Benefits of Seamless Gutters

Rain gutters should be replaced about as often as the roof, so somewhere around 20 years. This is a good long while, but in the meantime, your home’s gutters need to do their job with little work on your part besides gutter cleaning and routine maintenance.

If you haven’t had to replace your home’s gutters lately, it’s probably about time to start looking at the options. More than likely, your options have changed since you last 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 that your next gutters will be more efficient, lighter and more attractive than the current ones on your home.

Seamless gutters are one of the new options available.

What are Seamless Gutters?

One of the standout enhancements in home gutters is the creation of seamless gutter systems.

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

Many gutter installation businesses own their own machinery and are able to complete the entire process on their own – measure, manufacture and installing your seamless gutters – in only one day!

Since they are manufactured to size, it is possible to have seamless gutters that extend over 50 feet, with the maximum length of a seamless rain gutter around 100 feet without joints. This gives homeowners the choice to have a single 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 difficult to see how another choice can be a lot more effective. To determine if seamless gutters are a smart idea for your home, you will want to understand the benefits of them so you can also understand why there is a noticeable price difference for them.

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 perfectly sized. The custom measurements also increase the curb appeal of your home without being too overstated and obvious.

Easier Care – Less joints mean there are fewer opportunities for debris to get hung on or get stuck within the rain gutters. Water flows through smoothly with less clogs. As a homeowner, this should make you very happy, as it means you won’t be cleaning them out as much. Seamless gutters only need 1 yearly cleaning. In comparison, most regular gutter systems must be cleaned 2 to 4 times a year to keep them functioning well.

Lower Chance of Leaks – Regular gutters can leak at any joint if the gutters start pulling away from the home. Loose fasteners are another problem that can result in gutter leaks. Getting rid of joints across the length and width of your home helps reduce the likelihood of leaks (which protects your windows, porches, and landscaping).

Prevent Pests – Clogged gutters will attract animals, rodents and insects that will hide within them or build nests with the materials that are present. From that point, insects, birds, squirrels and chipmunks have easy access to your attic and are able to damage your roof, leading to hundreds of dollars’ worth of repairs (at a minimum). Keeping that buildup out of rain gutters makes them less attractive for pests.

Eliminates Waste – Measuring for seamless gutters and then manufacturing them on site means that your gutters will be the correct size without having extra pieces that were cut off to match the exact length of the house. This is an environmentally-friendly practice that lowers your home’s carbon footprint. Also, 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 built with the newest technology and the best materials on the market. This leads to fewer leaks, a smaller chance of rust and reduced risk of the gutters pulling away from the house. Longer lasting rain gutters also protect your home, including the walls, windows and surrounding soil below.

Seamless Gutters Installed by a Professional

Seamless gutters typically need professional installation because of their size and the training and equipment required to build them. Most homeowners don’t have have the machinery necessary to make seamless gutters, nor do they have the training on 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 questions about the value of seamless rain gutters, talk with a gutter installer who does both standard and seamless gutter systems to decide if the price difference and benefits are worth it for your budget and needs.

Installing these extra-long gutters is not a project that a homeowner can handle safely. Professionals can install a section up to about 30 feet on their own, 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, fastening the gutter every few feet. For gutters that are longer than that, the installation team will start in two places (1/3 of the way from each end) and fasten 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. You can damage a seamless gutter by mishandling it. This can damage the gutter’s appearance as well as its effectiveness. Total Gutters, Inc. is proud to offer seamless gutter installation to all homes and businesses in the Terre Haute area. Call 812-203-5331 now for more information!