Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Rain gutters need to be replaced nearly as often as the roof, so roughly every 20 years. This is a long time, but in the meantime, your home’s gutters need to do their job with very little effort on your part besides gutter cleaning and routine maintenance.
If you haven’t had to replace your gutters lately, it’s probably a good time to begin considering the options. More than likely, your options have changed since you last shopped for gutters, either when you built your home or the last time you replaced them.
Styles and types of materials improve significantly over a period of only 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 home.
Seamless gutters are one of the newest options available.
What are Seamless Gutters?
One of the major improvements in rain gutters is the invention of seamless gutter systems.
Seamless gutters are installed in long sections, opposed to standard gutters that only come in sections between 10 and 20 feet long. They are made on-site in most situations with a special machine, eliminating the difficulties of transporting long, narrow materials.
Many gutter installation companies have their own equipment and are able to complete the whole process on their own – measure, manufacture and install your seamless gutters – in less than one day!
Since 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 around 100 feet with no joints. This offers homeowners the option to have a single piece of lightweight aluminum in whatever color they choose.
Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Standard gutters have been used for so long that it can be difficult to believe how another choice can be more effective. To decide if seamless gutters are a good idea for your home, you should know what sets them apart so you can understand why there is 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 appearance. 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 perfectly sized. The measurements also improve the curb appeal of your home without being 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 smoothly with less clogs. As a homeowner, this will likely make you extremely happy, as it means you don’t need to clean them out nearly as often. Seamless gutters usually only need 1 annual cleaning. In contrast, some traditional rain gutter systems have to be cleaned 2 to 4 times a year to keep them functioning well.
Lower Chance of Leaks – Standard gutters can leak at any joint once the gutters start pulling away from the home. Loose fasteners are also a problem that cause gutter leaks. Getting rid of joints across the 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 animals, rodents and insects that can hide within them or build a nest with the debris that is present. From that point, insects, birds, squirrels and chipmunks have access to your attic and are able to damage your roof, resulting in hundreds of dollars’ worth of damage (at a minimum). Keeping that buildup out of your rain gutters makes them less attractive for pests.
Eliminates Waste – Measuring for seamless gutters and then building them on site guarantees that your gutters will be the perfect size without having additional pieces that were cut off to match the exact length of the house. This is an environmentally-friendly process that lowers your home’s carbon footprint. In addition, there is no need to get rid of the excess or see it end up in a landfill.
Longer Lifetime – Seamless gutters are made with the newest technology and the best materials on the market. This leads to fewer leaks, a smaller chance of rust and reduced risk of the gutters pulling away from the house. Longer lasting gutters can also protect your home, including the exterior walls, windows and the soil.
Seamless Gutters Installed by a Professional
Seamless gutters typically require professional installation due to their size and the experience and machinery necessary to manufacturer them. Most homeowners don’t have access t 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 are more expensive, but once they are professionally installed, you will see their value which pays for itself because of fewer repairs and longer time between replacements. If you have questions concerning the value of seamless gutters, talk with a gutter installer who does both traditional and seamless gutter systems to decide if the cost difference and benefits are worth it for your budget and needs.
Installing these extra-long gutters is not a job that a single person can handle safely. Professionals can install a section up to about 30 feet by themselves, but anything longer will require a second person.
For gutters that are less than 35 feet, they will start in the middle and work their way to each end, attaching the gutter every several feet. For rain 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 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 easily damage a seamless gutter by handling it improperly. This can damage the gutter’s appearance as well as limit its effectiveness. Redwood City Gutters & More! is proud to offer seamless gutter installation to all homes and businesses in the Redwood City area. Call 650-405-0051 now for more information!