Benefits of Seamless Gutters

Rain gutters should 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 rain gutters need to do their job with very little effort on your part besides gutter cleaning and annual maintenance.

If you haven’t had to replace your gutters recently, it’s probably about time to start looking at the options. Odds are, your options have changed since the last time you shopped for gutters, either when you built your home or the last time you replaced them.

Styles and materials improve significantly over a period of just a few years. This means that your next gutters will be 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 standout improvements in rain gutters is the creation of seamless gutter systems.

Seamless gutters are installed in very long sections, opposed to standard gutters that only come in sections between 10 and 20 feet long. They are made on-site in most situations with a special machine, eliminating the difficulties of transporting such long, narrow materials.

Many gutter installation companies have their own machinery and are able to do the whole process on their own – measure, manufacture and installing your seamless gutters – in just one day!

Because they are built to size, it is not uncommon to have seamless gutters that extend over 40 feet, with the longest length of a seamless rain gutter at around 100 feet without joints. This gives 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 difficult to see how another choice can be a lot more effective. To decide if seamless gutters are a good choice for your house, you need understand the benefits of them so you can also understand why there is a noticeable price difference between the two.

There are many benefits of seamless gutters over traditional gutter systems:

Better Curb Appeal – With joints only at the corners, seamless gutters have a very sleek appearance. Seamless gutter fabrication machines cut out holes for gutter downspouts, which must be present every 20 to 30 feet, so they are smooth and correctly sized. The custom measurements also help the curb appeal of your home without being too overstated or obvious.

Easier Care – Less joints mean there are less chances for debris to get hung on or get stuck within the gutters. Water drains through more smoothly with fewer clogs from dirt and debris. As a homeowner, this should make you very happy, because it means you won’t be cleaning them out nearly as often. Seamless gutters only need 1 yearly cleaning. In contrast, most traditional gutter systems must be cleaned 2 to 4 times a year in order to keep them functioning well.

Lower Chance of Leaks – Traditional gutters can leak at any joint if the gutters start pulling away from the home. Loose fasteners are another problem that result in gutter leaks. Eliminating joints along the length and width of your home helps reduce 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 inside of them or build nests with the debris that is present. From there, insects, birds, squirrels and chipmunks have easy access to your attic and will damage your roof, causing hundreds of dollars’ worth of damage. Keeping that buildup out of your gutters makes them less appealing for pests.

Eliminates Waste – Measuring for seamless gutters and then building them on site ensures that your gutters will be the perfect length without having scrap pieces that were cut off to match the exact length of the home. 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.

Last Longer – Seamless gutters are designed with the newest technology and the best materials on the market. This leads to less leaks, a smaller 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 the soil.

Seamless Gutters Installed by a Professional

Seamless gutters usually need professional installation because of their size and the training and machinery required to manufacturer them. Individuals don’t have access t the machinery needed to produce seamless gutters, nor do they have the training on how to program these machines to make exact cuts.

Seamless gutters are more expensive, but once they are professionally installed, you will see 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 does both standard and seamless gutter systems to determine if the price difference and benefits are worth it for your budget and needs.

Installing seamless gutters is not a task that a single person can handle safely. Professionals can install a section up to about 35 feet or so by themselves, but anything longer than that 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, securing the gutter every few feet. For rain gutters longer than that, the installation team will begin in two places (1/3 of the way from each end) and secure 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. You can easily damage a long gutter by mishandling it. This can affect the gutter’s appearance as well as its effectiveness. Wilson Gutter Service is proud to provide seamless gutter installation to all homes and businesses in the Wilson area. Call 252-253-6552 now for more information!