Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Gutters should be replaced nearly as often as the roof on a home, so roughly every 20 years. This is a long time, and in the meantime, your home’s rain gutters should do their job with little effort on your part besides gutter cleaning and routine maintenance.
If you haven’t had to replace your home’s gutters lately, it’s probably a good time to begin considering the options. Chances are, your options have changed a lot since you last shopped for gutters, either when building your home or the last time you replaced them.
Styles and types of materials improve a lot over a period of just a few years. This means your next gutters will be more efficient, lighter and offer better curb appeal 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 standout 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 custom machine, removing the difficulties of transporting such long, narrow items.
Many gutter installation companies have their own machinery and are able to complete the whole process on their own – measure, manufacture and installing your seamless gutters – in less than one day!
Because they are built to size, it is not uncommon to have seamless gutters that extend over 50 feet, with the longest length of a seamless rain gutter at around 100 feet without joints. This offers homeowners the option to have an individual piece of lightweight aluminum in any color they choose.
Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Traditional gutters have been used for so long that it can be hard to believe how another option can be much more effective. To decide if seamless gutters are a smart idea for your house, you will want to know the benefits of them so you can also understand why there is such a noticeable price difference between the two.
There are many benefits of seamless gutters over traditional gutter systems:
More Attractive – With joints just at the corners, seamless gutters have a sleek look. Seamless gutter fabrication machines even cut out holes for gutter downspouts, which should be present every 20 to 30 feet, so they are smooth and correctly sized. The custom measurements also help the curb appeal of your home without being too overstated and 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 more smoothly with fewer clogs from dirt and debris. As a homeowner, this will likely make you extremely pleased, since it means you won’t be cleaning them out nearly as much. Seamless gutters typically only need 1 yearly cleaning. In comparison, some traditional gutter systems have to be cleaned 2 to 4 times a year to keep them working well.
Lower Chance of Leaks – Regular gutters can leak at any joint as soon as the gutters start to pull away from the home. Loose fasteners are another problem that lead to gutter leaks. Getting rid of joints along the length and width of your home helps reduce the risk of leaks (which protects your windows, porches, and landscaping).
Prevent Pests – Buildup in your gutters will attract small animals, rodents and insects that will hide inside of 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 destroy your roof, resulting in hundreds of dollars of damage. Keeping that buildup out of gutters makes them less appealing for pests.
Eliminates Waste – Measuring for seamless gutters and then building them on site guarantees that your gutters will be the correct length without having additional 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. 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 results in less leaks, a smaller chance of rusting and reduced risk of the gutters pulling away from the home. Longer lasting gutters also protect your house, including the exterior walls, windows and surrounding soil.
Seamless Gutters Installed by a Professional
Seamless gutters almost always need professional installation because of their size and the training and machinery required to build them. Most homeowners don’t have to own the machinery needed to produce 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 quickly see their value which pays for itself over time via fewer repairs and longer time between replacements. If you have questions concerning the value of seamless gutters, speak to a gutter installer who offers both standard and seamless gutter systems to decide if the cost difference and benefits are a good fit 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 35 feet by themselves, 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, securing the gutter every few feet. For gutters any longer, the installation team will begin in two places (1/3 of the way from each end) and secure those sections 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. Homeowners can damage a long gutter by handling it improperly. This can affect the gutter’s appearance as well as limit its effectiveness. Clean Home Gutters is proud to offer seamless gutter installation to all homes and businesses in the Hamilton area. Call 513-447-6393 now for more information!