Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Gutters should be replaced about as often as the roof on a home, so roughly every 20 years. This is a long time, but in the meantime, your gutters should do their job with very little effort on your part besides gutter cleaning and annual maintenance.
If you haven’t replaced your home’s gutters lately, it’s probably a good time to start looking at the options. More than likely, your options have changed since the last time you shopped for new gutters, either when you built your house or the last time you replaced them.
Styles and materials improve drastically over a period of only a few years. This means that your next gutters will be even more efficient, lighter and more attractive than the current ones on your home.
Seamless gutters are one of the new options available.
What are Seamless Gutters?
One of the standout enhancements in home gutters is the creation of seamless gutter systems.
Seamless gutters are installed in very long sections, as opposed to standard gutters which are only available in sections between 10 and 20 feet long. They are made on-site in many cases with a special machine, removing the difficulties of transporting such long, narrow materials.
Many gutter installation businesses own their own machinery and can do the entire process on their own – measure, manufacture and installing your seamless gutters – in less than one day!
Because they are built to size, it is possible to have seamless gutters that extend over 50 feet, with the longest length of a seamless gutter around 100 feet with no joints. This offers homeowners the choice to have an individual piece of lightweight aluminum in any color they choose.
Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Traditional gutters have been popular for so long that it might be hard to see how another choice can be more effective. To determine if seamless gutters are a good idea for your home, you should understand what sets them apart so you can also understand why there is a noticeable price difference for them.
There are many benefits of seamless gutters over traditional gutter systems:
Better Curb Appeal – With joints just at the corners, seamless gutters have a very sleek appearance. Seamless gutter machines even cut out holes for downspouts, which have to be present every 20 to 30 feet, so that they are smooth and correctly sized. The custom measurements also help the curb appeal of your house without being overstated and obvious.
Easier Care – Fewer joints means there are less opportunities for debris to get hung on or get stuck within the gutters. Water flows through smoothly with fewer clogs. As a homeowner, this should make you very pleased, as it means you don’t need to clean them out nearly as much. Seamless gutters usually only need 1 annual cleaning. In comparison, most traditional rain gutter systems have to be cleaned 2 to 4 times a year in order to keep them functioning well.
Lower Chance of Leaks – Normal gutters can leak at any joint if the gutters start pulling away from the home. Loose fasteners are also a problem that result in gutter leaks. Eliminating joints along the length and width of your home helps reduce the chance of leaks (which protects your windows, porches, and landscaping).
Discourages Pests – Buildup in your gutters will attract small animals and insects that can hide inside of 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 damage your roof, resulting in hundreds of dollars’ worth of repairs (at a minimum). Keeping that buildup out of your gutters makes them less appealing for pests.
Eliminates Waste – Measuring for seamless gutters and then cutting them on site ensures that your gutters will be the correct size without having additional pieces that were cut off to match the exact length of the house. This is an environmentally-friendly process that reduces your home’s carbon footprint. Also, there is no need to get rid of the excess or see it end up in a landfill.
Last Longer – Seamless gutters are designed with the latest technology and the best materials available. This creates 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 walls, windows and the soil below.
Seamless Gutters Installed by a Professional
Seamless gutters usually require professional installation due to their size and the experience and equipment needed to manufacturer them. Individuals don’t have own the equipment necessary to make seamless gutters, nor do they have the knowledge of how to program these machines to make exact cuts.
Seamless gutters are more expensive, but once they are professionally installed, you will see their value which pays for itself over time via fewer repairs and longer time between replacements. If you have any questions about the value of seamless gutters, talk with a gutter installer who offers both standard and seamless gutter systems to decide if the cost difference and benefits are a good fit for your budget and needs.
Installing these extra-long gutters is not a job that a single person can handle safely. Professionals can install a section up to about 35 feet or so by themselves, but anything longer will require 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, securing the gutter every few feet. For rain gutters that are longer than that, the installation team will need to begin in two places (1/3 of the way from each end) and secure those sections because of 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 damage a long gutter by mishandling it. This can affect the gutter’s appearance as well as limit its effectiveness. Rochester Hills Gutters is proud to offer seamless gutter installation to all homes and businesses in the Rochester Hills area. Call 248-422-0508 now for more information!