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, but in the meantime, your gutters need to do their job with little effort on your part besides gutter cleaning and routine maintenance.
If you haven’t needed to replace your gutters lately, it’s probably about time to start looking at the options. Chances are, your options have changed since you last shopped for new gutters, either when building your house or the last time you had to replace them.
Styles and types of materials improve significantly over a period of only a few years. This means your next gutters will be more efficient, lighter and more attractive than the ones that are currently on your home.
Seamless gutters are one of the new options available.
What are Seamless Gutters?
One of the major improvements in residential 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 many cases with a special machine, removing the difficulties of transporting such long, narrow items.
Many gutter installation services own their own equipment and are able to do the entire process – measure, manufacture and install your seamless gutters – in less than one day!
Because they are built to size, it is not uncommon to have seamless gutters that stretch over 50 feet, with the longest length of a seamless rain gutter at around 100 feet without joints. This offers homeowners the choice to have an individual piece of lightweight aluminum in any color they choose.
Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Standard gutters have been used for so long that it can be difficult to see how another option can be much more effective. To decide if seamless gutters are a good choice for your home, you need know the benefits of them so you can 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 noticeably sleek look. Seamless gutter fabrication machines cut out holes for downspouts, which have to be present every 20 to 30 feet, so they are smooth and perfectly sized. The measurements also help the curb appeal of your house without being too overstated or obvious.
Easier Care – Less joints means there are less chances for debris to get hung on or get stuck within the rain gutters. Water drains through smoothly with fewer clogs. As a homeowner, this should make you very pleased, because it means you won’t need to clean them out nearly as much. Seamless gutters only need 1 annual cleaning. In contrast, most standard rain gutter systems have to be cleaned 2 to 4 times a year to keep them working well.
Lower Chance of Leaks – Traditional gutters can leak from any joint as soon as the gutters start pulling away from the house. Loose fasteners are another problem that cause gutter leaks. Eliminating joints along the length and width of your home reduces the likelihood of leaks (which protects your windows, porches, and landscaping).
Prevent Pests – Clogged gutters will attract small animals and insects that will hide within them or build a nest with the debris that is present. From there, insects, birds, squirrels and chipmunks have access to your attic and will destroy your roof, leading to hundreds of dollars’ worth of damage (at a minimum). Keeping that buildup out of your gutters makes them less attractive 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 scrap pieces that were cut off to match the length of the home. This is an environmentally-friendly practice that reduces your home’s carbon footprint. Plus, there is no need to eliminate the excess or see it end up in a landfill.
Longer Lifetime – Seamless gutters are made with the latest technology and the best materials on the market. This creates fewer leaks, less chance of rust and reduced risk of the gutters pulling away from the house. Longer lasting gutters can also protect your home, including the walls, windows and the soil below.
Seamless Gutters Installed by a Professional
Seamless gutters usually require professional installation because of their size and the training and equipment needed to manufacturer them. Individuals don’t have own the equipment required 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 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 rain gutters, talk with a gutter installer who provides 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 single person can handle safely. Professionals can install a section up to about 30 feet on their own, but anything longer requires a second person.
For gutters that are less than 35 feet, they will start in the middle and work their way to each end, attaching 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 due to the length and 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. You can damage a long gutter by mishandling it. This can damage the gutter’s appearance as well as its effectiveness. TruClean Topeka Gutters is proud to offer seamless gutter installation to all homes and businesses in the Topeka area. Call 785-310-3080 now for more information!