Benefits of Seamless Gutters

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

If you haven’t replaced your home’s gutters recently, it’s probably a good time to start considering the options. Chances are, your options have changed a lot since the last time you shopped for gutters, either when you built your house or the last time you had to replace them.

Styles and materials improve drastically over a period of just 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 biggest upgrades in home gutters is the invention of seamless gutter systems.

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

Many gutter installation businesses have their own equipment and can do the whole process on their own – measure, manufacture and install your seamless gutters – in only one day!

Because they are built to size, it is possible to have seamless gutters that extend over 40 feet, with the longest length of a seamless rain gutter around 100 feet with no joints. This gives homeowners the option to have a single piece of lightweight aluminum in any color they choose.

Benefits of Seamless Gutters

Standard gutters have been popular for so long that it can be hard to realize how another option can be a lot more effective. To determine if seamless gutters are a good idea for your house, you should 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 appearance. Seamless gutter fabrication machines cut out holes for gutter downspouts, which should be present every 20 to 30 feet, so that they are smooth and perfectly sized. The custom measurements also increase the curb appeal of your house without being overstated and obvious.

Easier Care – Fewer joints means there are fewer chances for debris to get hung on or get stuck within the rain gutters. Water drains through smoothly with less clogs. As a homeowner, this should make you very happy, since it means you don’t need to clean them out as often. Seamless gutters typically only need 1 yearly cleaning. In contrast, most traditional gutter systems have to be cleaned 2 to 4 times a year to keep them working well.

Lower Chance of Leaks – Traditional gutters can leak at any joint if the gutters start to pull away from the home. Loose fasteners are also a problem that can lead to gutter leaks. Eliminating joints across the entire length and width of your house helps reduce the chance 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 materials that are present. From there, insects, birds, squirrels and chipmunks have access to your attic and are able to damage your roof, resulting in hundreds of dollars’ of repairs (at a minimum). Keeping that buildup out of your rain gutters makes them less attractive for pests.

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

Longer Lifetime – Seamless gutters are designed with the newest technology and the best materials on the market. This leads to less leaks, less chance of rust and reduced risk of the gutters pulling away from the house. Longer lasting gutters can also protect your house, including the exterior walls, windows and the soil below.

Seamless Gutters Installed by a Professional

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

Seamless gutters do cost more, but once they are professionally installed, you will 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 offers both standard and seamless gutter systems to decide if the cost difference and benefits are a good fit for your budget and needs.

Installing these extra-long rain gutters is not a job that a single person can handle safely. Professionals can install a section up to about 30 feet or so by themselves, but anything longer than that 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 rain gutters longer than that, the installation team will need to start in two places (1/3 of the way from each end) and attach those places 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 easily damage a seamless gutter by mishandling it. This can damage the gutter’s appearance as well as limit its effectiveness. Better Buffalo Gutters is proud to provide seamless gutter installation to all homes and businesses in the Buffalo area. Call 716-296-4916 now for more information!