Gutter Myths

Knowing the most common myths and facts can help you feel confident that you're making the right decision for your home's guttering.

Using Your Old Gutters Will Save You Thousands of Dollars

The reality is that over time your old gutters will cause as much as 10 times their value in home repairs (fascia rot, wood siding damage, drywall damage) because of poor design. It just doesn’t make sense to keep them. Companies selling gutter hoods or other products that use your old North Carolina gutters want you to believe that you’re going to save a lot of money. Truthfully, you can install a new gutter guard system for the same or less money.

Old “One Piece” Gutters Still Make Sense

When it comes to covered gutters, one-piece designs just don’t make sense. Because the top and bottom are made in one-piece, if either piece gets damaged they both have to be replaced and since the top isn’t removable, it’s very hard to clean or service the gutter trough. The newest, state-of-the-art, integrated gutter systems use two-piece design technology. The top is a separate piece that can be replace if damaged without replacing the seamless trough. One type uses a snap on hood but this type of gutter hood can be easily damaged or blown off in high winds. GutterShutters’s two-piece design secures the separate hood to the bracket and trough. The secured hood is very strong, can’t be blown off by the Carolina wind and allows easy access if service is ever needed.

Installing a Gutter Hood Under the Shingles Will Void the Shingle Warranty

For most Charlotte homes, installing a gutter hood won't void your shingle warranties. However, this is something you should check with your shingle's manufacturer just to be sure. You should also consider the downside of installing “under shingle” type gutter hoods:

• Using your old gutters will not save you thousands of dollars.
• You'll need to remove and reinstall hoods at additional cost if shingle repair or replacement is ever needed.
• Gutter hoods are easily damaged, and most commonly damaged by placing a ladder against them. The warranty won't cover ladder damage.
• Gutter hoods and gutter toppers leave fascia board completely exposed to moisture in the gutter.
• Gutter hoods and gutter toppers don't address poorly fitted, builders-grade gutter. Original gutters are often under-sized, poorly pitched, and have inadequate drainage.
• Hoods aren't visually pleasing. They take away from the natural beauty of your home.
• To properly install most hoods, you may have to lower the entire gutter system.

In Heavy Rain, Water Spills Over Clog-free Gutters

Our clog-free gutter system has been designed and tested to handle the heaviest Charlotte rainfalls. Our hood has exclusive double flow reducers that slow the water coming off your roof. The principle of surface tension keeps the water flowing into the gutter system. Surface tension isn’t affected by the amount or speed of the water, so even in heavy rain, GutterShutter works!

Clog-free Gutters Won't Work on My Steep Roof

So your Charlotte home has a steep pitched roof and you think that a covered gutter system isn’t designed for it. The fact is that the steeper your roof is, the better our covered gutter system performs. The funny thing about roofs is that the steeper they get, the less water they catch. A flat roof catches all of the rain that falls over it. But as you begin to tilt a flat roof upward, angling its surface to the rain, you reduce the surface area that can catch rain and reduce the total amount of rain to be handled by the gutters. Granted, the water that is caught will flow faster but there is much less of it.

If you have any questions or would like to schedule an estimate, contact GutterShutter today.