Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Rain gutters need to be replaced about as often as the roof on a home, so roughly every 20 years. This is a good long while, and in the meantime, your rain gutters need to do their job with very little work on your part besides gutter cleaning and annual maintenance.
If you haven’t had to replace your home’s gutters lately, it’s probably a good time to start considering the options. More than likely, your options have changed since you last shopped for gutters, either when building your home or the last time you had to replace them.
Styles and types of materials improve drastically over a period of just a few years. This means that your next gutters will be a lot more efficient, lighter and offer better curb appeal than the ones that are currently on your home.
Seamless gutters are one of the newest options available.
What are Seamless Gutters?
One of the standout improvements in home gutters is the creation of seamless gutter systems.
Seamless gutters are installed in long sections, as opposed to traditional gutters that are only sold in sections between 10 and 20 feet. They are made on-site in most cases with a special machine, removing the difficulties of transporting such long, narrow materials.
Many gutter installation companies own their own machinery and can complete the entire process on their own – measure, manufacture and install your seamless gutters – in just one day!
Since they are manufactured 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 with no joints. This offers 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 can be difficult to realize how another choice can be more effective. To determine if seamless gutters are a smart idea for your home, you will want to understand what sets them apart 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:
Better Curb Appeal – With joints only at the corners, seamless gutters have a sleek appearance. Seamless gutter machines cut out holes for gutter downspouts, which should be present every 20 to 30 feet, so they are smooth and correctly sized. The measurements also improve the curb appeal of your home without being too overstated or obvious.
Easier Care – Fewer joints means there are fewer chances for debris to get hung on or get stuck within the gutters. Water flows through more smoothly with less clogs. As a homeowner, this should make you very pleased, as it means you won’t need to clean them out nearly as often. Seamless gutters only need 1 annual cleaning. In comparison, most regular rain gutter systems must be cleaned 2 to 4 times a year in order to keep them functioning well.
Lower Chance of Leaks – Regular gutters can leak from any joint if the gutters start to pull away from the home. Loose fasteners are also a problem that lead to gutter leaks. Eliminating joints across the length and width of your house reduces the likelihood of leaks (which protects your windows, porches, and landscaping).
Discourages Pests – Clogged gutters will attract small animals and insects that can hide inside of them or build a nest with the debris that is present. From there, insects, birds, squirrels and chipmunks have access to your attic and are able to damage your roof, leading to hundreds of dollars’ of damage. Keeping that buildup out of gutters makes them less attractive for pests.
Eliminates Waste – Measuring for seamless gutters and then cutting them on site means that your gutters will be the perfect size without having additional pieces that were cut off to match the length of the home. This is an environmentally-friendly process that lowers 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 made with the latest technology and the best materials available. This creates fewer 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 walls, windows and surrounding soil below.
Seamless Gutters Installed by a Professional
Seamless gutters usually need professional installation due to their size and the experience and machinery necessary to build them. Most homeowners don’t have access t the machinery necessary to make seamless gutters, nor do they have the training on how to program these machines to make exact cuts.
Seamless gutters do cost more, but once they are professionally installed, you will quickly understand their value which pays for itself over time via 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 decide if the price difference and benefits are worth it for your budget and needs.
Installing seamless rain gutters is not a project that a single person can handle safely. Pros can install a section up to about 35 feet by themselves, but anything longer than that requires a second person.
For seamless gutters that are less than 35 feet, they will start in the middle and work their way to each end, attaching the gutter every several 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 fasten 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. Homeowners can damage a long gutter by handling it improperly. This can affect the gutter’s appearance as well as its effectiveness. Santa Barbara Gutter Service is proud to provide seamless gutter installation to all homes and businesses in the Santa Barbara area. Call 805-261-4320 now for more information!