Benefits of Seamless Gutters

Gutters should be replaced almost as often as the roof, so roughly every 20 years. This is a good long while, but in the meantime, your home’s rain gutters should do their job with little effort on your part besides gutter cleaning and routine maintenance.

If you haven’t replaced your home’s gutters lately, it’s probably about time to begin looking at the options. More than likely, your options have changed since the last time you shopped for new gutters, either when you built your home or the last time you replaced them.

Styles and materials improve a lot over a period of only a few years. This means that your next gutters will be more efficient, lighter and offer better curb appeal than the current ones on your house.

Seamless gutters are one of the new options available.

What are Seamless Gutters?

One of the standout improvements in home gutters is the creation 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 many situations with a special machine, eliminating the difficulties of transporting long, narrow items.

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

Since they are manufactured to size, it is not uncommon to have seamless gutters that extend over 50 feet, with the maximum length of a seamless gutter around 100 feet without joints. This gives homeowners the option 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 can be hard to believe how another choice can be 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 such a noticeable price difference between the two.

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

Better Curb Appeal – With joints only at the corners, seamless gutters have a noticeably sleek appearance. Seamless gutter machines even 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 home without being too overstated or obvious.

Easier Care – Fewer joints mean there are fewer opportunities for debris to get hung on or get stuck within the rain gutters. Water drains through more smoothly with fewer clogs from dirt and debris. As a homeowner, this should make you extremely happy, because it means you don’t need to clean them out nearly as much. Seamless gutters usually only need 1 yearly cleaning. In contrast, most traditional gutter systems have to be cleaned 2 to 4 times a year to keep them functioning well.

Lower Chance of Leaks – Regular gutters can leak from any joint if the gutters start to pull away from the house. Loose fasteners are also a problem that can cause gutter leaks. Getting rid of joints across 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 inside of them or build nests with the debris that is present. From that point, insects, birds, squirrels and chipmunks have access to your attic and can destroy your roof, causing hundreds of dollars’ of damage (at a minimum). Keeping that buildup out of your gutters makes them less appealing for pests.

Eliminates Waste – Measuring for seamless gutters and then manufacturing them on site guarantees that your gutters will be the perfect size without having scrap pieces that were cut off to match the exact 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.

Last Longer – Seamless gutters are built with the latest technology and the best materials available. This results in fewer leaks, less chance of rusting and reduced risk of the gutters pulling away from the house. Longer lasting rain gutters can also protect your house, including the walls, windows and the soil below.

Seamless Gutters Installed by a Professional

Seamless gutters typically require professional installation due to their size and the training and equipment needed to build them. Most homeowners don’t have own the machinery needed to make seamless gutters, nor do they have the training on how to set up these machines to make precise cuts.

Seamless gutters do cost more, but once they are installed, you will see their value which pays for itself over time via less repairs and longer time between replacements. If you have any questions about the value of seamless rain gutters, talk with a gutter installer who offers both traditional and seamless gutter systems to determine 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 30 feet or so by themselves, but anything longer will require a second person.

For seamless gutters that are less than 35 feet, they will start in the middle and work their way to each end, securing the gutter every several feet. For gutters any longer, the installation team will need to start in two places (1/3 of the way from each end) and secure 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 easily damage a seamless gutter by handling it improperly. This can affect the gutter’s appearance as well as its effectiveness. Overland Park Gutters is proud to offer seamless gutter installation to all homes and businesses in the Overland Park area. Call 913-347-5533 now for more information!