Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Gutters should be replaced about as often as the roof on a home, so somewhere around 20 years. This is a good long while, but in the meantime, your rain gutters should do their job with little effort on your part besides gutter cleaning and annual maintenance.
If you haven’t needed to replace your home’s gutters recently, it’s probably a good time to begin considering the options. More than likely, your options have changed since the last time you shopped for gutters, either when you built your home or the last time you had to replace them.
Styles and types of materials improve significantly over a period of only a few years. This means your next gutters will be a lot 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 biggest improvements in rain gutters is the invention of seamless gutter systems.
Seamless gutters are installed in very long sections, opposed to traditional gutters that are only sold in sections between 10 and 20 feet. They are made on-site in most cases with a custom machine, eliminating the difficulties of transporting long, narrow items.
Many gutter installation companies have their own equipment and can complete the whole process on their own – measure, manufacture and installing your seamless gutters – in less than one day!
Since they are manufactured to size, it is possible to have seamless gutters that stretch over 40 feet, with the maximum length of a seamless rain gutter at around 100 feet with no joints. This gives 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 see how another choice can be much more effective. To decide if seamless gutters are a good choice for your house, you should understand the benefits of them so you can understand why there is a noticeable price difference for them.
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 downspouts, which must 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 too overstated or obvious.
Easier Care – Fewer joints mean there are less opportunities for debris to cling on or get stuck within the rain gutters. Water flows through smoothly with fewer clogs from dirt and debris. As a homeowner, this will likely make you very happy, because it means you don’t need to clean them out nearly as often. Seamless gutters usually only need 1 annual cleaning. In comparison, some traditional rain gutter systems must be cleaned 2 to 4 times a year in order to keep them working well.
Lower Chance of Leaks – Traditional gutters can leak from any joint once the gutters start pulling away from the home. Loose fasteners are also a problem that cause 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).
Discourages Pests – Buildup in your gutters will attract small animals and insects that can hide within them or build a nest with the debris that is present. From there, insects, birds, squirrels and chipmunks have access to your attic and can destroy your roof, causing hundreds of dollars of repairs. Keeping that buildup out of your 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 length without having scrap pieces that were cut off to match the exact length of the home. This is an environmentally-friendly practice 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 latest technology and the best materials available. This results in less leaks, a smaller chance of rust and reduced risk of the gutters pulling away from the home. Longer lasting gutters can also protect your home, including the exterior walls, windows and the soil below.
Seamless Gutters Installed by a Professional
Seamless gutters almost always need professional installation due to their size and the experience and machinery necessary to manufacturer them. Individuals don’t have the machinery needed to produce seamless gutters, nor do they have the knowledge of how to program these machines to make precise cuts.
Seamless gutters do cost more, but once they are professionally installed, you will immediately 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, talk with a gutter installer who provides both traditional and seamless gutter systems to determine if the cost difference and benefits are a good fit 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 35 feet on their own, but anything longer 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, attaching the gutter every few feet. For gutters any longer than that, the installation team will start in two places (1/3 of the way from each end) and fasten those places 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. You can easily damage a seamless gutter by mishandling it. This can affect the gutter’s appearance as well as its effectiveness. Olympia Gutters & More! is proud to offer seamless gutter installation to all homes and businesses in the Olympia area. Call 360-215-7633 now for more information!