Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Gutters need to be replaced almost as often as the roof on a home, so roughly every 20 years. This is a good long while, and in the meantime, your home’s rain gutters need to do their job with little effort on your part besides gutter cleaning and annual maintenance.
If you haven’t replaced your gutters lately, it’s probably a good time to start considering the options. More than likely, your options have changed a lot since the last time you shopped for gutters, either when you built your home or the last time you replaced them.
Styles and materials improve a lot over a period of just a few years. This means that your next rain gutters will be even more efficient, lighter and more attractive than the ones that are currently on your house.
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, opposed to standard gutters that are only sold in sections between 10 and 20 feet. They are made on-site in most cases with a special machine, eliminating the difficulties of transporting such long, narrow materials.
Most gutter installation services own their own machinery and can do the whole process on their own – measure, manufacture and installing your seamless gutters – in just one day!
Since they are manufactured to size, it is possible to have seamless gutters that stretch over 40 feet, with the maximum length of a seamless rain gutter at around 100 feet with no joints. This offers homeowners the option to have a single 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 choice can be more effective. To decide if seamless gutters are a good choice for your house, you need to 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 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 that 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 fewer chances for debris to cling on or get stuck within the rain gutters. Water drains through more smoothly with less clogs from dirt and debris. As a homeowner, this will likely make you extremely happy, since it means you won’t be cleaning them out as often. Seamless gutters usually only need 1 annual cleaning. In comparison, 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 from any joint once the gutters start pulling away from the home. Loose fasteners are another problem that can result in gutter leaks. Eliminating joints along the entire length and width of your house helps reduce the risk of leaks (which protects your windows, porches, and landscaping).
Discourages Pests – Buildup in your gutters will attract animals, rodents and insects that can hide inside of them or build a nest with the materials that are present. From there, insects, birds, squirrels and chipmunks have easy access to your attic and will destroy your roof, resulting in hundreds of dollars of repairs (at a minimum). Keeping that buildup out of rain gutters makes them less attractive for pests.
Eliminates Waste – Measuring for seamless gutters and then manufacturing them on site means 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 eco-friendly practice that reduces your home’s carbon footprint. Also, there is no need to get rid of the excess (which can result in harmful chemicals) or see it end up in a landfill.
Longer Lifetime – Seamless gutters are made with the newest 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 rain gutters also protect your home, including the exterior walls, windows and surrounding soil below.
Seamless Gutters Installed by a Professional
Seamless gutters usually need 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 set up these machines to make exact cuts.
Seamless gutters do cost more, but once they are installed, you will immediately see their value which pays for itself over time via less repairs and longer time between replacements. If you have any questions about the value of seamless gutters, speak to a gutter installer who does both traditional and seamless gutter systems to decide if the price difference and benefits are a good fit for your budget and needs.
Installing these extra-long rain gutters is not a project that a single person can handle safely. Pros can install a section up to about 35 feet or so by themselves, but anything longer 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, securing the gutter every few feet. For rain gutters longer than that, the installation team will need to start in two places (1/3 of the way from each end) and attach 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. You can damage a seamless gutter by handling it improperly. This can affect the gutter’s appearance as well as limit its effectiveness. Mount Pleasant Gutters is proud to provide seamless gutter installation to all homes and businesses in the Mount Pleasant area. Call 843-351-1173 now for more information!