The standard of your home’s gutters is not something to be overlooked, trust us. Nor is the installation of gutters something to skimp on either – in the long run, you will only end up paying close to double on re-installation or an upgrade, when, initially, you thought you were saving money!
Selecting the correct gutters is also very important in protecting the foundation of your home, as overflowing water from damaged gutters can ultimately lead to foundation dis-repair, and that is a whole lot of heartache no home owner should ever experience!
Here are a few things to consider when choosing the best gutters for your home:
1. Know the local rainfall of your area
What’s important here is to know an average amount of rainfall during a storm and how much your gutters need to handle when a storm hits. The higher amount of rain that falls in a short time, will dictate the size of your gutter sections.
2. Weigh up the importance of aesthetics
How significant is it to you that your gutters ‘blend in’ with the rest of your home? It’s important to remember that there are plenty of materials, colours, shapes and sizes available on the market today – it just depends on your budget.
3. Understand your local climate & best materials to be used
As mentioned above, there are a multitude of materials available on the market – but the key is picking the most suitable one for your local climate and weather pattern. There are several types of materials offered for household gutter installation which include:
· Chromadek
Colour-based layered sheet metal, either seamed or seamless
· Colourlume
Steel sheet layered with zinc-aluminium alloy, powder coated and often seamless. An expensive but high-quality gutter product
· Zincalume
Unilume sheet metal without a powder coating. Often seamless, high-quality gutter, which is painted after installation
· Galvanized Steel
Sheet steel with a thin layer of zinc on surface. Hardy and cheap, these gutters are unfortunately seamed
· Mild Steel
Low-intensity steel sheet, easy to mould, easy to install as gutters, cheap, but prone to rusting, breaking and they are seamed
4. Go seamless
Seamless gutters are the future – they have joining parts, which means no leaks and increased resistance to corrosion. A single length of gutter is also far stronger than seamed gutter lengths, while seamless gutters are also far more aesthetically pleasing and easy to install.
5. Don’t rule out gutter guards
These are an important part of any gutter, helping to keep debris at bay so you don’t have to go to the mission of clearing them out every time there is a heavy storm. You would be well advised to use professional installed gutter guards as they are far more durable and will stand the test of time!
Last, but certainly not least, always make sure to choose a reputable, professional company to do your gutter installation! Easy Flow Gutters offers an outstanding service throughout the Pretoria and Gauteng region – give them a call and they will be able to assist you with all your new gutter installations or current gutter maintenance.
