If you have been searching for a downspout critter blocker, the search usually starts the same way: something is getting into the house, or something is living in the pipe, and the only opening you can find sits at ground level. The term gets used for a few different products, and only one of them does what the name suggests.
What a Downspout Critter Blocker Is
A critter blocker is a cap that mounts on the END of the downspout, at ground level. That is the whole idea. It is not a screen in the gutter, not a basket dropped inside the pipe, and not something you feed in from the roof. GutterGate is that cap. Install is the GutterGate cap, the two provided screws, and a drill or screwdriver, about a minute per downspout, with no ladder, no sealant, and no special tools. It fits standard 2"x3" and 3"x4" downspouts. Once it is on, the opening the animals were using is closed, and it stays closed through rain, snow, and mowing season.
Why the Ground-Level End Is the Whole Point
Walk the perimeter of almost any house and you will find the same detail at the base of every downspout: an open pipe cut off a few inches above the mulch. It sits at exactly the height mice, rats, and chipmunks already travel along the foundation, and the pipe above is dry after a rain, dark, and connected to the side of the house. For an animal looking for a place to den before winter, that is an address.
Who It Actually Stops
Mice, rats, and chipmunks are the direct answer. They walk in at grade, and a capped end removes the entrance. Squirrels are worth being straight about: they are climbers, and they reach rooflines by way of trees, gutters, and downspout exteriors. Capping the outlet does not stop a squirrel from climbing the outside of the pipe, and we do not claim it does. What it does is remove the base of the pipe as a route and a stash spot. If squirrels are your specific problem, our post on squirrels and downspouts goes deeper.
Exclusion, Not Poison
Most homeowner pest products deal with animals after they are already inside: traps, bait blocks, powders. A downspout pest deterrent works on the other side of the problem. It removes the way in, so there is nothing to bait, nothing to empty, and no poison sitting where a pet or a child can reach it. That is why pest control companies, gutter companies, landscaping companies, and French drain companies have adopted GutterGate and install it on their customers' homes.
What It Does Not Do
Three limits, stated plainly, because they come up often. GutterGate is not a gutter guard and it does not prevent clogged downspouts: the hinged door is designed to still let water and debris flow through, so leaves behave exactly the way they did before. It does not redirect water away from the foundation, and we have never claimed it does. And it will not evict an animal that is already inside the pipe or the wall, which is a job for a pest professional. It keeps the ground-level opening from being the way in.
Sizing and the Install
Two sizes cover standard residential downspouts: 2"x3" and 3"x4". If you are not sure which you have, measure the outside width and depth of the pipe at the outlet. The install is two screws through the cap into the pipe wall, and it takes about a minute per downspout. You do not need to wait for warm weather either, since there is no sealant or adhesive and nothing to dig.
The Right Word for the Right Problem
People search for a downspout cover, a downspout guard, or a downspout critter blocker and often mean the same thing. If animals are using the pipe, the critter blocker is the part that addresses it. If the problem is a dented end or a sharp edge at ankle height, the same cap handles that, since it takes the hits from mower decks, string trimmers, and snow shovels. If the problem is leaves filling the pipe, that is a different product, and we will tell you so.
Close the Opening Before Winter
November is when the traffic picks up, because everything outside is looking for a dry place to spend the cold months. One lap around the house and one look at each downspout end is enough to see what you are working with, and about a minute per outlet closes it. Shop carries both sizes, and Find an Installer will match you with a pro who can cap every downspout on the property in a single visit.