Benefits of Seamless Gutters
Gutters need to be replaced about as often as the roof on a home, so roughly every 20 years. This is a long time, and in the meantime, your gutters need to do their job with little effort on your part besides gutter cleaning and routine maintenance.
If you haven’t replaced your gutters lately, it’s probably a good time to begin looking at the options. Odds are, your options have changed a lot since you last shopped for new gutters, either when you built your home or the last time you had to replace them.
Styles and types of materials improve a lot over a period of just a few years. This means that your next gutters will be more efficient, lighter and more attractive 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 biggest enhancements in residential gutters is the invention of seamless gutter systems.
Seamless gutters are installed in very long sections, opposed to standard gutters that only come in sections between 10 and 20 feet. They are made on-site in many situations with a special machine, removing the difficulties of transporting long, narrow materials.
Most gutter installation services own their own machinery and can complete the entire process on their own – measure, manufacture and installing your seamless gutters – in only one day!
Because they are built to size, it is not uncommon to have seamless gutters that extend over 50 feet, with the longest length of a seamless rain gutter 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 used for so long that it might be hard to believe how another option can be much more effective. To determine if seamless gutters are a smart choice for your home, you need know the benefits of them so you can 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 very sleek appearance. Seamless gutter fabrication machines even cut out holes for downspouts, which should be present every 20 to 30 feet, so that they are smooth and perfectly sized. The measurements also improve the curb appeal of your home without being too overstated or obvious.
Easier Care – Less joints mean there are less opportunities for debris to get hung on or get stuck within the gutters. Water flows through smoothly with fewer clogs. As a homeowner, this should make you extremely happy, because it means you won’t be cleaning them out as much. Seamless gutters typically only need 1 yearly cleaning. In comparison, most traditional rain gutter systems have to be cleaned 2 to 4 times a year in order to keep them working well.
Lower Chance of Leaks – Standard gutters can leak at any joint once the gutters start to pull away from the house. Loose fasteners are another problem that can lead to gutter leaks. Eliminating joints throughout the entire length and width of your house reduces the likelihood of leaks (which protects your windows, porches, and landscaping).
Discourages Pests – Buildup in your gutters will attract animals, rodents and insects that can hide inside of them or build nests with the debris that is present. From there, insects, birds, squirrels and chipmunks have access to your attic and can damage your roof, causing hundreds of dollars’ of damage. Keeping that buildup out of your rain 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 scrap pieces that were cut off to match the length of the home. This is an eco-friendly process that reduces your home’s carbon footprint. In addition, there is no need to get rid of 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 available. This creates less leaks, less chance of rusting and reduced risk of the gutters pulling away from the home. Longer lasting rain gutters also protect your house, including the exterior walls, windows and surrounding soil.
Seamless Gutters Installed by a Professional
Seamless gutters usually require professional installation because of their size and the training and equipment required to build them. Most homeowners don’t have have the equipment needed 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 quickly see their value which pays for itself because of less repairs and longer time between replacements. If you have any questions concerning the value of seamless rain gutters, talk with a gutter installer who does both standard and seamless gutter systems to determine if the price difference and benefits are worth it for your budget and needs.
Installing these extra-long gutters is not a task that a single person can handle safely. Professionals can install a section up to about 30 feet or so by themselves, but anything longer will require a second person.
For seamless gutters that are 35 feet or less, they will start in the middle and work their way to each end, fastening the gutter every several feet. For 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 mishandling it. This can affect the gutter’s appearance as well as its effectiveness. Cherry Hill Gutters is proud to offer seamless gutter installation to all homes and businesses in the Cherry Hill area. Call 856-212-0452 now for more information!