Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Gutters should be replaced almost as often as the roof, so somewhere around 20 years. This is a good long while, and in the meantime, your gutters need to do their job with very little effort on your part besides gutter cleaning and annual maintenance.
If you haven’t replaced your gutters recently, it’s probably about 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 building your home or the last time you replaced them.
Styles and materials improve significantly over a period of only a few years. This means your next rain gutters will be more efficient, lighter and offer better curb appeal than the current ones on your home.
Seamless gutters are one of the new options available.
What are Seamless Gutters?
One of the most revolutionary improvements in residential gutters is the invention of seamless gutter systems.
Seamless gutters are installed in very long sections, as opposed to standard gutters which only come in sections between 10 and 20 feet. They are made on-site in many situations with a custom machine, eliminating the difficulties of transporting long, narrow items.
Many gutter installation companies have their own machinery and are able to do the entire process – measure, manufacture and install your seamless gutters – in just one day!
Since they are manufactured to size, it is not uncommon to have seamless gutters that extend over 40 feet, with the longest length of a seamless gutter at around 100 feet without joints. This offers homeowners the option to have a single piece of lightweight aluminum in whatever color they choose.
Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Traditional gutters have been popular for so long that it might be hard to realize how another choice can be much more effective. To determine if seamless gutters are a good choice for your home, you will want to know the benefits of them so you can also understand why there is such 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 sleek look. Seamless gutter fabrication machines even cut out holes for gutter downspouts, which have to be present every 20 to 30 feet, so that they are smooth and perfectly sized. The measurements also increase the curb appeal of your home 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 gutters. Water flows through more smoothly with fewer clogs. As a homeowner, this should make you extremely pleased, because it means you won’t need to clean them out nearly as often. Seamless gutters only need 1 annual cleaning. In comparison, most regular rain gutter systems must be cleaned 2 to 4 times a year to keep them functioning well.
Lower Chance of Leaks – Traditional gutters can leak at any joint as soon as the gutters start pulling away from the house. Loose fasteners are another problem that can result in gutter leaks. Eliminating joints across the entire length and width of your house reduces the risk of leaks (which protects your windows, porches, and landscaping).
Discourages Pests – Clogged gutters will attract small animals and insects that are able to hide within them or build a nest with the debris that is present. From that point, insects, birds, squirrels and chipmunks have easy access to your attic and are able to damage your roof, leading to 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 manufacturing 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 environmentally-friendly practice that reduces your home’s carbon footprint. In addition, 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 built with the newest technology and the best materials on the market. This results in less 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 walls, windows and surrounding soil.
Seamless Gutters Installed by a Professional
Seamless gutters almost always require professional installation due to their size and the training and equipment necessary to build them. Most homeowners don’t have own the equipment required to make seamless gutters, nor do they have the knowledge of how to set up these machines to make precise cuts.
Seamless gutters are more expensive, but once they are professionally installed, you will see their value which pays for itself due to less repairs and longer time between replacements. If you have questions about the value of seamless gutters, talk with a gutter installer who does both standard and seamless gutter systems to decide if the price difference and benefits are worth it for your budget and needs.
Installing seamless gutters is not a task that a homeowner can handle safely. Professionals can install a section up to about 35 feet on their own, but anything longer requires a second person.
For seamless gutters that are less than 35 feet, they will start in the middle and work their way to each end, securing the gutter every several feet. For gutters longer, the installation team will need to begin in two places (1/3 of the way from each end) and fasten those places 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. Homeowners can easily damage a seamless gutter by mishandling it. This can damage the gutter’s appearance as well as its effectiveness. Better Bowling Green Gutters is proud to offer seamless gutter installation to all homes and businesses in the Bowling Green area. Call 270-278-1447 now for more information!