Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Rain gutters have to be replaced nearly as often as the roof, so somewhere around 20 years. This is a long time, but in the meantime, your home’s gutters need to do their job with 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 start considering the options. Odds are, your options have changed a lot since you last shopped for gutters, either when you built your home or the last time you had to replace them.
Styles and materials improve drastically over a period of only a few years. This means your next gutters will be more efficient, lighter and more attractive than the current ones on your home.
Seamless gutters are one of the newest options available.
What are Seamless Gutters?
One of the standout improvements in rain gutters is the invention of seamless gutter systems.
Seamless gutters are installed in very long sections, opposed to traditional gutters which only come in sections between 10 and 20 feet long. They are made on-site in many situations with a special machine, removing the difficulties of transporting such long, narrow items.
Many gutter installation companies have their own machinery and are able to complete the whole process – measure, manufacture and install your seamless gutters – in just one day!
Since they are built to size, it is possible to have seamless gutters that stretch over 40 feet, with the maximum length of a seamless gutter at around 100 feet without joints. This gives homeowners the choice to have a single piece of lightweight aluminum in any color they choose.
Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Traditional gutters have been popular for so long that it can be difficult to believe how another choice can be a lot more effective. To determine if seamless gutters are a smart 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 sleek appearance. Seamless gutter machines even cut out holes for downspouts, which should be present every 20 to 30 feet, so they are smooth and perfectly sized. The custom measurements also help the curb appeal of your home without being overstated and obvious.
Easier Care – Less joints means there are fewer opportunities for debris to cling on or get stuck within the rain gutters. Water drains through more 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 nearly as often. Seamless gutters usually only need 1 annual cleaning. In comparison, some standard gutter systems have to be cleaned 2 to 4 times a year in order to keep them working well.
Lower Chance of Leaks – Regular gutters can leak from any joint as soon as the gutters start pulling 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 likelihood of leaks (which protects your windows, porches, and landscaping).
Discourages Pests – Clogged gutters will attract animals, rodents and insects that will hide inside of them or build nests with the debris that is present. From that point, insects, birds, squirrels and chipmunks have easy access to your attic and will destroy your roof, resulting in hundreds of dollars 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 means that your gutters will be the perfect size without having scrap pieces that were cut off to match the exact length of the house. This is an environmentally-friendly process that reduces your home’s carbon footprint. In addition, there is no need to destroy the excess (which can result in harmful chemicals) or see it end up in a landfill.
Last Longer – Seamless gutters are built with the newest technology and the best materials on the market. This leads to less leaks, a smaller chance of rusting and reduced risk of the gutters pulling away from the home. Longer lasting rain gutters can also protect your house, including the walls, windows and surrounding soil.
Seamless Gutters Installed by a Professional
Seamless gutters almost always need professional installation because of their size and the experience and equipment required to build them. Most homeowners don’t have own the machinery necessary to produce seamless gutters, nor do they have the knowledge of how to program these machines to make precise cuts.
Seamless gutters are more expensive, but once they are professionally installed, you will quickly see their value which pays for itself over time via fewer repairs and longer time between replacements. If you have any questions about the value of seamless rain gutters, speak to a gutter installer who offers both standard and seamless gutter systems to decide if the cost difference and benefits are worth it for your budget and needs.
Installing these extra-long rain gutters is not a job that a single person can handle safely. Professionals can install a section up to about 30 feet on their own, but anything longer than that requires 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 few feet. For rain gutters any longer than that, the installation team will need to begin in two places (1/3 of the way from each end) and secure those sections 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. You can easily damage a seamless gutter by mishandling it. This can affect the gutter’s appearance as well as its effectiveness. EZ Edison Gutters is proud to offer seamless gutter installation to all homes and businesses in the Edison area. Call 732-592-5520 now for more information!