Gutter Installation: Seamless vs. regular gutters
Seams are unsightly, but they are also risky. Every seam is another point of failure.
Buildup and Clogging
Joints are connected with overlapping edges and caulk. This unevenness causes dirt buildup, clogging from debris, and allow water to pool.
It Gets Heavy
Excess weight from buildups or water pooling weaken mounting points causing sagging. Sagging gutters, as little as 1/4″, alter the gutter’s slope and prevents water from flowing towards the downspout. This causes even more sagging and can quickly get out of hand.
Leaky
Seams and joints are common causes of leaks and drips. Even when installed correctly the overlapping seams and sealant can separate. Sealants also dry out and split over time.
What makes gutters “seamless”?
Gutters are considered “seamless” when they are installed in a continuous manner from corner to corner. Seams should only occur at the corners.
What type of seams does your company use on corners?
There are three types of corner seams commonly used. The corner with the least amount of seams has the least chance of a leak developing. Different corner styles have more seams than others.
Box Miter: A preformed corner that actually has 3-seams per corner. Mainly used because they are inexpensive and don’t require skilled labor to install.
Strip Miter: A seam formed in the corner and held together by a separate thinner strip of aluminum material. Also less expensive to produce, it actually creates 2-seams per corner with the “strip” requiring paint due to discoloration over time.
Custom Hand Mitered: Crafted by a skilled gutter installer, this seam has only one seam per corner. It fits tighter, stronger and longer.
How do you fasten the gutters to the home? Nails or screws?
Nails (or spikes): Generally an older style method, the nail goes through the outside of the gutter, and passes through the inside and attaches (hopefully) into the fascia board and rafter. Nails tend to pull out over time due to weight of water in the gutter causing sagging and detachment from the home.
Screws: A more reliable method because screws don’t pull out over time and don’t corrode. Installers use 2 ¾” screws to attach the gutter to the home through the fascia board and into the rafter. Be sure the screws are “long-form” screws, over 2 ½”, some companies will use a shorter screw (3/4” or 1”) which saves time on labor and cordless drill batteries, but doesn’t hold to anything other than the fascia, which wasn’t meant to fully support a gutter. Gutter Buddies only uses long-form screws during installation.
How many days will the job take?
Barring weather or unforeseen complications, Gutter Buddies strives to complete jobs in one day. Gutter Buddies’s goal is to always have the job complete as soon as possible, so you the homeowner, can have your household back to normal.
What about clean-up of the job site?
After the work is complete, except for the appearance of the new gutters, the worksite should look the same as it did before the work began. Gutter Buddies is passionate about clean-up, you will notice that they keep their truck extremely clean, which is how your job site will look afterwards.
Can you repair prior damage to the home?
Sometimes after removal of existing gutters wood damage is found in areas that couldn’t be seen before. We have a carpenter on staff to repair the area. Fees for repairs are typically charged by the foot.