We’re well into springtime with summer just around the corner which means we’re officially in The Heartland’s rainy season. While The Farmer’s Almanac has predicted that the Heartland will experience less rainfall than our average spring and summer totals, that doesn’t mean we won’t see periods of heavy rainfall and strong wind gusts. Our rainy season typically brings heavy rainfalls that can result in flash floods.
Knowing how much rain we can get here in The Heartland (and especially here in the greater Kansas City area), you may be wondering if your gutters need diverters, also known as splash guards. Luckily you’ve come to the right place – we’re going to explain exactly what diverters are and whether or not you should have them installed.
What are Diverters/Splash Guards?
Diverters/splash guards are pieces of material that are installed on gutters in certain areas of the gutter system. They’re installed in valleys, also known as corners, and help keep water flowing through the gutter system. Corners or valleys of a gutter system can oftentimes overspill when heavy rainfall has a hard time moving through the system in these corners that redirect the water flow.
Does My Gutter System Need Diverters?
Now that you know what diverters are, you may be wondering if your gutter system needs them. Simply put, if you have a traditional, half-round, or open-top gutter system then you should have gutter diverters installed.
Why should you have them installed on your half-round gutter system? To help prevent damage of course. Without diverters, open-top gutter systems can overflow in the corners or valleys mentioned earlier. When your gutter system overflows, the rainfall is forced to spill over the gutters and collects in places like your home’s foundation or front door, causing foundation damage and other costly issues.
Diverters keep water flowing through valleys and corners of your gutter system, but what are some other benefits to installing them? We’ll examine the benefits more thoroughly below.
Benefits of Installing Diverters
Like we previously mentioned, when diverters are placed in a gutter system’s valleys or corners, water can move faster. Furthermore, there won’t be an influx of water that’s left to collect and overflow. In addition to keeping rainwater moving faster throughout the gutter system, diverters offer other benefits:
- They can aid in preventing damage to your landscaping and garden beds
- They can help prevent roof leaks
- They can help prevent sagging gutters and rotted soffit & fascia boards
- They can prevent the influx of water from collecting around your front door which can enter your home
- They can prevent the influx of water from collecting around your front door which can enter your home
The damage listed above often results in expensive repair bills, especially if you have foundation damage.
Are There Any Solutions Other than Diverters?
Diverters can be an effective way to avoid overflowing gutters, however, they’re not the only solution when it comes to ensuring your gutter system will withstand heavy amounts of rainfall and severe weather. Living in The Heartland, we experience a rainy season that brings periods of heavy rainfall which can wreak havoc on a traditional gutter system.
Diverters don’t prevent gutters from overflowing, they just lessen the chance of them overflowing. The only way to truly avoid overflowing gutters is to install a complete, covered gutter system like the K-Guard Leaf Free Gutter System. How do our gutter guards prevent overflowing?
First, our gutter product is a complete system, offering more than just one part to keep leaves, debris, and pests out. Second, the hood of the K-Guard Leaf Free Gutter System is like no other; it’s curved to allow rain and meltwater to flow from the roof and into the gutter. Third, our 5-inch gutters are larger than traditional gutter systems and allow more water to move through the system at a much faster pace. The K-Guard Gutter System also has diverters in the inside corners or in any part of the system that has a valley. And finally, our downspouts are also larger than those of a traditional gutter system and can handle a minimum of 22 inches of rain per hour!
The K-Guard Leaf Free Gutter System is also backed by three-lifetime warranties: lifetime paint, lifetime no clog, and lifetime no pull away warranties. No other gutter system on the market can match the strength, durability, and appearance of K-Guard.
With the severe weather that we can experience here in The Heartland and understanding that diverters don’t prevent gutters from overflowing, we encourage you to request a free in-home estimate to learn more about how K-Guard can keep your home dier. Our team of professionals will thoroughly assess your home’s current gutter system and will provide you with all of the information you need to make an informed decision about installing K-Guard.
K-Guard proudly offers our gutter installation service to homeowners across both Missouri and Kansas including, but not limited to, the following locations:
Have any questions? Contact us or call (913) 380-1616 – our team will get back to you shortly.
