Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Gutters need to be replaced almost as often as the roof on a home, so roughly every 20 years. This is a good long while, but in the meantime, your home’s 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 gutters lately, it’s probably about time to begin looking at the options. Chances are, your options have changed since the last time you shopped for new gutters, either when building your home or the last time you had to replace them.
Styles and types of materials improve significantly over a period of just a few years. This means your next rain gutters will be even more efficient, lighter and offer better curb appeal than the current ones on your house.
Seamless gutters are one of the new options available.
What are Seamless Gutters?
One of the standout upgrades in home gutters is the invention of seamless gutter systems.
Seamless gutters are installed in long sections, opposed to traditional gutters that only come in sections between 10 and 20 feet. They are made on-site in many situations with a custom machine, eliminating the difficulties of transporting such long, narrow items.
Many gutter installation businesses own their own equipment and are able to do the entire process – measure, manufacture and installing your seamless gutters – in only one day!
Since they are built to size, it is not uncommon to have seamless gutters that stretch over 40 feet, with the maximum length of a seamless gutter around 100 feet without joints. This gives homeowners the choice 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 can be hard to realize how another choice can be more effective. To decide if seamless gutters are a good choice for your home, you should understand the benefits of them so you can understand why there is such a noticeable price difference between the two.
There are many benefits of seamless gutters over traditional gutter systems:
Better Curb Appeal – With joints just at the corners, seamless gutters have a noticeably sleek appearance. Seamless gutter machines even cut out holes for downspouts, which must be present every 20 to 30 feet, so that they are smooth and perfectly sized. The custom measurements also improve the curb appeal of your home without being too overstated and obvious.
Easier Care – Less joints mean there are less chances for debris to get hung on or get stuck within the rain gutters. Water drains through smoothly with less clogs from dirt and debris. As a homeowner, this should make you extremely pleased, as it means you won’t be cleaning them out nearly as often. Seamless gutters usually only need 1 yearly cleaning. In comparison, most traditional gutter systems must be cleaned 2 to 4 times a year in order to keep them working well.
Lower Chance of Leaks – Regular gutters can leak at any joint once the gutters start to pull away from the home. Loose fasteners are also a problem that can lead to gutter leaks. Eliminating joints throughout the 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 animals 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 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 appealing for pests.
Eliminates Waste – Measuring for seamless gutters and then cutting them on site means that your gutters will be the correct size without having additional pieces that were cut off to match the length of the home. This is an eco-friendly practice that reduces your home’s carbon footprint. Plus, there is no need to eliminate the excess (which can result in harmful chemicals) or see it end up in a landfill.
Longer Lifetime – Seamless gutters are made 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 house. Longer lasting gutters also protect your home, including the exterior walls, windows and the soil below.
Seamless Gutters Installed by a Professional
Seamless gutters usually require professional installation because of their size and the experience and equipment required to build them. Most homeowners don’t have have 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 professionally installed, you will immediately understand their value which pays for itself because of less repairs and longer time between replacements. If you have questions concerning the value of seamless gutters, speak to a gutter installer who offers both traditional and seamless gutter systems to determine if the price difference and benefits are a good fit for your budget and needs.
Installing these extra-long rain gutters is not a project that a single person can handle safely. Pros can install a section up to about 30 feet or so on their own, but anything longer will require 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 several feet. For rain gutters longer than that, the installation team will start in two places (1/3 of the way from each end) and fasten those sections due to 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. Homeowners can easily damage a long gutter by handling it improperly. This can affect the gutter’s appearance as well as limit its effectiveness. A-OK Omaha Gutters is proud to provide seamless gutter installation to all homes and businesses in the Omaha area. Call 402-256-7909 now for more information!