Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Rain gutters should be replaced about as often as the roof on a home, so roughly every 20 years. This is a good long while, but in the meantime, your home’s gutters should do their job with little work on your part besides gutter cleaning and routine maintenance.
If you haven’t replaced your gutters recently, it’s probably a good time to begin looking at the options. More than likely, your options have changed a lot since the last time you shopped for gutters, either when building your house or the last time you had to replace them.
Styles and materials improve significantly over a period of only a few years. This means your next rain gutters will be a lot more efficient, lighter and offer better curb appeal than the current ones on your home.
Seamless gutters are one of the new options available.
What are Seamless Gutters?
One of the most revolutionary upgrades in home gutters is the creation of seamless gutter systems.
Seamless gutters are installed in long sections, opposed to traditional gutters that only come in sections between 10 and 20 feet. They are made on-site in most cases with a custom machine, removing the difficulties of transporting long, narrow items.
Many gutter installation services have their own machinery and can complete the whole process on their own – measure, manufacture and installing your seamless gutters – in less than one day!
Because they are built to size, it is not uncommon to have seamless gutters that extend over 50 feet, with the longest length of a seamless gutter around 100 feet without joints. This offers homeowners the option to have a single piece of lightweight aluminum in any color they choose.
Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Standard gutters have been popular for so long that it might be hard to realize how another choice can be a lot more effective. To determine if seamless gutters are a smart choice for your home, you need to know the benefits of them so you can also understand why there is a noticeable price difference between the two.
There are many benefits of seamless gutters over traditional gutter systems:
Better Curb Appeal – With joints just at the corners, seamless gutters have a sleek appearance. Seamless gutter 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 help the curb appeal of your home without being overstated and obvious.
Easier Care – Less joints mean there are fewer opportunities for debris to cling on or get stuck within the rain gutters. Water drains through smoothly with fewer clogs from dirt and debris. As a homeowner, this should make you extremely pleased, since it means you won’t be cleaning them out nearly as much. Seamless gutters usually only need 1 annual cleaning. In contrast, some traditional rain gutter systems must 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 if the gutters start pulling away from the home. Loose fasteners are also a problem that results in gutter leaks. Eliminating joints across the entire length and width of your house reduces the risk of leaks (which protects your windows, porches, and landscaping).
Prevent Pests – Clogged gutters will attract animals and insects that can hide within them or build nests with the debris that is present. From that point, insects, birds, squirrels and chipmunks have easy access to your attic and will destroy your roof, causing hundreds of dollars of damage. Keeping that buildup out of your gutters makes them less appealing for pests.
Eliminates Waste – Measuring for seamless gutters and then building them on site means that your gutters will be the correct size without having additional pieces that were cut off to match the length of the house. This is an eco-friendly process that reduces your home’s carbon footprint. In addition, there is no need to eliminate the excess or see it end up in a landfill.
Longer Lifetime – Seamless gutters are built with the latest technology and the best materials available. This leads to less leaks, less chance of rusting and reduced risk of the gutters pulling away from the home. Longer lasting gutters also protect your house, including the walls, windows and surrounding soil below.
Seamless Gutters Installed by a Professional
Seamless gutters typically require professional installation because of their size and the experience and equipment needed to manufacturer them. Individuals don’t have to own the equipment needed to make seamless gutters, nor do they have the knowledge of how to set up these machines to make exact cuts.
Seamless gutters are more expensive, but once they are installed, you will understand their value which pays for itself because of fewer repairs and longer time between replacements. If you have questions concerning the value of seamless gutters, speak to a gutter installer who does both traditional and seamless gutter systems to decide if the price difference and benefits are worth it for your budget and needs.
Installing these extra-long gutters is not a job that a homeowner can handle safely. Pros can install a section up to about 30 feet or so by themselves, but anything longer will require a second person.
For gutters that are 35 feet or less, they will start in the middle and work their way to each end, securing the gutter every few feet. For gutters longer than that, the installation team will need to start in two places (1/3 of the way from each end) and fasten 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 seamless gutter by handling it improperly. This can damage the gutter’s appearance as well as its effectiveness. Quick Clean Gutters is proud to provide seamless gutter installation to all homes and businesses in the Mansfield area. Call 419-273-6573 now for more information!