Blocked gutters causing expensive water damage? Sick of cleaning your gutters every few months and risking that wobbly ladder? If the answer is yes, you need a gutter guard (sometimes called guttermesh) solution to keep your gutters clear.
Essentially, gutter mesh prevents leaves and debris from forming a blockage in your gutters and downpipes by covering the gutter with a sheet or roll of mesh. Filtering debris is made easier with the small aperture sizes (holes). There are, however, a number of other uses for a gutter guard installation.
Choosing a gutter guard requires understanding your gutter protection needs so you can protect your home correctly. It also depends on what roof type you want to install the gutter guard on. What is your primary use for gutter guards? Do you want leaf guards so you have nice clean gutters or do you need them to keep birds and vermin out? Are you looking for a gutter guard that will protect you from bushfire embers? The different types of gutter guards and factors to consider when choosing a gutter protection system can be determined once you understand the need for one.
Check out the following article to learn how to select the best gutter mesh for your Australian home, regardless if you want to get gutter guard specialist installer or go the DIY gutter guard route.
Choose The Best Gutter Guard Solution For Your Roof
Gutter guard systems are purchased for a variety of reasons. The benefits of gutter mesh in Australian conditions include:
- Keep your gutters and downpipes clear of leaves and twigs
- Reduce maintenance and gutter cleaning frequency with the benefit of increased safety which is ideal for older homeowners who shouldn’t climb ladders anymore or renters who might sue you if they fall off!
- Bushfire prone areas need ember guards to stop a fire starting during an ember attack. In this situation, a material with an appropriate fire rating must be selected.
- Your gutters and roof cavities can be protected from birds and vermin from well-fitted gutter guards
- Collecting and harvesting rainwater by filtering all the rubbish out before it ends up in the tank.
- Protecting and providing additional strength and structure to the gutters
Gutter mesh is not just good for DIY guttering and roofing, but has a variety of other benefits as well. A gutter guard may initially be needed to filter contaminants from your water tank, but you could also benefit from Ember protection if you live in a BAL29 rated area. Get the most from your gutter mesh by considering all of the possibilities.
Choosing the Right Gutter Mesh
In general, there are four factors to consider when selecting the best quality gutter mesh:
- A mesh made of aluminium, steel or polyethylene
- Holes of different sizes
- Materials with different thicknesses
- A powder-coated surface
Which Material to Choose?
Choosing a gutter mesh material is the first step.
Australians prefer aluminium mesh to other mesh materials. Among all gutter meshes, aluminium gutter mesh is the most durable. Due to its corrosion resistance, non-combustibility, strength, and flexibility, it is easy to install. Several solutions can also be implemented using it. Birds and pests are well protected by the material’s strength. It is impossible for most pests, such as possums, birds, and vermin, to remove the aluminium mesh from your roof or gutters. Additionally, it meets AS4020 standards for water harvesting. As far as BAL-29 ratings are concerned, it is also suitable. Most DIY installations and professional installations are done using aluminium mesh, since it is so diverse.
It is the only choice for homeowners looking for a product that meets the very high BAL-40 or BAL-FZ standards. There are some downsides to steel mesh, including its difficulty in working, its higher cost, and its brittleness.
Polyethylene mesh is commonly made from food-grade polyethylene. Whether you do it yourself or hire someone to do it, it is generally much harder to install. Bird proofing and pest proofing with poly-mesh is not as durable due to its ability to be gnawed or even removed over time. It reduces gutter maintenance and leaf disposal and is excellent for leaf proofing. It is not suitable as a bushfire ember guard mesh in bushfire-prone areas or for collecting rainwater for consumption. In addition, mesh is difficult to install, especially on tile roofs. As metal mesh may react with seawater, poly mesh is generally only used in areas with high salt concentrations, such as within 50-100 meters of the beach.
Lastly, galvanised gutter mesh is also available, but it is less common because it reacts with most types of roofs, such as aluminium or stainless steel corrugated roofs. A galvanised mesh is recommended only for a galvanized roof and gutter. Galvanised roofing is typically used to achieve a particular effect.
What is the significance of hole size?
An aperture (hole) size of 3-4mm is typical for gutter mesh guards. When the mesh is wider than this, leaves and small twigs cannot be adequately filtered. Australian bushfire regulations require ember guard mesh to have less than 2mm holes.
It is generally more economical to use a typical gutter mesh instead of a specialised ember mesh for most homeowners. With ember mesh, even the tiniest of embers cannot ignite the gutter guard in bushfire-prone areas because the small hole aperture of under 2mm prevents even the tiniest of embers from getting through.
During bushfires in Australia, over 70% of homes are destroyed by ember attacks. A smaller hole size is therefore required in the mesh. The ember guard should also be CSIRO rated for your area based on the bushfire risk.
For homeowners concerned with finer litter, such as wattle blooms, jacaranda blossoms, pine needles and pine needle debris, the smaller hole size is also advantageous. Smaller meshes may also be desirable for people who live under trees that drop finer debris into their water systems.
What Mesh Thickness Do I Need?
Standard gutter meshes measure 1mm thick or 1.5mm thick for commercial grade gutter meshes.
Standard mesh thicknesses of 1mm are sufficient for most applications, but an option for high performance thicker meshes may be preferred by those seeking long-term durability. Homeowners are increasingly choosing thicker meshes because they can better resist large branches falling on them.
Parapets and box gutters are common features on modern homes. It is far easier to span these wide gaps with a more robust, high-performance mesh.
Are powder-coated gutter meshes important?
In order to determine whether a gutter mesh is of good quality, it is important to examine its coating. Powder-coating is always recommended for aluminium gutter guard meshes and steel meshes. In rainwater, corrosive trace elements and UV exposure enhance the durability of the mesh with powder-coating.
It can be colour-matched to your tile or metal roof and is applied in an array of Colorbond colours to prevent fading. Using a translucent powder coating, a zinc colour can be obtained, as can a terracotta colour to match terracotta tile roofs. The majority of DIY suppliers can provide you with a quote based on a photo of your roof if you are unsure of its colour.
A good gutter mesh supplier will coat the mesh with powder to make it transparent. There are several grades of gutter guard coatings and qualities. Powder coatings of higher grades are of higher quality. It is better to powder coat 1010 instead of 660, for example.
Poly mesh and galvanised mesh are the only gutter mesh types that do not have powder coating. However, poly mesh is still recommended for coastal areas as a gutter mesh solution. In general, however, metal guards are considered more durable. Polyethylene mesh must be UV stabilized so it can last longer under the harsh Australian sun. Galvanised metal roof mesh should not be powder coated, as neither the roof nor the mesh is powder coated.
Verify the warranty on mesh materials
Meshes should all be covered by warranties. Be suspicious of material warranties that are excessively long, such as 30-year or more, or shorter than five years. Furthermore, the warranty period for gutter mesh products varies depending on the material. A 20 year workmanship guarantee would be a good expectation from a best and leading gutter protection company such as Sydney Gutter Guards.
Check the Fittings
A gutter guard mesh can only be as good as the fittings that secure it to your roof. Make sure you check these things when installing gutter guards:
- Color-matched screws provide a sleek appearance
- Unless you want each screw to have a pilot hole, screws should be self-drilling
- In order to prevent fittings from fading while mesh stays bright, the fittings (trims and saddles) are powder coated the same colour as the mesh.
- Ribbed fittings push the mesh into a metal roof to conform to it.
Conclusion
Consider your gutter protection needs before choosing the best gutter mesh. In order to determine which gutter guard type is most suitable for your needs, you need to understand why you need it.
Gutter mesh is designed to keep leaves, twigs and other debris from clogging your gutters. This can help prevent water damage to your home and foundation, and can also help prevent insect infestations.
There are several different types of gutter mesh available on the market. Each type has its own advantages and disadvantages, so it is important to choose the right one for your needs.
The most common type of gutter mesh is made of plastic or metal. These types of gutter guards are usually installed over the top of your gutters. They are designed to keep leaves and other debris from entering your gutters, but they will not keep all types of debris out.
If you live in an area with a lot of trees, you may want to consider a gutter guard that is made of mesh. These types of gutter guards are designed to keep leaves and other debris from entering your gutters, but they will also keep insects and small animals out.
If you have a lot of rain in your area, you may want to consider a gutter guard that is made of metal. These types of gutter guards are designed to keep leaves and other debris from entering your gutters
Recent Posts
Louvered roofs are becoming increasingly popular for their versatility, durability, and aesthetic appeal. They offer numerous benefits, including excellent shade, weather resistance, and customizable...
Your deck is a great place to relax and enjoy the outdoors, but it can also be a breeding ground for dirt, grime, and mold. If you don't clean your deck regularly, it will start to look dingy and...