Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Gutters have to be replaced nearly as often as the roof, so somewhere around 20 years. This is a good long while, but in the meantime, your rain gutters should do their job with very little effort on your part besides gutter cleaning and routine maintenance.
If you haven’t needed to replace your 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 building your house or the last time you had to replace them.
Styles and materials improve drastically over a period of just a few years. This means that your next rain gutters will be much 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 improvements in home gutters is the invention of seamless gutter systems.
Seamless gutters are installed in very long sections, opposed to traditional gutters that only come in sections between 10 and 20 feet long. They are made on-site in most cases with a custom machine, eliminating the difficulties of transporting long, narrow materials.
Most gutter installation businesses have their own machinery and can do the entire process – measure, manufacture and installing your seamless gutters – in less than one day!
Since they are manufactured to size, it is not uncommon to have seamless gutters that stretch over 50 feet, with the longest length of a seamless rain gutter around 100 feet without joints. This gives homeowners the option to have an individual piece of lightweight aluminum in any color they choose.
Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Standard gutters have been used for so long that it might be difficult to realize how another option can be a lot more effective. To determine if seamless gutters are a good idea for your house, you will want to understand the benefits of them 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 noticeably sleek appearance. Seamless gutter fabrication machines even cut out holes for gutter downspouts, which must be present every 20 to 30 feet, so that they are smooth and correctly sized. The custom measurements also increase the curb appeal of your house without being too overstated and obvious.
Easier Care – Fewer joints means 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 pleased, as it means you don’t need to clean them out as much. Seamless gutters usually only need 1 annual cleaning. In comparison, some regular rain gutter systems have to be cleaned 2 to 4 times a year in order to keep them functioning well.
Lower Chance of Leaks – Normal gutters can leak from any joint if the gutters start to pull away from the home. Loose fasteners are another problem that cause gutter leaks. Getting rid of joints along the length and width of your home helps reduce the risk of leaks (which protects your windows, porches, and landscaping).
Discourages Pests – Buildup in your gutters will attract small animals and insects that will hide inside of them or build a nest with the organic materials that are present. From there, insects, birds, squirrels and chipmunks have access to your attic and will destroy your roof, leading to hundreds of dollars’ of damage. Keeping that buildup out of rain gutters makes them less appealing for pests.
Eliminates Waste – Measuring for seamless gutters and then cutting them on site guarantees that your gutters will be the perfect length without having scrap pieces that were cut off to match the length of the house. This is an eco-friendly process that reduces your home’s carbon footprint. Also, there is no need to get rid of the excess or see it end up in a landfill.
Longer Lifetime – Seamless gutters are built with the newest technology and the best materials available. This leads to less leaks, less chance of rust and reduced risk of the gutters pulling away from the house. Longer lasting gutters also protect your home, including the exterior walls, windows and the soil.
Seamless Gutters Installed by a Professional
Seamless gutters typically need professional installation because of their size and the experience and machinery necessary to build them. Individuals don’t have own the equipment necessary to produce 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 installed, you will understand their value which pays for itself due to fewer repairs and longer time between replacements. If you have questions concerning the value of seamless gutters, talk with a gutter installer who offers both traditional and seamless gutter systems to decide if the cost difference and benefits are a good fit for your budget and needs.
Installing these extra-long gutters is not a task that a homeowner can handle safely. Professionals can install a section up to about 30 feet or so by themselves, but anything longer 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 several feet. For rain gutters that are longer, the installation team will begin in two places (1/3 of the way from each end) and fasten 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 seamless gutter by handling it improperly. This can damage the gutter’s appearance as well as its effectiveness. AllClean Ann Arbor Gutters is proud to offer seamless gutter installation to all homes and businesses in the Ann Arbor area. Call 734-215-9359 now for more information!