Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Rain gutters should be replaced nearly as often as the roof on a home, so somewhere around 20 years. This is a good long while, and in the meantime, your 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 about time to start looking at the options. More than likely, your options have changed a lot since the last time you shopped for new gutters, either when you built your home or the last time you replaced them.
Styles and types of materials improve a lot over a period of only a few years. This means your next gutters will be a lot more efficient, lighter and more attractive than the current ones on your home.
Seamless gutters are one of the newest options available.
What are Seamless Gutters?
One of the major upgrades in residential gutters is the invention of seamless gutter systems.
Seamless gutters are installed in very long sections, opposed to standard gutters that are only available in sections between 10 and 20 feet. They are made on-site in most situations with a custom machine, removing the difficulties of transporting long, narrow items.
Many gutter installation businesses have their own equipment and can complete the whole process on their own – measure, manufacture and install your seamless gutters – in just one day!
Since they are manufactured to size, it is possible to have seamless gutters that extend over 50 feet, with the maximum length of a seamless gutter at around 100 feet with no joints. This offers homeowners the option to have an individual piece of lightweight aluminum in any color they choose.
Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Standard gutters have been popular for so long that it can be hard to realize how another option can be more effective. To determine if seamless gutters are a good choice for your house, you should know the benefits of them 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:
More Attractive – With joints just at the corners, seamless gutters have a very sleek appearance. Seamless gutter fabrication machines cut out holes for downspouts, which have to be present every 20 to 30 feet, so that they are smooth and correctly sized. The measurements also improve the curb appeal of your house without being too overstated and obvious.
Easier Care – Less joints mean there are fewer chances for debris to cling on or get stuck within the rain gutters. Water flows through more smoothly with less clogs. As a homeowner, this will likely make you very pleased, since it means you won’t need to clean them out nearly as often. Seamless gutters only need 1 annual cleaning. In contrast, most regular gutter systems have to be cleaned 2 to 4 times a year to keep them functioning well.
Lower Chance of Leaks – Normal gutters can leak at any joint once the gutters start pulling away from the house. Loose fasteners are also a problem that can lead to gutter leaks. Eliminating joints across the length and width of your home reduces the chance 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 a nest with the organic materials that are present. From there, insects, birds, squirrels and chipmunks have easy access to your attic and will damage your roof, resulting in hundreds of dollars’ of repairs. Keeping that buildup out of 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 length without having extra pieces that were cut off to match the exact length of the house. This is an environmentally-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 built with the newest technology and the best materials available. This leads to less leaks, less chance of rust and reduced risk of the gutters pulling away from the home. Longer lasting gutters also protect your house, including the walls, windows and the soil.
Seamless Gutters Installed by a Professional
Seamless gutters almost always require professional installation because of their size and the training and equipment needed to build them. Individuals don’t have have the machinery required to produce 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 immediately understand their value which pays for itself due to less 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 traditional and seamless gutter systems to decide if the cost difference and benefits are worth it for your budget and needs.
Installing seamless rain gutters is not a project that a single person can handle safely. Professionals can install a section up to about 30 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, attaching the gutter every several feet. For gutters any longer, the installation team will begin 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. You can easily damage a long gutter by mishandling it. This can damage the gutter’s appearance as well as limit its effectiveness. Highlands Ranch Gutters is proud to provide seamless gutter installation to all homes and businesses in the Highlands Ranch area. Call 720-730-8199 now for more information!