Rain gutters are designed to route rainfall and melting snow away from a building in order to prevent water damage. And the importance of installing rain gutters isn’t new – even the ancients knew the value of diverting rain to protect foundations and buildings. Although the concept is pretty much the same as it was 5,000 years ago, rain gutters have evolved from baked clay tiles to sophisticated seamless metals that offer supreme protection from potential water damage problems.
What Are Seamless Gutters?
Unlike conventional gutters that come in 10- to 20-foot lengths and can be purchased at local home improvement centers, seamless gutters are custom made right on your property. While conventional gutters may be cheaper than seamless, they’re installed with many seams. Many seams create many problems like leaking, clogging, and overflows.
Advantages of Seamless Gutters
Because seamless gutters are sturdier, longer-lasting, and have fewer problems than seamed gutters, they’re now the most popular type of rain gutter available today. Let’s take a look at more features of seamless gutters and find out just why they’re so popular:
Precision Fit
Measured and custom-made onsite, seamless gutters are installed in long, continuous pieces that only have joints at corners and transitions. Because the entire length of the gutter is seamless, leakage and clogging are minimal.
Minimal Maintenance
Because there are no seams along the length of a seamless gutter, there isn’t the typical maintenance you have with seamed gutters, like sagging or failed caulking. Also, seamless gutters are made with stronger materials that are longer lasting and more weather and wind-resistant.
Far Less Potential to Leakage
When the caulking, welding, or connectors fail on sectioned gutters, leaks appear and get bigger over time. Eventually, the building’s siding can become wet, roofing develops mold and mildew, landscaping becomes eroded, and foundations are compromised.
Less Likely to Clog and Overflow
When conventional seamed gutters start sagging at their caulked or welded joints, debris from leaves, twigs, and needles can build up at the low points. Rainwater can’t flow and drain at the clogged areas, resulting in overflows, more leaking, and associated problems. The smooth seamless lengths of continuous gutters are much less likely to clog and overflow because they’re supported by strong steel brackets that prevent sagging.
Longer Lifespan
The materials used in seamless gutters are more durable and stronger than in traditional seamed gutters. Some options include a baked enamel finish that doesn’t require painting and maintains a long life. Also, the fastening system in seamless gutters is much stronger and more secure than in sectioned gutters and adds to the longer overall lifespan.
More Secure
The strong steel hangers that secure seamless gutters provide much more stability and durability than in conventional gutters. Seamed gutters are attached to the fascia with brackets while seamless gutters are secured with an almost invisible system that is screwed in place, is stronger, and more durable.
Aesthetically Appealing
Seamless gutters provide a custom look that adds to the beauty of a home. Their fabrication allows them to follow architectural lines and design in a way that seamed gutters simply can’t. The variety of material choices – from copper, aluminum, or vinyl to painted, galvanized, or baked enamel steel – give homeowners a wide array of options. Aluminum is the most common seamless material while vinyl is the least used.
Add to the Home’s Value
When a buyer, realtor, or insurer notices a home has custom-made seamless gutters, they can clearly see the added value. They know that seamless gutters are long-lasting, low-maintenance, and add to the home’s architectural design.
Drawbacks of Seamless Gutters
While there’s a lot to love about seamless gutters, they do have a few drawbacks:
Must Be Installed by an Experienced Professional
Seamless gutters are manufactured with a special machine. After taking precise measurements, the metal or vinyl material is rolled through the machine, creating a continuous seamless piece of gutter. Only experienced professionals have the machinery and know-how to install seamless gutters. An experienced seamless gutter contractor knows how to pitch the gutter properly based on the slope of the roof, and knows the importance of selecting a size to accommodate the amount of rainfall in the region.
Cost More Than Conventional Sectioned Gutters
Due to the custom sizing, heavier more durable materials, and labor involved, seamless gutters cost more than sectioned gutters. Depending on the material you choose, seamless gutters can cost between $3 to $25 per foot. Costs can also depend on how labor is priced in your particular part of the country and whether the material you’ve chosen is readily available.
How Seamless Gutters Are Made
Now that you’re savvy about the various features of seamless gutters, let’s take a look at how they’re made.
1. Manufactured Onsite
- With the exception of a few prefabricated pieces, the vast majority of manufacturing is completed onsite.
- Once you decide on the material you want your seamless gutter to be made of, the contractor will make precision measurements of the wall lengths where the gutters will be installed.
- Then, the chosen material is run through a specialized roll-forming machine which creates the exact length and profile of the gutter needed.
- Each gutter will match the precise length of each wall and the only joints will be at transition spots or at the house’s wall corners where the gutters meet.
2. The Seamless Gutter Machine
- This is a specially designed machine that the contractor carries on his van or truck.
- The machine uses metal coil stock to fabricate seamless gutters. Coil stock is generally an 8- to 12-inch wide roll of aluminum or steel (zinc, copper, and vinyl are less commonly used) that is several hundred feet long. The coil can be ordered in a variety of colors or finishes.
- After measuring, the contractor programs the machine to match a specific molding design and profile. As the contractor feeds the coil stock through the machine, a system of rollers and brakes work together to form the gutter. The rollers create gentle bends in the metal and the brakes fold the metal into creases that create angles.
- Once the seamless gutter is made, prefabricated end caps are attached where needed and then the gutter is installed. The downspout holes are cut after installation and then downspouts are attached.
3. Custom-Sized and Styled
- In addition to the gutter being custom-made, it will also be custom-sized and styled.
- The gutter’s profile will need to handle the amount of rain or snowfall in your specific region of the country, and the style will need to provide maximum effectiveness in managing the amount of water.
- To be able to accommodate specific profiles and designs, seamless gutter machines are available in four major types: fascia, box, K-style, and half-round. Each type allows for rain volume that depends on the roof slope, amount of rain in the region, and aesthetic design choice.
The Bottom Line
Although the up-front cost of installing seamless gutters is higher than conventional gutters, over the long haul they’re a cost-effective choice because they last longer, are easier to maintain, provide excellent protection from potential water damage, and add value to your home.
***
Spout Gutter Pros provides a trouble-free way to get the quality seamless gutter services you need. Whether you need help with installation, repair, or maintenance, we connect you with the best professional seamless gutter contractors near you who are licensed and insured. Quotes are fast and easy. Get yours now!
