A guard keeps leaves and needles out of the gutter, so snowmelt has an open channel to drain through. Alu-Rex, maker of the guards we install, says snow melts on top of its DoublePro guard and the water flows in. No guard stops an ice dam on the roof edge, and heavy roof snow still needs attention.
Yes, with one limit. A guard keeps the gutter clear for meltwater. It does not stop ice forming on the roof above it.
Backed by Wood & Wood Seamless Gutters, more than 30 years in the gutter business.
What a guard does in snow and freezing weather
Winter gutter trouble often starts in the fall. Leaves fill an open gutter and freeze, and the thaw has nowhere to go. A guard keeps that debris out.
Alu-Rex says T-Rex does not warp under the weight of snow or in freeze-thaw cycles. That support comes from the hanger that holds the new gutter along its full length.
What a guard cannot do
An ice dam is a ridge of ice on the roof edge, fed by heat leaking out of the house. A guard cannot stop it. The page on whether gutter guards cause ice dams explains the cause, and how to remove an ice dam covers what to do when one has formed.
Winter upkeep that still matters
The National Weather Service says to clean leaves and sticks out of gutters and downspouts before winter, then keep them clear of snow and icicles all season. A guard does the first job. Check the downspout outlets, and keep heavy snow off the roof edge with a roof rake from the ground.
Call to install: every step
Three ways to start
- Call (617) 401-9301. It is answered any hour, and a missed call gets called back.
- Send the short form on the home page with your street address, and your number lands in your inbox.
- Text or chat through the chat window on this site.
Understand what you actually need
About fifteen minutes on the phone: the length of the roofline, the number of stories and the trees around the house. The roofline is measured remotely, so nobody comes to the house to sell. You get your price the same day, from the published per-foot rates.
- Gutters still in good shape: Gutter Clean Pro goes over the gutters you already have, from $18/ft.
- Gutters that need replacing: new gutters with the guard built in. T-Rex (continuous hanger) from $25/ft, or DoublePro (two filtration layers) from $30/ft.
- Fascia that cannot be drilled: Hover Pro, quoted for your house.
- Complex rooflines, third stories and copper are quoted separately, and we say so on the call, never after arrival.
Your plan, in writing
You get a written quote and your StormRail plan: photos of your house, the system, the gutter size and your color choices. The certified installer works from that same plan, so you and the installer are never on different pages.
A deposit capped at one third
Massachusetts law caps a home-improvement deposit at one third of the contract. We hold to that in every state we work in. Your quote names the exact figure before you pay anything.
Material ordered and confirmed
Your Alu-Rex system is ordered through the Alu-Rex distributor and confirmed before an install date is set, so the date you get is one the material can meet.
Scheduled with a certified installer in your county
A certified Alu-Rex installer working in your area takes the job, and you get the date without chasing anyone. In season we're typically booking four to six weeks out. We'd rather tell you that now than promise you Tuesday and send whoever happened to be free. Emergency work — a collapsed run, active water in the basement — gets triaged ahead of the queue.
Installed
The installer fits the system on the plan you already approved. Any balance is due as your quote states.
After the install
We check in after the job is done. Each system carries its own written Alu-Rex warranty:
- Gutter Clean Pro: manufacturing lifetime limited, clog performance lifetime limited, including coniferous areas
- T-Rex: manufacturing lifetime limited, clog performance 25-year prorated limited
- DoublePro: manufacturing lifetime limited, clog performance lifetime limited, including coniferous areas
Questions homeowners ask
Do gutter guards freeze over?
Snow and ice can sit on top of a guard in a cold snap. Alu-Rex says its DoublePro design keeps freezing clogs out of the gutter itself, and the melt drains in as it thaws.
Will snow sliding off the roof rip off a guard?
Alu-Rex says the T-Rex hanger does not warp under snow. Heavy roof snow still needs a roof rake from the ground.
Do I need to clear the guard in winter?
Keep downspout outlets clear. Leave the guard alone.
What does a guard cost?
From $18 a foot installed over sound gutters. Call (617) 401-9301 and we price the roofline on the call.
Compare the systems before you call: all gutter guards, Gutter Clean Pro, T-Rex, DoublePro, and the full price list.
Sources
- Alu-Rex DoublePro product page alu-rex.com/en/doublepro
- Alu-Rex: T-Rex gutter system alu-rex.com/en/blog/t-rex-gutter-the-only-standard
- National Weather Service: Preventing roof ice dams www.weather.gov/grr/roofIceDams
Get a number for your roofline
One call is enough to start: the address, how many stories, and what grows over the roof. The published per-foot rate is the starting point, and the full scope and total are confirmed in writing before you pay anything.
Call (617) 401-9301