The roof of your home shields you from almost everything. But as you take a closer look into it, you will find that there is still something up there that protects your home. Yes, the rain gutter system is another important piece whose function is to protect your home from any rainwater damage. It does not just sit there to prevent rainwater from seeping into the foundation of your home, to prevent your landscape from eroding, as well as to prevent the rotting of your roof. It also traps anything that can fall off from the roof to your head. Indeed, rain gutter system is one of the more important features of your home.
And since the vinyl gutters of your home face all the harsh elements that drop onto the roof, they often get clogged and get damaged. When this happens, rain water will not be able to go directly into the right gutter channels, and this results to flooding your home from the top. Not only that, leaking gutters can also cause wood to rot and landscapes to erode. Clogged gutters with leaves and debris also welcome the mosquitoes and other pests to stay in, and molds to form.
As a home owner, you must not think twice of either repairing or replacing your old and damaged gutters. It must be dealt with the soonest possible time. There is a wide array of gutter types and materials that you can choose from, such as vinyl gutters, aluminum gutters, copper gutters, steel gutters, and a lot more. But before you do your search, you have to consider first the following criteria:
- LOCATION
Your choice of gutter should also be based on your location. You must identify if the area has extreme temperature, if it often gets heavy snow or rain, or if your home is surrounded with trees. - SIZE
Rain gutters come in different sizes. Your location can help you determine the size of the gutters ideal for your home. If your location often receives heavy rainfall, you may choose to install 7 inch gutters. A bigger size of gutters is needed to be able to hold a massive amount of precipitation. If your location receives little rain, you may go for 5 inch or 6 inch gutters. - MATERIALS
Decide on what gutter material you want to install. Vinyl is the most common material that you can find in the market. You can also choose the steel or copper materials for your gutters. But if your location has extreme temperature fluctuations, then vinyl gutters would be a good choice. - SEAMLESS or SECTIONS
You have to choose whether you want the seamless gutter system or the sectional gutter system. The seamless gutters are the best choice of most gutter experts. As the name suggests, it is a type of gutter system that do not have seams to avoid issues on leaking and sagging. These gutters, however, cost a lot than the sectional type of gutters.
If you prefer replacing the entire guttering system with cheaper yet functional gutters, vinyl gutters can be your best bet. They offer more benefits than the rest. These are easy to cut, configure and install since they already come in pre-cut sections. The weight of these gutters is lighter as compared to other types of gutter system. The color of these gutters is already part of the vinyl so they no longer require painting.
Aside from the fact that vinyl gutters are flexible and dent resistant, they do not rust like steel and do not rot over the course of time. They come in a wide range of colors to match the color scheme of your house. Vinyl gutters also offer you a lightweight and maintenance-free gutter system. You only need to clean off the leaves and scoop off the debris to prevent clogging of the gutter channels. These are just but normal case for different types of gutters. The only big turn-off of vinyl gutters is their susceptibility to brittleness as they age, and due to extreme cold climate.
But if you have a tight budget, vinyl gutters are perfect for you. They are actually considered as the most inexpensive rain gutters available. You can have one for an approximately $3 to $5 per linear foot installed, which is way cheaper than the other types of gutters.