FAQs
Barry Best Seamless Gutters receives a number of frequently asked questions from contractors and customers about our products. Read a few of them and their answers below to see if they answer your questions, and feel free to call us about anything not discussed here.
Why do I need Gutter Helmet®?
You avoid the muck and hassle of cleaning gutters yourself. You avoid the dangers of climbing a shaky ladder. You avoid the liability of having someone else clean your gutters. You help prevent clogged and overflowing gutters that can lead to rot and damage of landscaping, lawn, shrubbery, walls, fascia boards and soffit, foundation, basement, crawl spaces, and existing gutter system. Stop worrying about your gutters and start enjoying the peace of mind that a Gutter Helmet® system provides. With Gutter Helmet®, you’ll never clean your gutters again!®
How does Gutter Helmet® work?
Gutters become clogged when leaves and debris fall onto your roof and accumulate in the gutters. When it rains, debris in your gutters causes your downspouts to clog and your gutters to overflow. This causes rot and damage to your home, lawn, basement and landscaping.
Gutter Helmet’s® patented nose-forward design prevents leaves and debris from entering your gutter system. Your Gutter Helmet® system channels rainwater around the nose-forward panel and through a precise 3/8″ horizontal slit. In turn, the principles of gravity and surface tension combine to allow rainwater to flow into your gutters and leaves and debris to fall harmlessly to the ground below.
Don’t all gutter protections systems offer similar products and features? Why do you say that Gutter Helmet® is “the best”?
Brackets: Every home is unique, and Gutter Helmet® installs with the option of several special-purpose, reinforced, heavy gauge installation brackets, each engineered with a custom installation and special purpose in mind; to strengthen and support your gutters, even in the heaviest of snowfalls (K-style or Universal Tri-Beams support brackets) and prevent entry to birds and animals (anchor-lock support brackets); to withstand the heaviest rainfall ever recorded (all brackets); to hook invisibly into your gutter with NO screws into the gutter.
And NO screws into the roof (K-style tri-beam supports). Gutter Helmet® professional installers are also trained in fascia-mounted systems that do not touch the roof at all, ideal for expensive slate, shake and metal roofing. The ‘other guys’ usually have a single bracket design or installation method that encourages a “one-size-fits-all” approach to every home, even yours!
Panels: Gutter Helmet’s® patented metal texturing process and horizontal-rib design is precisely engineered to provide maximum strength, maximum performance, and minimum weight and stress onto the gutters of your home (especially when used with our patented brackets) over similar non-textured, non ribbed products. And, Gutter Helmet® is specially Kynar© coated to not only resist scratching, cracking, and peeling, but to also neutralize the harmful effects of UV light and acid rain without perceptible fade for 20 years! Products coated with enamels, polyesters or just cannot stand up to the Gutter Helmet® PermaLife coating with special stain inhibitors.
The industry leader: Gutter Helmet® pioneered the professional gutter protection market over 25 years ago and is the industry leader, installing more quality systems over existing gutters than every other competitor, and has for every year for the last 25 years (with sales of over 10 million feet of Gutter Helmet® in 2004 alone!). Many products and companies have come and gone over the last 25 years, but Gutter Helmet® remains committed to you–our current and future happy customers.
How much does a professionally installed Gutter Helmet® system cost?
The installation cost is determined by many factors. All installations include an inspection and tune-up of your existing gutters – cleaning, sealing, re-pitching and adding hangers as needed. Other factors affecting cost include: local laws and codes, number of stories of your home; the need for special equipment to perform the installation (due to the lay of the land or other variables); the condition of your roof; the necessity of fascia repair and replacement; and the linear feet of gutters and number of corners on your home. The inspection of your home by a professional Gutter Helmet® dealer is necessary to provide a fair installation estimate. Call your dealer today to schedule your free inspection and estimate!
Will Gutter Helmet® effect my roof warranty?
No. Gutter Helmet® is expertly and professionally installed using the industry’s highest quality poly-butyl sealant and Dacromet®-coated fasteners. Gutter Helmet® provides our installers with a choice of installation methods, some that do not touch the roof at all! Finally, our installation procedures and methods have been evaluated and approved by major roofing manufacturers.
How does Gutter Helmet® compare to screens and other products on the market?
Screens act just like a filter, we all know that filters get clogged and need to be cleaned and/or replaced. Helmet has no holes, it’s not a filtration system. It will never clog!
Gutter Helmet® is expertly and professionally installed using the industry’s highest quality poly-butyl sealant and Dacromet®-coated fasteners. Gutter Helmet® provides our installers with a choice of installation methods, some that do not touch the roof at all! Finally, our installation procedures and methods have been evaluated and approved by major roofing manufacturers.
My roof is very steep. Just how much rain can a Gutter Helmet® system handle?
The angle of a roof is called pitch. Gutter Helmet® has engineered a variety of installation techniques to work on any pitch roof, from flat to almost vertical. Rest assured that rainwater will flow into your Gutter Helmet®-protected gutters, regardless of the pitch. Many products on the market promise their systems will handle 22″, 24″, or even 30″ of rain per hour; but what does that mean?
Actually, almost any product can handle large amounts of rain if it is installed on a relatively flat roof with a very short roof run. For example, Gutter Helmet® could claim to handle 109″ per year, a very true, but very misleading statement (very low pitch with a 5 foot roof run). The fact is that it has never rained more than 12″ in a single hour in the US.
How will Gutter Helmet® effect the look of my home? What colors are available?
Gutter Helmet® is designed to blend into the natural architectural style of your home. Eight colors plus solid copper are available to match your roof shingle so that an installed system becomes an almost invisible year-round protection from the damage caused by overflowing gutters.
Will Gutter Helmet® prevent ice dams?
Ice dams are caused by poor insulation and ventilation. So no, will not prevent nor cause ice dams. Gutter Helmet® can, however, help reduce the amount of ice build-up in your gutters that can cause gutter seams to split, hangers to loosen, and gutters to pull off the house. For more information on the cause and prevention of ice dams, please contact your local Professional Gutter Helmet® dealer by visiting the ‘Where to Buy’ page. Your dealer can also guide you to additional sources of information.
Because the ice that used to accumulate in your gutters now goes over the panels, some customers report an increase in icicles. If that is a concern to you, Gutter Helmet® offers an exclusive Helmet-Heater option to prevent icicles and help prevent the damage caused by ice dams. Contact your Professional Gutter Helmet® dealer for more information.
Will Gutter Helmet® work in heavy snows?
Gutter Helmet® is precision-engineered to work well in heavy snowfalls. Gutter Helmet® has been proven on thousands of homes in the heavy snow-load regions of Canada, New York, Minnesota and New England states.
How is Gutter Helmet® installed?
Gutter Helmet® is custom-fitted to your home by trained installers who clean, seal, check, and adjust the alignment of your gutter system, as needed. Gutter Helmet® is expertly installed with heavy gauge reinforced support brackets, (several models available, each designed for an expert, custom installation.) Gutter Helmet® panels are individually prepared and custom-fitted over your full-sized gutters.
Panels are then securely installed under or over shingles, depending on a professional dealer inspection of your home. Upon completion and final inspection, the site is restored to its original condition. In most cases, installation can be completed in just one day.
What is the warranty for Gutter Helmet®?
With your registered warranty, you are provided a transferable lifetime materials and a product performance warranty. Through the extensive Gutter Helmet® dealer network, you are also provided a lifetime service warranty. Your local dealer will provide you with a copy of the written warranty that will explain all the details. The warranty must be registered when you purchase Gutter Helmet® to take advantage of all warranty benefits. If you do not receive a warranty card, please contact your dealer or contact us.
