Do You Have A Sheet Metal or Rain Gutter Project We Can Help With?
Why Do I Need Gutters?
Homeowners often do not realize the important role the rain gutter system has in protecting their home from the damaging effects of water. I think it is vital that you understand why you have rain gutters on your home in the first place.
Water Damages Your Home
Water is very damaging to the structure of your home, the roof, foundation and exterior siding of your house can be penetrated by the smallest amount of water, as the saying goes, water will find a way. What may start out as a small amount of water over time will cause a lot of damage if it is allowed to continue. Once water penetrates the outside of your home it will not take long before it enters the interior and starts to cause visible damage there.
How Gutters Help
Most water damage caused by rain will start around the roof structure, fascia, soffit and foundation. Your rain gutter system is designed to move rain water away from these areas to protect your home. If your gutters are not functioning for any reason, including the need to be cleaned, not only are they not protecting your home from water they may actually make the problem worse, by overflowing in the exact areas, roof, fascia, soffit and foundation where most water damage problems begin. If you wait to clean your gutters until you notice them overflowing or you see the damage caused by clogged gutters you did not clean them soon enough.
Gutters come in several sizes and shapes called profiles. The most common type of gutter used today is the open gutter, which comes in standard lengths for do-it-yourselfers, and also as continuous roll-formed seamless gutters, which must be installed by a contractor.
Most residential gutters come in two sizes– 5″ and 6″ –and are made of either aluminum, steel, zinc, or copper in a standard “K” style.
The typical 5 inch K-style gutter comes with 2 x 3 inch downspouts. A larger residential gutter system would consist of 6 inch K-style gutter using a 3 x 4 inch downspout.
One foot of 5″ K-Style gutter holds 1.2 gallons of water. One foot of 6″ K-Style gutter holds 2.0 gallons of water. For commercial applications, box gutters, can be made in 7, or 8 inches or even larger custom sizes that hold even more water.
Keep Rain Gutters of Your Property in Top Condition
With each subsequent rainy season, the gutters of your building may undergo wear and tear. One fine day they might need repairs or replacement. You don’t need to fret — Elite Sheet Metal Inc. is at hand to help you.
You can rest easy when you get an annual rain gutter maintenance deal with us. We make sure your gutters are in top condition always, with smooth flow of rain water such that your property is safe.
Annual rain gutter maintenance
If your rain gutter is damaged, we repair it so that it functions like new. If your gutter is beyond repair, you can have us replaced with gutters of the best possible quality.
Are Your Gutters Clogged?
A question you might ask yourself when you notice your clogged gutters? How long have my gutters been clogged? Often they have been clogged way before you noticed. Most homeowners only notice the problem when they are home and it is raining, what happens when it is raining and they are not home? Or they are asleep? Or it is dark outside? Unless rain water is causing visible damage, the homeowner often does not notice the clogged gutter. When you notice water overflowing your gutter, it has probably been overflowing for sometime before you noticed.
If you ever have had wet or rotten wood on your roof edge, interior walls, fascia or soffit and often damp or moldy basements, the problem may have been caused by your rain gutter system not working properly. While there is no magic number or frequency of gutter cleaning that will ensure your rain gutters are always clean and water is free flowing out your downspouts away from your home, waiting for the visible signs that the gutters are clogged will not be sufficient to protect your home.
Clogged rain gutters have many damaging effects on your home. Even a handful of debris will cause your gutter system to fail. Water will spill over the front of the gutter and wash away decorative landscaping, rot wood around windows and doors, stain siding and cause cracks in your foundation. The deterioration of the wood on roof and fascia as water accelerates as rainfall spills behind clogged gutters. To avoid these damaging effects your gutters must remain free of debris year round. Don’t risk the safety of loved ones and waste countless hours trying to keep up with this dangerous chore
When any of these problems occur, it may be time to replace your gutters. Ideally, the life expectancy of the average aluminum gutter is 20 – 30 years or longer, depending on maintenance, the care you take putting ladders against them, and regional weather conditions in your area of the country. Copper gutters may last 50 yrs, and galvanized steel gutters 20 years or less.
Debris Accumulation
- Loose debris will quickly begin to decompose, matting down and compressing into a solid sheet as it becomes damp, causing gutter clogs.
- Accumulated debris caused by clogged gutters is a fire hazard, and it is extremely bad for the roof, accelerating wear and backing water up under the shingles.
- It can also create a solid bridge over the top of the gutters that can send water cascading over the edge.
Damage Clogged Gutters Can Cause:
- Basement flooding
- Foundation cracking and settlement
- Soil erosion
- Dry-rot on fascia boards, soffit, and roof
- Paint damage
- Window, door and siding damage
- Mold damage
- Fire damage in dry, high wind, fire-prone areas
Common Causes of Gutter Damage
- Leaning ladders against gutters to clean them out
- Seams splitting apart (on non-seamless types)
- Ice formation
- Pest infestations
- Stains caused by constant overflowing and rusting spikes
- Storm and tree damage
Building The Best Seamless Aluminum Gutters In LA!
Don’t let leaky, clogged gutters damage your home’s foundation or woodwork anymore! Leave such troublesome water leaks behind with seamless aluminum rain gutters from our family-owned team at Elite Sheet Metal Inc.
- 5-inch pre-painted aluminum rain gutters
- 6-inch pre-painted seamless rain gutters
- Half-round rain gutters
- Customized rain gutters
- Fascia rain gutters
- Gutter installation services
- Lifetime GUARANTEE on rain gutter projects
Unlike standard gutters, seamless gutters are made from a single, continuous piece of aluminum. No seams in the material mean that your gutters won’t wilt or sag under the weight of water and debris!