Consider Seamless Gutters for Your Home to Reduce the Risk of Leaking and Water Damage
Since your home is a huge financial investment, you want to protect it as best as you can. Preventing water damage is important, and one way to do that is with a gutter system. If your current gutters are old, leaky, or ugly due to age, consider replacing them with seamless gutters. Here's what you need to know about seamless gutters and how they protect your home.
How the 2 Types of Gutters Compare
When you get new gutters, you can have the seamless variety put on your home or you can choose sectional gutters. Seamless troughs are often preferred because they provide better protection against leaks. Sectional gutters are joined together with seams that are sealed with adhesive, and the adhesive can fail over time due to rain and sun exposure.
When there are no seams, there is a lower risk of leaking. When rain leaks through the seams, water seeps in the soil near your house and this can cause foundation damage over time or problems with a wet basement when it rains. In addition, seamless gutters are more attractive since they are all one piece and not sectional pieces that are seamed together.
What Seamless Gutters Are Made From
Aluminum is a popular choice for seamless gutters, but you could choose galvanized steel or copper. Copper is expensive, but copper gutters give your home an upscale look. Aluminum gutters come in many colors, so you have a lot of options for creating the color theme for your home's exterior with aluminum. Plus, the colors are baked on so you usually won't need to paint aluminum gutters.
How Seamless Gutters Are Installed
All gutters are basically installed the same way. They're hung from hooks and slanted toward the downspout. The troughs need end caps, and the downspout may need elbows so it is positioned to drain properly. The major difference with seamless gutters is that the troughs are made at your home.
The metal is fed into a machine that extrudes the troughs to a custom length that fits your home so the troughs don't need to be cut or joined together. The work goes fast, so even though the gutters are made in a truck at your home, the job could be completed in a single day, depending on the size of your house.
What Type of Maintenance Is Needed
Seamless gutters don't need special maintenance, but they need to be maintained just like sectional gutters do. Examine the gutters occasionally and replace loose or missing hangers so the troughs don't sag. Also, clean the troughs out at least once a year so they don't clog up with leaves and overflow.