Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Gutters should be replaced almost as often as the roof, so roughly every 20 years. This is a good long while, but in the meantime, your home’s gutters need to do their job with very little work on your part besides gutter cleaning and annual maintenance.
If you haven’t replaced your home’s gutters recently, it’s probably a good time to start considering the options. Odds are, your options have changed a lot since the last time you shopped for gutters, either when you built your house or the last time you replaced them.
Styles and types of materials improve drastically over a period of just a few years. This means your next rain gutters will be more efficient, lighter and more attractive than the current ones on your house.
Seamless gutters are one of the new options available.
What are Seamless Gutters?
One of the biggest enhancements in rain gutters is the creation of seamless gutter systems.
Seamless gutters are installed in very long sections, opposed to standard gutters that are only sold in sections between 10 and 20 feet. They are made on-site in many cases with a special machine, eliminating the difficulties of transporting long, narrow materials.
Most gutter installation businesses have their own equipment and can complete the entire process – measure, manufacture and installing your seamless gutters – in just one day!
Since they are manufactured to size, it is possible to have seamless gutters that stretch over 40 feet, with the longest length of a seamless gutter at around 100 feet with no joints. This gives homeowners the choice to have an individual piece of lightweight aluminum in whatever color they choose.
Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Standard gutters have been popular for so long that it can be hard to believe how another option can be much more effective. To decide if seamless gutters are a good choice for your home, you should know what sets them apart 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 noticeably sleek look. Seamless gutter machines even cut out holes for gutter downspouts, which should be present every 20 to 30 feet, so that they are smooth and perfectly sized. The custom measurements also help the curb appeal of your house without being too overstated and obvious.
Easier Care – Fewer joints mean there are less chances for debris to get hung on or get stuck within the gutters. Water flows through more smoothly with fewer clogs. As a homeowner, this will likely make you very pleased, as it means you don’t need to clean them out as often. Seamless gutters typically only need 1 annual cleaning. In contrast, most standard gutter systems have to be cleaned 2 to 4 times a year to keep them functioning well.
Lower Chance of Leaks – Standard gutters can leak from any joint as soon as the gutters start to pull away from the home. Loose fasteners are another problem that lead to gutter leaks. Getting rid of joints along the length and width of your home helps reduce the chance of leaks (which protects your windows, porches, and landscaping).
Prevent Pests – Buildup in your gutters will attract small animals, rodents and insects that can hide within them or build a nest with the materials that are 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 repairs (at a minimum). 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 guarantees that your gutters will be the correct size without having scrap pieces that were cut off to match the exact length of the house. This is an eco-friendly practice that reduces your home’s carbon footprint. Plus, there is no need to get rid of the excess (which can result in harmful chemicals) or see it end up in a landfill.
Longer Lifetime – Seamless gutters are built with the latest technology and the best materials on the market. This leads to fewer leaks, less chance of rusting and reduced risk of the gutters pulling away from the house. Longer lasting gutters can also protect your house, including the exterior walls, windows and the soil below.
Seamless Gutters Installed by a Professional
Seamless gutters typically require professional installation because of their size and the experience and machinery necessary to manufacturer them. Most homeowners don’t have access t the equipment necessary to produce seamless gutters, nor do they have the knowledge of how to set up these machines to make exact cuts.
Seamless gutters are more expensive, but once they are installed, you will understand their value which pays for itself because of less repairs and longer time between replacements. If you have any 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 gutters is not a project that a single person can handle safely. Professionals can install a section up to about 35 feet 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 few feet. For rain gutters that are longer, the installation team will need to 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 handling it improperly. This can affect the gutter’s appearance as well as limit its effectiveness. Eden Prairie Gutters is proud to offer seamless gutter installation to all homes and businesses in the Eden Prairie area. Call 612-429-3998 now for more information!