What exactly is a seamless rain gutter system?
The "Seamless" Product
We need to start with one fact, right up front: so-called "seamless" gutter isn't seamless at all. It's formed on site,
using a special machine, and produces to size a gutter from a continuous roll of thin aluminum. There is that one fact, though...
everywhere it turns a corner, there are... you guessed it— seams.
You'll notice, also, that these long runs of "seamless" gutters are not at all rigid, which makes them prone to deforming as they hang
on your house and handle the rain and debris, snow and ice that accumulates over a season. And those long, continuous runs of gutter?
They can't properly expand and contract, so they pull the hangers sideways and encourage the spikes to work loose.
Typical of these "seamless" gutter installations, even the process of hanging it causes puckers and dings in the thin aluminum as the
cheap hangers commonly used pull it tight to your house.
And what about downspouts? Standards call for a 2"x3" rectangular downspout, but the "seamless" folks find it cheaper to cut a
round opening in-line as they install it. What does this mean? It means you lose 1/3 of the capacity to drain the water your gutters
are meant to drain! The 2" diameter piece they use creates a bottleneck that restricts water flow and allows debris to build up far more easily.
The "Seamless" Installation
Seamless gutter is attached by means of spikes/nails driven through ferrules, straight into the fascia of your house. These spikes
gradually work loose as the gutter expands and contracts with the changing temperatures. Then the gutter begins to sag under
the weight of rain, ice, and snow. The holes in the fascia become enlarged, so that any time water or snow-melt backs up, it seeps
into the eaves of the house.
And those long, continuous runs of gutter? They can't properly expand and contract horizontally, so they
exert pressure sideways and encourage the spikes and hangers to work loose. Low spots that gather water also begin showing up.
The inexpensive hangers used with "seamless" gutter installations are not made of the same metal—aluminum— that the gutter is,
and this causes corrosion where the hanger and gutter meet. In as little as one full season, the combination of corrosion, loosened hangers,
and the weight of water, ice, and snow causes the gutter to pull away from the fascia. Now where does the water go?
Why put out the money for these cheap, made-for-big-profit systems at the expense of your home's integrity? These systems are all about
the money to be made by the installer, and the short-term results they produce to fool the home owner. Don't be duped.
"Seamless" gutter systems are ultimately costly and damaging to your home, and operate superficially at best.
Go with the best system there is, installed by Razorback Residential Service.
Razorback Residential Service, 412-635-9811.
