Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Gutters have to be replaced about as often as the roof on a home, so somewhere around 20 years. This is a good long while, and in the meantime, your home’s gutters should do their job with very 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 start looking at the options. More than likely, your options have changed a lot since the last time you shopped for gutters, either when building your home or the last time you replaced them.
Styles and types of materials improve drastically 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 house.
Seamless gutters are one of the newest options available.
What are Seamless Gutters?
One of the most revolutionary upgrades in rain gutters is the creation of seamless gutter systems.
Seamless gutters are installed in very long sections, as opposed to standard gutters that are only available in sections between 10 and 20 feet. They are made on-site in most situations with a custom machine, removing the difficulties of transporting such long, narrow materials.
Many gutter installation services own their own machinery and can do the whole process – measure, manufacture and install your seamless gutters – in less than one day!
Since they are manufactured to size, it is possible to have seamless gutters that extend over 40 feet, with the longest length of a seamless gutter around 100 feet without joints. This offers homeowners the option to have an individual piece of lightweight aluminum in whatever color they choose.
Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Traditional gutters have been used for so long that it might be hard to see how another choice can be more effective. To decide if seamless gutters are a good choice for your home, you will want to know what sets them apart so you can 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 machines even cut out holes for gutter downspouts, which have to be present every 20 to 30 feet, so that they are smooth and correctly sized. The measurements also help the curb appeal of your home without being overstated or obvious.
Easier Care – Less joints means there are less opportunities for debris to cling on or get stuck within the gutters. Water drains through more smoothly with less 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 as much. Seamless gutters typically only need 1 yearly cleaning. In contrast, some regular gutter systems have to 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 to pull away from the house. Loose fasteners are another problem that result in gutter leaks. Eliminating joints throughout the entire length and width of your house reduces the chance of leaks (which protects your windows, porches, and landscaping).
Prevent Pests – Clogged gutters will attract small animals and insects that will hide within them or build nests with the debris that is present. From there, insects, birds, squirrels and chipmunks have access to your attic and are able to damage your roof, causing hundreds of dollars’ worth of repairs. Keeping that buildup out of your gutters makes them less appealing for pests.
Eliminates Waste – Measuring for seamless gutters and then cutting them on site means that your gutters will be the correct length without having additional pieces that were cut off to match the length of the home. This is an eco-friendly process that lowers your home’s carbon footprint. Also, there is no need to eliminate the excess 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 creates less leaks, less chance of rust and reduced risk of the gutters pulling away from the house. Longer lasting gutters can also protect your house, including the walls, windows and surrounding soil below.
Seamless Gutters Installed by a Professional
Seamless gutters typically need professional installation due to their size and the experience and equipment necessary to manufacturer them. Most homeowners don’t have have the machinery needed 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 installed, you will quickly understand their value which pays for itself because of fewer repairs and longer time between replacements. If you have questions concerning the value of seamless rain gutters, talk with a gutter installer who provides 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 job that a single person can handle safely. Pros can install a section up to about 30 feet or so by themselves, but anything longer than that will require 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 any longer than that, the installation team will start in two places (1/3 of the way from each end) and secure those sections because of 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. Homeowners can damage a long gutter by mishandling it. This can affect the gutter’s appearance as well as limit its effectiveness. NE Gutters is proud to offer seamless gutter installation to all homes and businesses in the Holyoke area. Call 413-216-4448 now for more information!