Benefits of Seamless Gutters

Gutters need to be replaced about as often as the roof, so roughly every 20 years. This is a long time, but in the meantime, your rain gutters should do their job with little work on your part besides gutter cleaning and routine maintenance.

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

Styles and types of materials improve significantly over a period of just a few years. This means that your next rain gutters will be more efficient, lighter and offer better curb appeal than the current ones on your home.

Seamless gutters are one of the new options available.

What are Seamless Gutters?

One of the biggest improvements in home gutters is the creation of seamless gutter systems.

Seamless gutters are installed in 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, eliminating the difficulties of transporting long, narrow items.

Most gutter installation companies have their own equipment and can do the whole process – measure, manufacture and install your seamless gutters – in just one day!

Since they are manufactured to size, it is possible to have seamless gutters that stretch over 50 feet, with the maximum length of a seamless gutter around 100 feet without joints. This offers homeowners the option to have an individual piece of lightweight aluminum in whatever color they choose.

Benefits of Seamless Gutters

Standard gutters have been used for so long that it can be hard to believe how another choice can be much more effective. To determine if seamless gutters are a good choice for your house, you should understand the benefits of them so you can also understand why there is such a noticeable price difference between the two.

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

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

Easier Care – Fewer joints means there are less chances for debris to cling on or get stuck within the gutters. Water flows through more smoothly with less clogs from dirt and debris. As a homeowner, this will likely make you extremely pleased, as it means you won’t need to clean them out nearly as much. Seamless gutters typically only need 1 yearly cleaning. In comparison, most regular 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 as soon as the gutters start pulling away from the house. Loose fasteners are another problem that lead to gutter leaks. Getting rid of joints throughout the entire length and width of your home helps reduce the risk of leaks (which protects your windows, porches, and landscaping).

Discourages Pests – Clogged gutters will attract small animals, rodents and insects that will hide within 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 rain gutters makes them less appealing for pests.

Eliminates Waste – Measuring for seamless gutters and then building them on site means that your gutters will be the correct length without having extra pieces that were cut off to match the length of the home. This is an eco-friendly practice that lowers your home’s carbon footprint. Plus, there is no need to destroy the excess or see it end up in a landfill.

Longer Lifetime – Seamless gutters are built with the latest technology and the best materials available. This leads to less leaks, a smaller chance of rusting and reduced risk of the gutters pulling away from the house. Longer lasting rain gutters also protect your home, including the exterior walls, windows and surrounding soil.

Seamless Gutters Installed by a Professional

Seamless gutters almost always need professional installation because of their size and the training and machinery necessary to manufacturer them. Individuals don’t have access t the machinery needed to make seamless gutters, nor do they have the knowledge of how to set up these machines to make exact cuts.

Seamless gutters do cost more, but once they are installed, you will immediately understand their value which pays for itself because of fewer repairs and longer time between replacements. If you have any questions about the value of seamless gutters, speak to a gutter installer who provides both traditional and seamless gutter systems to determine if the price difference and benefits are a good fit for your budget and needs.

Installing seamless rain gutters is not a project that a homeowner can handle safely. Pros can install a section up to about 35 feet or so by themselves, 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, attaching the gutter every several feet. For 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 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 damage the gutter’s appearance as well as limit its effectiveness. Decatur Gutter Service is proud to offer seamless gutter installation to all homes and businesses in the Decatur area. Call 217-203-4124 now for more information!