The main purpose of a gutter system is to funnel water off the roof and away from your house or building. Many people wonder what are the best rain gutters for their home or business, but there is not a straightforward answer to this question. The best gutter system for a project depends on different factors, which are influenced by the gutter itself, the house and its surroundings.
Today we are going to take a look to the gutter factors.
Seamless Gutters vs. Sectional Gutters
One of the most usual questions we find in the field is: “do I need seamless gutters or sectional gutters?” Well, let’s start by remembering what is a seamless gutter.
Gutters are made in gutter machines from a metal coil. There are different machines to shoot different profiles, and these machines can also handle different metal thicknesses when they bend the initial coil to get the final rain gutter shape.
This said, seamless gutters do not feature any “seams” or cuts and are the ones that are made in the customer house, using a machine that is inside the gutter contractor truck. They are custom-made because is in the job where the gutter team measures the house and shoots the gutter. This also means that there are usually no joints in the straight parts of the gutter system, only in the miter corners. And we say usually because sometimes gutters are too long that a joint in the middle is needed, for example, in commercial buildings if the accessibility to the place where the gutter is installed is very limited. The gutter specialist will cut the corners when installing the gutters to joint the pieces together, so those corners will be also custom-made.
So, what is the difference between seamless gutters and sectional gutters? Sectional gutters come as they name indicates, in sections or seams, and have joints in between those sections. However, it doesn’t mean they have less quality, as sometimes the gutters are so thick or so big that they need to be shoot by special industrial machines, as it happens with the box gutters.
There are 2 different types of sectional gutters:
- DIY gutters: these gutters are sold in many convenience stores, and are plastic gutters, steel gutters or aluminum gutters. These short pieces (8 to 10 ft) of gutter have ready-to-go corner pieces that will be put together with the straight sections by the house owners. This means two more joints, one at each side of the corner.T he main problem associated with this type of gutters is that they have many joints that rarely hold together as good as they should, and end up with many leaks to repair.
- Gutters for a custom job that requires a special profile and/or special gutter gauge: these are high quality gutters that can’t be shoot in standard gutter machines, so they need to be ordered specifically for that job and installed by a professional gutter installer. This could be, for example, a commercial building or a modern house that looks for a squared high quality gutter.
How do I choose my rain gutters?
1. Seamless or sectional gutters?
As we commented before, are you going with seamless or sectional gutters? The DYI sectional gutters are not installed by a professional gutter contractor, and have more risk of leaks due to the higher number of joints, which can also hinder the water flow because the leaves and other debris tend to get stuck in those joints. Furthermore, many times they doesn’t look as aesthetic as a seamless profile.
2. Does the gutter material make a difference?
Aluminum is the best rain gutter material for the standard gutter job. However, there are other options if you’d prefer something different or a high-end gutter system, such as copper or zinc.
3. How do I know the quality of the material?
The gauge of the gutter material is basically what we use to measure its quality, and consist on numbers that indicate the thickness of a piece of metal. The standard aluminum gutters are 0.027 inch, but a heavy-duty gutter, or professional grade aluminum, will be 0.032 inch. For the zinc and copper gutter systems, we measure by weight, expressed in ounces per square foot. The copper and gutters can be 16 oz, 18 oz. or 20 oz, being 20 oz. a professional, heavy-duty gauge.
4. How do I choose the gutter size?
The gutter size is key to ensure the rain gutter has enough capacity to handle the water that comes from the roof in all the sections. This could sound obvious, but, for example, a house with a metal roof most of the times is going to need at least a 6 inch gutter in order to be able to cope with all the amount and the speed of the water. Gutter sizes are measured in inches, where the 4 inch, 5 inch, 6 inch or 7 inch size refers to the opening of the gutter, where the water comes in. The bottom part of the gutter can also have different dimensions depending on the profile, for instance, we can differentiate a fascia gutter, that is a 6 inch gutter, as narrow bottom fascia or wide bottom fascia gutter depending on the size of this part.
5. What about the gutter shapes?
There are many different gutter profiles, and they vary from one state to another. The standard profile in the US is the 5k seamless gutter, an aluminum gutter with a 5 inch opening. However, we can also find other profiles such as 6k gutters, which is a little bit bigger, wide bottom fascia gutters, narrow bottom fascia gutters, box gutters, European half round gutters, or American half round gutters among others. You can check Amigo Gutters’ profiles here.
6. How can I customize my gutter project?
Most gutter systems can be customized with ornaments or decorative patters. These ornaments can be part of the gutter or the downspout. Some examples of decorative gutters and ornaments are:
- Embossed gutters
- Wide and narrow beam fascia gutters
- Ornamental outlets
- Ornamental hangers
- Ornamental brackets
- Ornamental downspouts, with all kind of designs and even sculptures
- Collector boxes
7. Do the gutters come in different colors or do I need to paint them?
Other usual concerns are how to choose the gutter color or which is the best color for the downspouts. This is more a personal decision, depending on whether you want the gutter system to stand out or to blend with the house. Both options can look great, so just take a look around to see what is the best fit for you. Is important to know that you can install gutters in different colors or install a white gutter and paint it in case the color you have in mind is not available. Also, the colors available may vary from one material to another. Ask for a color chart so you can see them in person.
To sum up, when choosing the best gutter for your home, don’t overlook performance and quality, as over time can reduce the maintenance. See first what works for the building structure, and what is recommended by a gutter expert, and from there, it’s time to choose what you like, meaning also what is aesthetic for the project and what profile, and ornaments, if any, you would like.
We would be happy to answer and questions you might have. And before you go… Don’t forget to take a look to our gutter profiles!
