You are not alone. These days, the great majority of consumers literally search the internet for answers about products to make purchase decisions. In case you haven’t noticed, the internet offers unlimited information, which can be overwhelming. Almost as overwhelming as this image of another failed gutter we typically see. At the Ever Clean offices, we study search term trends to learn what problems consumers are having so we can help solve problems. We want to solve your problems and have had success solving water problems now for almost 25 years.
One currently problem we are trying to solve now is the difficulty consumers face with selecting the right gutter product for their home. Our callers often tell me they have been researching products on the web and see a lot of gutter companies making claims that their gutters will permanently prevent clogs, for example:
- “Say Goodbye To Clogged Gutters”
- “End Cleaning Out Gutters for Good With …”
- “Durable Gutter Guards That Protect Your Home”
- “Give up gutter cleaning for good”
Buyer Beware:
Unfortunately for the consumer, these claims can be misleading without reading the fine print, or promote products which may or may not be the right fit for their needs. Also be careful of sites that are disguised as “consumer review” or “gutter evaluation” sites, though they are owned and operated by one of many VERY aggressive sales-oriented home improvement companies that are new in business or offer gutter guards as a sideline to their other home improvement business.
“Every week, we’re asked to remove clogged or failed gutter screens, filters and guards that didn’t protect the home. Your house is too big of an investment for that gamble.” — Lora Brown, Owner Serving Cincinnati, Fort Thomas, Newport, Covington, Florence, Independence, Mason & West Chester for 25+ years
- Beware of Gutter Hoods: Improperly installed gutter “hoods” may result in wood rot and or affect the roof shingle manufacturer warranty. Ever Clean Gutter System mounts to the fascia board up and under the roof’s drip edge, the right way!
- Beware of Gutter Mesh Screens or Gutter Toppers: Be cautious of any system whose basic function is limited to top filtration, such as gutter hoods that rely on holes or slots; they will soon fail when debris quickly fills all the holes and prevents any water from entering the gutter. These systems are NOT maintenance free.
- Beware of One-Piece Gutters: Guard yourself from potential wood rot and gutter overflow associated with a one-piece design is installed with pitch towards the downspout. Take the time to research the problems associated with them including clogging and overflow issues.
- Beware of Installation & Gutter Mounting: Did you realize clog free systems must mount to your fascia board behind the roof drip edge? They should never require any alterations to the existing roof like mounting under the shingles or installing any additional flashing/drip edge as either may void your roof’s manufacturer and installation warranties.
- Ensure your Gutters have Self-Cleaning Technology: You should know that a well-designed gutter system requires self-cleaning technology; this enables the maintenance free guttering to perform optimally long term. This will save you time of cleaning, as well as potential ladder accidents. Did you know … over 200,000 people visit the hospital ER each year with ladder accidents? Stop cleaning your gutters.
Do your Homework BEFORE you Buy
Lots of systems are available to keep the leaves out of the gutters, but most of those systems have design flaws that don’t show up until years later (usually in the form of rotted wood and roof issues). Get a clog free system designed to handle the leaves, and protect your home from water damage. Here are some tips to EDUCATE YOURSELF about how to choose products and companies that are right for your home:
- Conduct your own site evaluation about your needs based on your own observations about trees in the area, height of these trees, type of debris these trees toss around (large or small), height of your roof areas with gutters, condition of the wood behind and near the gutters, and finally your own physical ability or interest in different degrees of gutter maintenance that come with different gutter products.
- Search for gutter company reviews from ONLY unbiased sites you have already heard, such as Better Business Bureau (look at company longevity here as well as reviews), Angie’s List, Google Plus (reviews can be confirmed) and even the new contractors’ site called houzz.com.
- Ask your friends and acquaintences what they have on their house and how they like it. Ask them how their research process went, which companies gave them a good feeling. In this world of time spent on the internet research credibility lies with face to face communication. BUT the key to seeking person to person information is to pursue more than 5 people….the “sample size” needs to be larger due to general differences in houses and personalities. After you have talked to atleast 5, or more, homeowners about their experience some consistencies will surface that you can count on.
- Pick up the phone and call the Ever Clean Gutter Company office for a real question/answer session that is no strings attached. We only want to serve homeowners who have a specific need for our type of product (the only fully maintenance free, permanant gutter), and we are not interested in pressuring callers for a site evaluation without the need. Give us a try: 502.637.3393 / 859.259.1133…………….Otherise, Happy Hunting!
