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How to Prepare your Gutters for the Fall

Gutter Cleaning

Summer is (almost!) officially over. Home exterior upkeep has gone from mowers and hoses to rakes and ladders. No other outside component of your house is as susceptible to the conditions of autumn than your gutters. Leaves, twigs, rain, and low temperatures are locked and loaded and ready to put your gutter system to the test. With the first week of October just around the corner, it’s time to officially prepare your gutters for the season.

5 Steps to Preparing Your Gutter System for the Fall Season

1. Clean and Inspect

The first rule of fall season gutter preparedness is clean and inspect. Unravel your garden hose one last time before it’s tucked into the garage until spring and flush out your gutters and downspouts. Give it a high pressure hosing and then put on your outdoor work gloves to pick up and wipe away any remaining debris. Only when your gutters have been thoroughly cleaned can you perform a proper inspection. The reason for the subsequent inspection? To check for loose brackets/screws, uneven sections, leaks, or any form of excessive wear and tear.

2. Repair Where Needed

Once you’ve cleaned and inspected your gutters you will have a good idea of where repair is essential. This can’t wait. Buy exact-fit brackets and screws and then replace and secure them where needed. If you’ve uncovered leaks, it may be possible to patch them. For good measure, clean the area surrounding the leak again, but this time using a wire brush and water, then scrub with an abrasive pad once it has dried. Apply plastic roofing cement over the hole with a putty knife while smoothing out the edges of the cement. If the hole is too big, you can apply a strip of aluminum flashing to the area, and seal the edges with the cement. If the repairs are significant enough that they have impacted the appearance of your gutters, you may want to consider replacing them. Gutters are like the eyebrows of your house – you don’t notice them until there is something wrong with them!

3. Keep Cold Weather Intruders from Nestling-In

Autumn doesn’t just bring falling leaves and rainfall, its cold snap sends rodents (mice, rats, squirrels and raccoons) packing for higher ground. The cozy beds presented by your concave gutters and downspout exit points gives them a place to nest. Pay a visit to your local home and garden store for humane rodent repellent and check your gutters often through the season to ensure they are free from nesting intruders.

4. Install Gutter Guards (Screening)

No matter how well you’ve trimmed your trees and raked the yard, leaves will still find their way on to your roof. It’s what they do. If you don’t yet have them, autumn is prime time to finally install gutter guards. A gutter guard is a fitted screen with pinpoints wide enough to allow rainwater to collect within and funnel through while preventing leaves and twigs from entering. A sound leaf protection system will be maintenance-free and can be installed on your existing system by a professional without hassle to you, the homeowner.

5. When in Doubt – Install a New Gutter System

Your inspection, cleaning, and attempts at repair may have evidenced that your gutters need replacing in the near future. If that’s the case, then it may as well be now. Delaying the inevitable and waiting another year or two can spell big trouble. One harsh autumn storm could deal the final blow that results in significant gutter damage, damage that will impact your landscape, home exterior, and worse…the interior of your biggest investment – your home. The good news? You are entering the best season to make your decision on a new system!

Gutters 101

When shopping for a gutter system, you will have to decide on several factors: size of the gutters, color and if you would like the addition of gutter screening to keep those pesky fall leaves out of your gutter system. Here at Summersville Seamless Gutters, we price gutter systems per linear foot, and this price includes all the necessary components for a gutter system, including the gutters, downspouts (the vertical section), corner joints, end caps, hanging brackets and labor.

Gutter Materials and Pricing

Summersville Seamless Gutters uses aluminum seamless gutters. Aluminum is the most popular gutter on the market, as it is relatively inexpensive, durable, and easy to work with. Unlike steel, aluminum will not rust over time, and is available in a wide range of colors. When you call us with your measurements for your free estimate over the phone or on-line, we will quote a price (which includes installation) at a “per linear foot” price.

When it comes to gutter size (the measurement of the top opening), downspout size (length and width or diameter) the most common gutter sizes are 5 inches and 6 inches, and downspouts are commonly 2 x 3 inches and 3 x 4 inches in size or 3 or 4 inches in diameter.

When determining the size of a home’s gutter system, you should consider the area’s rainfall density. A home that sees a lot of rain or has a steep roof pitch should have a larger 6″ gutter system. Similarly, a home surrounded by tall trees will need a larger system to accommodate falling leaves without clogging.

Proper Pitch

Our gutter installation follows a couple basic rules: Gutters must be pitched so water will flow to the downspouts. The rule of thumb for this slope is a vertical 1/2 inch for every 10 feet of horizontal run. If the run is more than 35 feet long, and dependent upon the roof line of your home, we may recommend installing the high point of the system in the middle and sloping the gutter downward in both directions to downspouts on both ends of the run. Water exiting the downspout must always be directed away from the foundation to avoid problems in the future.

Gutter Add-Ons

Gutter Screening

The gutter industry has seen an explosion in the accessory side of the business. Screens, barriers, and other devices used to keep foreign objects out of the gutter are literally everywhere. Here at Summersville Seamless Gutters, we use a fine-wire mesh gutter screening. When considering such accessories, you need to evaluate the types of debris that may land on or in your gutter. Gutter screening is not included in the per linear foot price of the gutter system and is considered an “add on”.

Ready for your free estimate?
Call us today with your measurements or click here to get started!

Why improper installation can cause BIG problems for your home

Every detail of your gutter system matters. Here’s why:

bad gutter

Shortcuts are good for a lot of things, like on long road trips. But when it comes to your home’s gutter system, shortcuts are a big no-no. Many contractors will use nails instead of screws to install your rain gutters onto your facsia. But this will allow your gutters to pull away from the house, leaving low spots where water can pool and overflow. It’s estimated that over 80% of gutters are installed with improper pitch, which means that the gutters will not flow correctly and could wind up doing more harm than good. This is just another area where Summersville Seamless Gutters refuses to compromise. You’ll see our installers checking the pitch of your gutter to be sure the job is done right. We take great pride in the work we do, right down to the smallest details. No cutting corners, period.

“Measure twice, cut once…”

Summersville Seamless Gutters knows that every home is different. There is no “one size fits all” gutter solution, especially of the seamless variety. Other gutter companies will cut gutters off-site based on the measurements they were given by their sales teams, which can often cause issues after installation. However, we manufacture our seamless aluminum gutters on-site to ensure our measurements are exact,  and that they fit your home like a glove!

Your rain gutters are just the beginning. Here’s why:

A properly installed gutter system is critical when it comes to protecting your home from water damage, inside and out. That’s why Summersville Seamless Gutters pays attention to all of those little details. However, even perfectly installed, flawless gutters can clog due to leaves, pine needles, critters, shingle grit and more. That’s why we also offer gutter screens to compliment your gutter system. Summersville Seamless Gutters is interested in your satisfaction and it is our #1 priority. From seamless rain gutters and gutter screens, to ice block to keep the heavy snow and ice from damaging those gutters, Summersville Seamless Gutters can do it all – without compromising on quality!

Give us a call today at (304) 872-2036 or click here
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