Never Clean Your Gutters AgainGutter Guard Installation in Pella, IA

Guards, solar panels and anything else on the roof

A roof with equipment on it sheds water differently. Solar panels are smooth, sealed, and steeply set, so runoff crossing them accelerates and arrives at the gutter faster and in a narrower band than it would off shingles alone. The gaps between panel rows concentrate flow further. Panels also collect their own debris at the lower edge, which eventually releases in a clump. Any mounting on a roof, whether panels, a satellite dish, or a vent, creates a small dam that gathers material and then lets it go all at once. None of this makes gutter protection unworkable, but it does mean the guard should be selected after looking at the roof rather than before. The considerations are the same ones that apply to a steep roof, only more so: manage the speed of the water, expect concentrated flow at particular points, and treat those points differently rather than running one product uniformly and hoping the busy sections behave like the quiet ones.