When gutters outlast the house: a rainwater mystery

Squirrels are relentless. They chewed a hole right through my downspout last spring. Not sure any guard can stop them for good.

Had the same issue here - ended up patching with some leftover hardware cloth and zip ties. Not pretty, but cheaper than replacing the whole section. I’m with you on mesh guards, though; I tried a budget set once and they warped almost instantly. Sometimes spending a little more upfront really does pay off in the long run.

I tried a budget set once and they warped almost instantly.

That’s been my experience too - cheap guards just don’t hold up, especially with the freeze/thaw cycles we get. I’ve started using stainless steel mesh, and while it’s pricier, it’s held up for a few seasons now. Curious if anyone’s had luck with those plastic snap-on guards? I keep seeing them at the hardware store, but I’m skeptical they’d survive a determined squirrel or a heavy branch.

I’ve seen those plastic snap-ons crack after one winter - UV exposure and ice just wreck them. Stainless mesh is definitely more durable, but I do wonder about the environmental impact of all that metal production. Has anyone tried the recycled rubber options? I’m curious if they’re any better in tough weather.

I actually tried the recycled rubber guards last fall, mostly because I was tired of replacing the cheap plastic ones every year. They’re holding up better than I expected - no cracks so far, even after a couple of nasty freezes. Only thing is, they seem to sag a bit in the middle where the gutter’s wider. Not sure if that’s just my install or the material itself. Still, I’d take a little sag over brittle plastic any day.

I get the appeal of the recycled rubber - definitely better than those flimsy plastic guards that seem to shatter if you even look at them wrong. But I’ve actually had the opposite problem with rubber on my old place. The sagging you mentioned turned into a real issue after a couple of heavy rains. Water started pooling in the middle, and next thing I knew, I had a mini waterfall right over my porch steps. Not ideal when you’re carrying groceries.

Ended up switching to those metal mesh guards, which I was hesitant about at first because they looked a bit too modern for my 1920s gutters. But they’ve held up surprisingly well, and no sagging so far. They do need a quick brush-off every now and then, but at least I’m not dealing with puddles or cracked plastic anymore.

Guess it’s all about what fits your setup best. Sometimes the “old-fashioned” options really do last longer, even if they aren’t as eco-friendly as we’d like.