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Select a gutter system
| How-To-Tips |
Here are some things to keep in mind when shopping for a gutter protection system.
• If the product you choose has to be nailed into your roof, you could by voiding your roof warranty, so check that first.
• Make sure the company has the proper insurance to cover its workers in case of injury while they’re working on your home.
• Warranty is only as good as the company that stands behind it.
• The gauge thickness of the gutter should be at least .032. Anything less than that may be insufficient, because of the seasonal expansion and contraction of aluminum. |
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How to protect your home with a maintenance-free gutter system
Cleaning gutters can be hazardous to your health, with the inherent danger of falling off a ladder – or your roof. But failing to clean your gutters can be hazardous to your home as well.
“A proper water management system will protect your home from erosion around the house and possibly foundation damage,” says Bob Roberts, sales manager of Gutter Helmet of Toledo.
If your gutters don’t properly handle the water coming off your roof, it can seep into and damage the soffit and fascia. The soffit is the overhang, and the fascia is what gutters hang on.
According to Roberts, there are other detrimental effects from not having an efficient water management system. “When water pools in the gutters, mosquitoes breed,” he explains. “Also, when water seeps into the woodwork, the wet wood attracts termites.
The basic thin metal, uncovered gutters that most of us are familiar with were meant to be cleaned frequently by hand. Since most people don’t get around to it, damage results, and the gutters may need to be replaced, Roberts says. Or worse, they try to fix the problem themselves and end up falling off a ladder or the roof and wind up in the emergency room. “In our business, we hear about it all the time. It’s just not worth the risk of hurting yourself,” he comments.
Maintenance-free means clog-free
A maintenance-free gutter protection system by its very nature can help. Gutter systems may seem alike to most people, but they’re not. According to new-gutters.com, a consumer information source on gutter repair and replacement, gutter systems differ in essentially two ways: how they fit with the roofing, and how they get water into and through the gutter.
Maintenance-free gutter protection systems, such as Gutter Helmet, are far more advanced than the caps or screens from the hardware store that attach to existing gutters. The Gutter Helmet system is a multi-patented closed gutter protection system that installs over the existing full-size gutters, directing the rainwater into the gutter through a continuous horizontal opening. Leaves and debris fall over the edge of the roof and harmlessly to the ground. They are designed to be clog-free and do not require the homeowner to physically maintain them. They are custom-fit to your home and installed by professionals, who specialize in the Gutter Helmet product.
Gutter Helmet provides its trained installers with reinforced heavy gauge installation brackets to strengthen and support the gutters, to lock the panels tightly to the gutter lip to withstand wind and prevent entry to birds and animals, and to withstand the heaviest rainfall. Plus, the brackets are invisible.
The solid hood design ensures that leaves will fall from the gutter system and not collect atop the gutter like certain mesh designs. Liquid adhesion, which is the attraction of water to solids, directs water into the gutter system from front to back, while keeping debris out of the gutter. An animated demonstration can be found on Gutter Helmet’s Web site, www.gutterhelmet.com
Customer education and service
The Gutter Helmet sales staff really knows water management systems and educates their customers on the advantages of Gutter Helmet’s technology and benefits by giving them a short presentation with pictures and examples of the gutter’s engineering advantages. They also measure the home to provide an accurate cost estimate at no charge to the consumer
When their workers come to do the job, the customer’s current gutters are removed, if necessary. If not, the new system is installed over the existing gutters. This usually takes one day. “Our installers work exclusively for Gutter Helmet,” he says.
His workers are also fully insured, which is something homeowners don’t always think about until it’s too late. Roberts says, “Most homeowners don’t know this, but someone working on their property, who gets hurt, may not automatically be covered under their homeowners insurance policy.
Increased value
Another benefit of installing a maintenance-free gutter system on your home is that it instantly increases the value of the property – and the appearance. It has the look of crown molding, providing an upscale look and blends with the look of the home and the roofline. Should you decide to sell your home, Gutter Helmut offers a transferable lifetime materials and a product performance warranty. Through the extensive, Gutter Helmet dealer network, the homeowner is also provided a lifetime service warranty. The warranty must be registered at the time the Gutter Helmet is purchased to take advantage of all warranty benefits.
Less maintenance and more warranties make the house more marketable and add value as a selling point.
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