Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Gutters have to be replaced almost 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 need to do their job with very little work on your part besides gutter cleaning and annual maintenance.
If you haven’t replaced your gutters lately, it’s probably a good time to begin considering the options. Odds are, your options have changed a lot since the last time you shopped for new gutters, either when you built your house or the last time you had to replace them.
Styles and types of materials improve drastically over a period of just a few years. This means your next rain gutters will be much more efficient, lighter and offer better curb appeal than the ones that are currently on your house.
Seamless gutters are one of the newest 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, opposed to standard gutters that only come in sections between 10 and 20 feet. They are made on-site in many cases with a special machine, removing the difficulties of transporting such long, narrow items.
Most gutter installation businesses own their own machinery and can complete the whole process – measure, manufacture and installing your seamless gutters – in only one day!
Since they are manufactured to size, it is possible to have seamless gutters that extend over 50 feet, with the longest length of a seamless rain gutter around 100 feet with no joints. This gives homeowners the choice 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 a lot more effective. To decide if seamless gutters are a smart idea for your house, you should know what sets them apart so you can 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 only at the corners, seamless gutters have a noticeably sleek appearance. Seamless gutter machines cut out holes for gutter downspouts, which must be present every 20 to 30 feet, so that they are smooth and correctly sized. The measurements also increase the curb appeal of your home without being too overstated and obvious.
Easier Care – Fewer joints means there are fewer opportunities for debris to get hung on or get stuck within the rain gutters. Water drains through more smoothly with less clogs. As a homeowner, this should make you very happy, because it means you don’t need to clean them out as often. Seamless gutters typically only need 1 annual cleaning. In contrast, most traditional rain gutter systems must be cleaned 2 to 4 times a year in order to keep them functioning well.
Lower Chance of Leaks – Regular gutters can leak from any joint as soon as the gutters start pulling away from the home. Loose fasteners are also a problem that result in gutter leaks. Eliminating joints across the entire length and width of your house reduces the likelihood of leaks (which protects your windows, porches, and landscaping).
Prevent Pests – Clogged gutters will attract animals and insects that will hide within them or build a nest with the debris that is present. From that point, insects, birds, squirrels and chipmunks have easy access to your attic and can damage 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 manufacturing them on site means that your gutters will be the perfect size without having scrap pieces that were cut off to match the exact length of the house. This is an eco-friendly practice that lowers your home’s carbon footprint. Also, there is no need to eliminate the excess (which can result in harmful chemicals) or see it end up in a landfill.
Longer Lifetime – Seamless gutters are made with the latest technology and the best materials available. This results in fewer leaks, less chance of rusting and reduced risk of the gutters pulling away from the house. Longer lasting gutters can also protect your home, including the walls, windows and surrounding soil.
Seamless Gutters Installed by a Professional
Seamless gutters usually require professional installation because of their size and the training and machinery needed to build them. Most homeowners don’t have access t the machinery necessary to make seamless gutters, nor do they have the training on how to program these machines to make precise cuts.
Seamless gutters do cost more, but once they are installed, you will quickly see their value which pays for itself because of less repairs and longer time between replacements. If you have any questions concerning the value of seamless gutters, talk with a gutter installer who provides 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. Pros can install a section up to about 30 feet on their own, but anything longer than that will require a second person.
For seamless gutters that are less than 35 feet, they will start in the middle and work their way to each end, fastening the gutter every few feet. For gutters that are longer than that, the installation team will start in two places (1/3 of the way from each end) and fasten 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 seamless gutter by handling it improperly. This can affect the gutter’s appearance as well as limit its effectiveness. Discount Gutter Services is proud to provide seamless gutter installation to all homes and businesses in the Columbus area. Call 614-591-8667 now for more information!