Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Rain gutters should be replaced about as often as the roof on a home, so somewhere around 20 years. This is a long time, and in the meantime, your gutters should do their job with little effort on your part besides gutter cleaning and annual maintenance.
If you haven’t replaced your home’s gutters lately, it’s probably a good time to begin looking at the options. More than likely, your options have changed 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 that your next gutters will be even more efficient, lighter and offer better curb appeal 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 home gutters is the invention of seamless gutter systems.
Seamless gutters are installed in long sections, opposed to standard gutters which only come in sections between 10 and 20 feet. They are made on-site in many cases with a custom machine, eliminating the difficulties of transporting such long, narrow materials.
Most gutter installation businesses have their own equipment and are able to complete the whole process – measure, manufacture and install your seamless gutters – in only one day!
Because they are built to size, it is not uncommon to have seamless gutters that extend over 40 feet, with the longest length of a seamless rain gutter around 100 feet with no joints. This offers homeowners the choice to have a single piece of lightweight aluminum in any color they choose.
Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Traditional gutters have been popular for so long that it can be difficult to see how another choice can be much more effective. To determine if seamless gutters are a smart choice for your home, you need 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:
Better Curb Appeal – With joints only at the corners, seamless gutters have a noticeably sleek look. Seamless gutter fabrication machines cut out holes for gutter downspouts, which should be present every 20 to 30 feet, so they are smooth and correctly sized. The measurements also increase the curb appeal of your home without being too overstated and obvious.
Easier Care – Fewer joints means there are less chances for debris to cling on or get stuck within the gutters. Water flows through more smoothly with fewer clogs from dirt and debris. As a homeowner, this should make you very pleased, since it means you won’t need to clean them out nearly as much. Seamless gutters typically only need 1 annual cleaning. In comparison, most traditional gutter systems must be cleaned 2 to 4 times a year in order to keep them functioning well.
Lower Chance of Leaks – Traditional gutters can leak at any joint if the gutters start pulling away from the house. Loose fasteners are another problem that leads to gutter leaks. Getting rid of joints along 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, rodents and insects that can hide inside of them or build nests with the organic materials that are present. From there, insects, birds, squirrels and chipmunks have access to your attic and can damage your roof, causing hundreds of dollars of damage (at a minimum). Keeping that buildup out of rain 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 size without having scrap pieces that were cut off to match the length of the house. This is an eco-friendly process that lowers your home’s carbon footprint. Also, there is no need to destroy the excess or see it end up in a landfill.
Longer Lifetime – Seamless gutters are made with the newest technology and the best materials available. This leads to less leaks, a smaller chance of rust 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 because of their size and the training and equipment needed to build them. Most homeowners don’t have to own the machinery necessary to make seamless gutters, nor do they have the training on how to program these machines to make exact cuts.
Seamless gutters do cost more, but once they are professionally installed, you will quickly see 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 offers both standard 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 task that a single person can handle safely. Professionals can install a section up to about 30 feet or so on their own, but anything longer than that 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, fastening the gutter every few feet. For gutters longer, the installation team will need to start 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 easily damage a long gutter by mishandling it. This can affect the gutter’s appearance as well as its effectiveness. Mentor Gutters & More! is proud to provide seamless gutter installation to all homes and businesses in the Mentor area. Call 440-271-8688 now for more information!