lot of spring pollen in your area, be sure to add a gutter protection system that does not clog during the pollen season. For instance, you may consider a nose-forward, surface tension design. It doesn’t have tiny pores that may get clogged with pollen. Instead, water moves smoothly via surface tension and into a 3/8 inch gap, which is small enough to avoid debris accumulation. 

At Gutter Helmet® of Cookeville, we install top-quality gutter helmet systems that can do just that. To learn more about our exceptional gutter protection system, give us a call at (866) 985-9982, or fill out our online contact form to set an appointment. We proudly serve homeowners in Cookeville, TN.