Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Gutters need to be replaced about as often as the roof on a home, so somewhere around 20 years. This is a good long while, and in the meantime, your home’s rain gutters should do their job with very little effort on your part besides gutter cleaning and annual maintenance.
If you haven’t had to replace your home’s gutters lately, it’s probably a good time to start looking at the options. Chances are, your options have changed a lot since you last shopped for gutters, either when building your home or the last time you had to replace them.
Styles and types of materials improve a lot over a period of only a few years. This means your next rain gutters will be a lot more efficient, lighter and more attractive than the ones that are currently on your house.
Seamless gutters are one of the new options available.
What are Seamless Gutters?
One of the standout upgrades in rain gutters is the creation of seamless gutter systems.
Seamless gutters are installed in long sections, as opposed to traditional gutters which are only available in sections between 10 and 20 feet. They are made on-site in many situations with a special machine, eliminating the difficulties of transporting long, narrow items.
Most gutter installation businesses have their own equipment and are able to complete the entire process on their own – measure, manufacture and install your seamless gutters – in less than one day!
Since they are manufactured to size, it is possible to have seamless gutters that stretch over 40 feet, with the longest length of a seamless gutter around 100 feet without joints. This offers homeowners the option to have an individual piece of lightweight aluminum in whatever color they choose.
Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Traditional gutters have been popular for so long that it can be hard to believe how another option can be much more effective. To determine if seamless gutters are a smart idea for your home, you need to understand what sets them apart so you can understand why there is such a noticeable price difference for them.
There are many benefits of seamless gutters over traditional gutter systems:
Better Curb Appeal – With joints only at the corners, seamless gutters have a sleek appearance. Seamless gutter fabrication machines even cut out holes for gutter downspouts, which must be present every 20 to 30 feet, so they are smooth and correctly sized. The custom measurements also improve the curb appeal of your house without being overstated or obvious.
Easier Care – Less joints means there are fewer opportunities for debris to cling on or get stuck within the rain gutters. Water drains through more smoothly with fewer clogs. As a homeowner, this will likely make you very happy, as it means you won’t need to clean them out nearly as often. Seamless gutters typically only need 1 yearly cleaning. In comparison, most traditional gutter systems have to be cleaned 2 to 4 times a year in order to keep them working well.
Lower Chance of Leaks – Standard gutters can leak from any joint as soon as the gutters start pulling away from the house. Loose fasteners are also a problem that can lead to gutter leaks. Getting rid of joints along the length and width of your home reduces the chance of leaks (which protects your windows, porches, and landscaping).
Discourages Pests – Clogged gutters will attract small animals and insects that will hide within them or build nests with the debris that is present. From there, insects, birds, squirrels and chipmunks have easy access to your attic and can destroy your roof, resulting in hundreds of dollars of damage (at a minimum). Keeping that buildup out of rain gutters makes them less attractive for pests.
Eliminates Waste – Measuring for seamless gutters and then building them on site ensures that your gutters will be the correct size without having additional pieces that were cut off to match the length of the home. This is an environmentally-friendly practice that lowers your home’s carbon footprint. Also, there is no need to destroy the excess or see it end up in a landfill.
Longer Lifetime – Seamless gutters are made with the newest technology and the best materials available. This leads to fewer leaks, a smaller chance of rust and reduced risk of the gutters pulling away from the house. Longer lasting gutters can also protect your house, including the exterior walls, windows and the soil.
Seamless Gutters Installed by a Professional
Seamless gutters usually need professional installation due to their size and the experience and equipment needed to build them. Individuals don’t have the machinery needed to make seamless gutters, nor do they have the knowledge of how to set up these machines to make precise cuts.
Seamless gutters are more expensive, but once they are installed, you will quickly understand their value which pays for itself over time via less repairs and longer time between replacements. If you have any questions concerning the value of seamless gutters, speak to a gutter installer who offers both standard and seamless gutter systems to determine if the cost difference and benefits are worth it for your budget and needs.
Installing seamless gutters is not a task that a single person can handle safely. Professionals can install a section up to about 35 feet by themselves, but anything longer than that requires a second person.
For seamless gutters that are 35 feet or less, they will start in the middle and work their way to each end, fastening the gutter every several feet. For gutters longer than that, the installation team will start in two places (1/3 of the way from each end) and secure those places due to the length and the weight of the seamless gutter.
Paying for professional seamless gutter installation also means that your warranty will be intact in the event of an accident or storm damages.
Seamless gutter installation is not a recommended DIY home improvement project. Homeowners can easily damage a long gutter by handling it improperly. This can damage the gutter’s appearance as well as its effectiveness. Good Gutters Inc. is proud to offer seamless gutter installation to all homes and businesses in the Springfield area. Call 937-230-8344 now for more information!