Best Gutter Guard Available Today: Emberguard (product review)
If your like me, you love new innovations, particularly ones that are true game changers. While they are rare, every now and then a product comes along which really impacts a market. Emberguard has been around for a little while now, long enough to be tested in real world situations. This post will answer the question - Is emberguard the best gutter guard available today?
What's important - what makes a gutter guard the best?
Before we take an in depth look at Emberguard, I figure we should lay down a few ground rules. What makes a good gutter guard.
- Firstly, it must solve the problem
- it must be easy to maintain
- it must be aesthetically pleasing
- it must have a long life expectancy
- it must be cost effective
When choosing a product, it must solve the problem. With gutter guards, this means that it needs to keep the debris out and stop the gutters from blocking.
It has to be easy to maintain. Whats the point of keeping debris out if you constantly maintain the system. Any system which sits in the gutter needs constant maintenance to make sure that they don't add to the problem.
If the solution is an eye sore, it is not going to add value to your home. And lets face it, if it works but is ugly, we will think twice about buying it.
If we are going to spend good money on a gutter guard solution, we want to make sure that it is going to last a life time. A decent gutter guard system has a 20 year life expectancy. For a system to be better, it needs to last longer.
Lastly, the solution has to be cost effective. Lets face it, if the cost of the solution works out to be more than the cost of regular maintenance in the long run, why use it?
What is emberguard?
Emberguard is a 3D pre-profiled mesh constructed out of Bluescope colorbond steel. It has been designed to meet extreme bush fire ratings (BAL 40). Emberguard looks great and is simple to install.
Being made out of bluescope steel, it matches classic colorbond colours, making it a perfect match for most colorbond roofs and guttering profiles in Australia.
Emberguard is different. It has been engineered to overcome aquaplaning with its unique ribbed design.
The biggest design issues with some 3D colorbond emberguard systems is aquaplaning. Because of the gauge of the steel and the raised holes, water typically aquaplanes over the mesh.
So what is the unique ribbed design. Its a rib which sits towards the lower (gutter) edge and disrupts water flow so that the water is collected in the gutter!
Emberguard will accommodate inspection points - easy maintenance!
Inspection points are critical to a good gutter guard system. (Read worst 2 gutter guard mistakes)While debris can be kept out, silt will never be eliminated and will need to be flushed out from time to time. In the 25 years Leafshield has been in operation, we have learned that inspection points need to be placed at downpipes and in places where it makes sense to flush back to a downpipe. While there are different gutter guard systems out there, many do not accommodate inspection points. Emberguard does, making it easy to maintain.......winning!
So, is emberguard cost effective? In a word, absolutely!
While it is 20-30% more expensive than a quality polymesh or aluminium diamond mesh, when spread over 20+ years it just makes financial sense. (To find out about polymesh and aluminium diamond mesh read this post) (or to find out how much is gutter guard read this post) While ember guard has the same product warranty, it is made of Bluescope colorbond steel, so it is bound to last as long as your gutters. (I see a lot of gutters which are 30-40 years old)
Emberguard ticks all the boxes - but beware - not all emberguards are the same
Emberguard is a high quality 3D profiled gutter guard mesh pressed from Bluescope steel. It is designed to last over 20 years, look good and easy to install. Emberguard has been designed with a unique rib so - it works. It accommodates inspection points so is easy to maintain and it given the life expectancy, is cost effective.
But beware, like gutter guard is a generic term, emberguard is becoming one too. Many products are claiming to be an ember guard. It is vital that the emberguard you choose is the one described in this post.
If you are unsure, want a sample, quote or want some honest advice get in contact with me today!