5 Ways to get the Most out of Your Rain Gutter Installation
March 22, 2019
Perhaps, you are like most of the homeowners that consider more important projects like kitchen renovations, floor replacement, or garden improvements, leaving rain gutters on the bottom of your to-do list, until you find out there's a leaky gutter or mold on your ceiling. This may be due to the lack of knowledge about this essential structure in any property.
A
rain gutter installation has as main function the protection of your property against water damages like:
- Dampness in roof and walls with the presence of yellowish stains.
- Pooled water on sidewalks and driveways yard caused by leaky gutters.
- Cracked foundations as a result of water seeping.
- Soiled façade due to unproper working downspout.
- Mold growth on your walls and ceiling as a consequence of dampness.
- Pest spreading in the garden caused by the surrounding pooled water.
But, how do rain gutters work? Gutters are horizontal channels attached to the eave edge of the roof, they are open at the top to catch the rainwater that comes from the roof, leading it to the downspout with the help of a slope. The downspout directs the runoff whether to a rain barrel to collect it or straight to the sewer system. The process sounds easy, right? It is but there are many aspects that you should consider for the rain gutter system to provide superior protection against water damages for a long time.
In order to get the most out of your rain gutter installation let's go through the following list of musts:
- Establish your budget:
The first thing to do when you make the decision to carry out a rain gutter project in your property is to define how much money you can invest in it. For that, it will be ideal that gutter professionals advise you on choosing material, style, accessories and labor costs in order to provide you with an estimated budget of the whole project. Do not fall into the error of choosing low-quality materials or minimizing the use of accessories needed to complement the system just to save some money, remember that cheap turns expensive!
- Contract the right company:
Generally, homeowners think that the cost of a professional rain gutter installation is too out of their budget and choose to do it themselves to save some money and time, but the truth is that most of them regret it later. If after the installation your rain gutter shows complications signs, you will spend more money than you can imagine and at the same time, you will risk your family's safety. So, in order to avoid a poor rain gutter installation that may become in future repairs, we recommend you to always hire an experienced company that ensures you the best outcome.
- Choose the best option in materials:
Once you define how much money you can invest in a rain gutter installation project it is necessary that you evaluate the structural conditions of your property as well as its needs. This step should be taken along with professional help since they will provide all the recommendations about the material that best works for your house and that best fits your budget.
The cost of the material will depend on its quality, from the more durable like copper, stainless steel, galvanized steel to aluminum and vinyl that have a shorter lifespan. Let's check out some pros and cons of some of the most used materials for rain gutters:
- Galvanized steel gutters: you can find them immediately available in the gutter market and they perfectly match with any roofing design thanks to their variety of styles and sizes. This material doesn't dent easily and has a lifespan of 20 years or more. On the other hand, galvanized steel gutters require high and frequent maintenance as they are prone to corrosion and to leakage at the joints. Their price is higher than other materials in the market.
- Stainless steel: this material is known for being extremely sturdy and durable as it won't rust or dent, plus it preserves its shiny look for many years. Another important feature of this material is the capacity to withstand expansion and contraction due to temperature changes. However, stainless steel gutters are two-to-four times more expensive than the ones made of weaker materials.
- Copper: being a high-end material, copper is part of the most long-lasting materials for rain gutters in the market. Its elegant appearance gives a fancy touch to any façade whether residential or commercial which makes it very demanded by proprietors everywhere. The only drawback of copper gutters is their price since it varies according to the value of copper in the market.
- Aluminum: gutters made of aluminum are the combination of quality and affordable price, offering advantages like lightweight, simple installation, rust-proof, and maximum customization become the first option for many homeowners nowadays. As a disadvantage, we can mention that aluminum gets dented easily by a blunt object which means that requires frequent maintenance to make sure everything is working or to fix any dent on time.
- Be eco-friendly:
Another way to get the most out of your rain gutters is to be thoughtful and take advantage of the source of pure water that nature provides us for free: rainwater. There are different collection systems that you can use to give a useful purpose to the water that comes out of your rain gutters like rain barrels, drainage pits, and rainwater collection systems. The water gathered with any of these systems can be used for household purposes in both inside and outside your house, the most common is for gardening since rainwater provide numerous benefits to plants, trees, and soil.
- Keep up with maintenance:
If you want your rain gutters to have a long lifespan then you should make sure not to skip maintenance, especially if you live in a rainy area or have large trees near your house. Having a cleaning service at least twice a year will help you to keep away issues like leaky or clogged gutters, dampness, mold, and what is worst damaged foundations. Gutter professionals will remove leaves, twigs, and any other debris that could block the flow of rainwater throughout the gutter as well as to fix holes, loose gutter, dents, etc.
As described above, a rain gutter installation is a shield that protects your house against any kind of rainwater damage, this is the reason why you should take care of it and follow these recommendations from our experts to get the most out of it and have a well-functioning rain gutter installation for a long time.
In case you want to carry out a rain gutter project in your property and need the help of professionals in the field do not hesitate in contacting Rain Gutters Solution where you will find highly-skilled professional that will surely provide you with the advice and orientation that you need thanks to their twenty years of experience in the gutter industry. Call us at
(305) 270-7779 or fill out the
contact form below and schedule your appointment with us. We'll be glad to assist you!
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