Benefits of Seamless Gutters

Gutters have to be replaced about as often as the roof, so roughly every 20 years. This is a long time, but in the meantime, your home’s rain gutters should 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 recently, it’s probably a good time to start looking at the options. Odds are, your options have changed a lot since you last shopped for new gutters, either when building your house or the last time you replaced them.

Styles and types of materials improve drastically over a period of only a few years. This means that your next rain gutters will be much 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, opposed to traditional gutters which are only available in sections between 10 and 20 feet. They are made on-site in many cases with a custom machine, removing the difficulties of transporting such long, narrow materials.

Many gutter installation services have their own machinery and are able to do the whole process on their own – measure, manufacture and install your seamless gutters – in only one day!

Because they are manufactured to size, it is possible to have seamless gutters that extend over 50 feet, with the maximum 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 any color they choose.

Benefits of Seamless Gutters

Traditional gutters have been popular for so long that it might be difficult to realize how another option can be more effective. To decide if seamless gutters are a smart idea for your house, you will want to understand the benefits of them so you can understand why there is such a noticeable price difference for them.

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

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

Easier Care – Less joints means there are fewer opportunities for debris to get hung on or get stuck within the rain gutters. Water drains through more smoothly with less clogs from dirt and debris. As a homeowner, this will likely make you very pleased, since it means you won’t be cleaning them out as much. Seamless gutters only need 1 annual cleaning. In contrast, some traditional gutter systems must be cleaned 2 to 4 times a year to keep them working well.

Lower Chance of Leaks – Traditional gutters can leak from any joint if the gutters start pulling away from the house. Loose fasteners are also a problem that lead to gutter leaks. Getting rid of joints along the length and width of your house helps reduce the likelihood of leaks (which protects your windows, porches, and landscaping).

Discourages Pests – Buildup in your gutters will attract animals, rodents and insects that will hide within them or build nests with the organic materials that are present. From there, insects, birds, squirrels and chipmunks have easy access to your attic and can damage your roof, resulting in hundreds of dollars’ of repairs. Keeping that buildup out of gutters makes them less attractive for pests.

Eliminates Waste – Measuring for seamless gutters and then cutting them on site ensures that your gutters will be the perfect length without having scrap pieces that were cut off to match the length of the house. This is an environmentally-friendly practice that lowers your home’s carbon footprint. In addition, there is no need to destroy the excess or see it end up in a landfill.

Last Longer – Seamless gutters are designed 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 home. Longer lasting rain gutters also protect your home, 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 training and equipment required to build them. Most homeowners don’t have have the machinery needed to make seamless gutters, nor do they have the knowledge of how to program these machines to make precise cuts.

Seamless gutters are more expensive, but once they are installed, you will immediately understand their value which pays for itself due to fewer repairs and longer time between replacements. If you have questions concerning the value of seamless rain gutters, speak to a gutter installer who offers both traditional and seamless gutter systems to determine if the price difference and benefits are worth it for your budget and needs.

Installing seamless gutters is not a project that a single person can handle safely. Pros can install a section up to about 30 feet or so by themselves, but anything longer will require a second person.

For gutters that are less than 35 feet, they will start in the middle and work their way to each end, securing the gutter every few feet. For gutters any longer, the installation team will need to begin in two places (1/3 of the way from each end) and attach 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 easily damage a seamless gutter by mishandling it. This can affect the gutter’s appearance as well as its effectiveness. Winston-Salem Gutters is proud to provide seamless gutter installation to all homes and businesses in the Winston-Salem area. Call 336-344-9378 now for more information!