Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Rain gutters have to be replaced nearly as often as the roof on a home, so roughly every 20 years. This is a good long while, and in the meantime, your gutters should do their job with little effort on your part besides gutter cleaning and routine maintenance.
If you haven’t needed to replace your gutters recently, it’s probably about time to begin considering 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 replaced them.
Styles and materials improve drastically over a period of just a few years. This means your next gutters will be much 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 biggest improvements in residential gutters is the creation of seamless gutter systems.
Seamless gutters are installed in long sections, as opposed to standard gutters which only come in sections between 10 and 20 feet long. They are made on-site in most situations with a special machine, removing the difficulties of transporting long, narrow items.
Most gutter installation services own their own equipment and can complete the entire process on their own – measure, manufacture and installing your seamless gutters – in less than one day!
Because they are manufactured to size, it is possible to have seamless gutters that stretch 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
Standard gutters have been popular for so long that it might be hard to believe how another option can be more effective. To determine if seamless gutters are a good choice for your house, you need to know the benefits of them so you can 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 noticeably sleek look. Seamless gutter machines cut out holes for gutter downspouts, which should 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 opportunities for debris to get hung on or get stuck within the gutters. Water flows through more smoothly with less clogs from dirt and debris. As a homeowner, this will likely make you very pleased, because it means you won’t be cleaning them out nearly as often. Seamless gutters only need 1 yearly cleaning. In contrast, some standard gutter systems must be cleaned 2 to 4 times a year in order to keep them functioning well.
Lower Chance of Leaks – Normal gutters can leak from any joint if the gutters start to pull away from the house. Loose fasteners are another problem that results in gutter leaks. Eliminating joints throughout the entire length and width of your house helps reduce the chance of leaks (which protects your windows, porches, and landscaping).
Discourages Pests – Clogged gutters will attract small animals and insects that will 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 can damage your roof, leading to hundreds of dollars of damage (at a minimum). Keeping that buildup out of your rain gutters makes them less appealing for pests.
Eliminates Waste – Measuring for seamless gutters and then building them on site ensures that your gutters will be the correct size without having additional pieces that were cut off to match the length of the home. This is an eco-friendly practice that lowers your home’s carbon footprint. In addition, there is no need to destroy the excess (which can result in harmful chemicals) or see it end up in a landfill.
Longer Lifetime – Seamless gutters are designed with the newest technology and the best materials on the market. This creates fewer leaks, a smaller chance of rusting and reduced risk of the gutters pulling away from the home. Longer lasting rain gutters can also protect your house, including the walls, windows and the soil below.
Seamless Gutters Installed by a Professional
Seamless gutters typically require professional installation due to their size and the training and equipment needed to manufacturer them. Individuals don’t have access t the machinery needed to produce seamless gutters, nor do they have the knowledge of how to program these machines to make precise 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 gutters, speak to a gutter installer who provides both traditional and seamless gutter systems to determine if the price difference and benefits are a good fit for your budget and needs.
Installing these extra-long gutters is not a task that a single person can handle safely. Professionals can install a section up to about 35 feet or so on their own, but anything longer than that requires a second person.
For gutters that are 35 feet or less, they will start in the middle and work their way to each end, fastening the gutter every few feet. For rain gutters that are longer, the installation team will need to begin in two places (1/3 of the way from each end) and attach those places 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 easily damage a long gutter by mishandling it. This can affect the gutter’s appearance as well as its effectiveness. Vancouver Gutter Solutions is proud to offer seamless gutter installation to all homes and businesses in the Vancouver area. Call 360-284-1885 now for more information!