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, and in the meantime, your gutters should do their job with very 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 begin considering the options. Chances are, your options have changed since you last shopped for gutters, either when building your home or the last time you had to replace them.

Styles and types of materials improve drastically over a period of only a few years. This means your next rain gutters will be a lot more efficient, lighter and more attractive than the current ones on your house.

Seamless gutters are one of the newest options available.

What are Seamless Gutters?

One of the standout upgrades in home gutters is the invention of seamless gutter systems.

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

Most gutter installation businesses have their own equipment and are able to complete the entire process – measure, manufacture and installing your seamless gutters – in less than one day!

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

Benefits of Seamless Gutters

Standard gutters have been used for so long that it can be hard to realize how another choice can be much more effective. To decide if seamless gutters are a smart choice for your home, you need understand the benefits of them so you can understand why there is 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 noticeably sleek appearance. Seamless gutter machines even cut out holes for downspouts, which must 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 home without being overstated and obvious.

Easier Care – Fewer joints mean there are fewer opportunities for debris to get hung on or get stuck within the gutters. Water flows through more smoothly with fewer clogs. As a homeowner, this will likely make you extremely happy, as it means you won’t be cleaning them out nearly as much. Seamless gutters typically only need 1 yearly cleaning. In contrast, some traditional rain gutter systems must be cleaned 2 to 4 times a year in order to keep them functioning well.

Lower Chance of Leaks – Standard gutters can leak at any joint once the gutters start to pull away from the home. Loose fasteners are another problem that can lead to gutter leaks. Eliminating joints across the entire length and width of your house reduces the likelihood of leaks (which protects your windows, porches, and landscaping).

Prevent Pests – Clogged gutters will attract animals, rodents and insects that will hide inside of them or build a nest with the debris that is present. From there, insects, birds, squirrels and chipmunks have access to your attic and can damage your roof, leading to hundreds of dollars’ worth of repairs (at a minimum). Keeping that buildup out of your rain gutters makes them less appealing for pests.

Eliminates Waste – Measuring for seamless gutters and then cutting them on site means that your gutters will be the correct size without having extra pieces that were cut off to match the length of the home. This is an environmentally-friendly process that lowers your home’s carbon footprint. In addition, there is no need to eliminate the excess (which can result in harmful chemicals) or see it end up in a landfill.

Last Longer – 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 rain gutters can also protect your house, 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 needed to build them. Most homeowners don’t have have the machinery needed to make seamless gutters, nor do they have the training on how to program these machines to make exact cuts.

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

Installing seamless gutters is not a task that a single person can handle safely. Professionals can install a section up to about 35 feet or so on their own, 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 few feet. For rain gutters longer, the installation team will begin in two places (1/3 of the way from each end) and secure 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. You can damage a long gutter by mishandling it. This can damage the gutter’s appearance as well as limit its effectiveness. Palatine Gutter Cleaning is proud to provide seamless gutter installation to all homes and businesses in the Palatine area. Call 847-416-8915 now for more information!