Benefits of Seamless Gutters

Gutters should 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 gutters should do their job with little work on your part besides gutter cleaning and annual maintenance.

If you haven’t replaced your gutters lately, it’s probably a good time to begin looking at the options. More than likely, your options have changed a lot since the last time you shopped for gutters, either when building your house or the last time you had to replace them.

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

Seamless gutters are one of the new options available.

What are Seamless Gutters?

One of the major enhancements in rain gutters is the invention of seamless gutter systems.

Seamless gutters are installed in long sections, as opposed to traditional gutters which are only available in sections between 10 and 20 feet. They are made on-site in many situations with a custom machine, removing the difficulties of transporting such long, narrow items.

Many gutter installation businesses have their own machinery and can complete the whole process – measure, manufacture and install your seamless gutters – in less than one day!

Since they are built to size, it is not uncommon to have seamless gutters that extend over 50 feet, with the maximum 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 whatever color they choose.

Benefits of Seamless Gutters

Traditional gutters have been popular for so long that it can be difficult to believe how another choice can be more effective. To decide if seamless gutters are a smart choice for your home, you need know 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 sleek look. 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 improve the curb appeal of your home without being too overstated or obvious.

Easier Care – Less joints mean there are fewer chances for debris to cling on or get stuck within the gutters. Water drains through more smoothly with less clogs from dirt and debris. As a homeowner, this will likely make you very happy, since it means you won’t be cleaning them out as often. Seamless gutters usually only need 1 yearly cleaning. In comparison, some traditional gutter systems have to be cleaned 2 to 4 times a year in order to keep them functioning well.

Lower Chance of Leaks – Regular gutters can leak at any joint once the gutters start to pull away from the house. Loose fasteners are also a problem that result in gutter leaks. Eliminating joints along the length and width of your house helps reduce the chance of leaks (which protects your windows, porches, and landscaping).

Discourages Pests – Clogged gutters will attract small animals and insects that are able to hide within them or build a nest with the debris that is present. From that point, insects, birds, squirrels and chipmunks have access to your attic and are able to damage your roof, leading to hundreds of dollars’ of damage (at a minimum). Keeping that buildup out of your 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 correct length without having additional pieces that were cut off to match the exact length of the house. This is an environmentally-friendly process that lowers your home’s carbon footprint. Also, there is no need to destroy the excess (which can result in harmful chemicals) or see it end up in a landfill.

Longer Lifetime – Seamless gutters are designed with the latest technology and the best materials on the market. This leads to less leaks, a smaller chance of rusting and reduced risk of the gutters pulling away from the home. Longer lasting gutters can also protect your home, including the walls, windows and surrounding 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 build them. Individuals don’t have own the machinery required to make seamless gutters, nor do they have the training on how to program these machines to make precise cuts.

Seamless gutters are more expensive, 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 questions concerning the value of seamless gutters, speak to a gutter installer who provides both traditional and seamless gutter systems to decide if the price difference and benefits are worth it for your budget and needs.

Installing seamless gutters is not a task that a homeowner can handle safely. Pros can install a section up to about 30 feet on their own, but anything longer than that requires 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 few feet. For rain gutters any longer than that, the installation team will need to begin in two places (1/3 of the way from each end) and secure those sections due to 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 affect the gutter’s appearance as well as its effectiveness. San Francisco Gutter Service is proud to provide seamless gutter installation to all homes and businesses in the San Francisco area. Call 415-422-9431 now for more information!