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Yearly Archives: 2017

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Author Alloy Gutter Categories Alloy Gutter Posted on

Gutters – The Unsung Heroes

Gutters might not be seen as important but get gutters wrong and damage to your property can ensue, leaving the property looking old, tired, and leaving you with costly repairs.  Get them right, and your gutters not only protect your property from damage but they are an understated cosmetic addition to the overall aesthetics of your home. Gutters are troughs that are connected to the edge of a rooftop and guide away rain water.  As rain falls onto a pitched roof it moves down and into the canal where it is flows to a downpipe.  The gutter is designed to move water or debris to the ground and away from your house to protect it. Without guttering your property is vulnerable to water damage to the roof structure or fascia and soffit.  If rain water was to accumulate in one area on the ground it could also weaken the foundations which would then lead to costly damage to your home or business. Gutters are hardly noticed until they go wrong, but with the right gutters they are the unsung heroes of your home! To ensure that you don’t have to worry about the pitter-patter of rain on your roof you do need to regularly maintain your gutters.  Leaves, debris, and other material can block up the gutter and must be removed so that water flows effectively. KEY TAKEAWAYS:
  • Seamless gutters are free of demarcations which make them highly functional and efficient in preventing water leakage.
  • Choosing this longer lasting aluminium product will increase the curb appeal of your home whilst remaining kind to the pocket.
  • The high quality seamless aluminum guttering comes with an ogee profile that provides efficient drainage of water.
"During the 1960s a machine was created that was able to roll a coil of aluminium through it that would form it into a length of gutter.  Seamless aluminium gutters were born; a product that was able to be produced on-site to any length required that was custom fit for the property." Original Source: http://www.seamlessgutteringcompany.co.uk/gutters-unsung-heroes
Author Alloy Gutter Categories Home Improvement Posted on

For Reduced Energy Costs, Try a Reflective Roof Coating

A reflective roof coating is applied to roofs to help reflect more sunlight from the surface, thus reducing the amount of heat absorbed by the structure. On top of that, they also aid in creating more comfortable indoor environments, and play a role in prolonging the life of roofs and roofing materials. Reflective Roof Coating: How a Reflective Roof Coating Works Cool roof coatings work to keep your home cool in two distinct ways. The first is by solar reflectance, or the coating’s ability to reflect sunlight away as soon as it hits your structure. Instead of absorbing the sunlight and heat like a traditional roof, a cool roof reflects the light and heat away from your home, keeping your home cooler in the process. The other way that cool roofing helps to keep your home cooler is through thermal emittance. These roof coatings are now made with special materials that increase your roof’s thermal emittance level, or your roof’s ability to radiate absorbed heat back into the atmosphere instead of down into your home. It’s this potent combination of high solar reflectance and thermal emittance that make these roof coatings so effective at keeping your home cool and your energy costs and usage down. Reflective Roof Coating and Energy Savings What kind of energy costs and usage savings are we talking about here? Significant ones. Your local climate, and whether you use air conditioning or not. However, if you live in a hot climate that experiences warm temperatures and sunny days for a substantial portion of the year, you can expect energy savings of up to 70%. If not, your energy savings from applying a reflective roof coating could range anywhere from 20% to 70% when it?s all said and done. The most important decision you’re going to make when shopping for cool roof coatings is the color. Reflective coatings come in white, a variety of darker colors, and in high reflection coatings. What you decide on here can make a huge difference. Highly reflective coatings, which most often resemble a paintable aluminum coating, come in second with reflectance levels in the 60% to 70% range. And if you decide to choose looks over performance, colored coatings significantly reduce the reflectivity ratings to 15% to 35% (which is still better than no coating at all). When you make your decision, keep in mind also that if your new roof coating reflects enough light and heat (65% for flat roofs and 25% for sloped roofs), it will also qualify as an Energy Star rated roof and will earn you tax breaks on top of the high energy savings. Application and Other Improvements These coatings can be applied on your own, you can hire a professional to do the job for you, or you can look for roofing materials that have reflective coatings already baked onto the surface. Improving traditional insulation in your attic, installing reflective attic insulation, and improving attic ventilation are all smart steps to take, along with applying reflective coatings, in order to get maximum energy efficiency out of your home. KEY TAKEAWAY:
  • White coatings are by far the most effective, and reflect anywhere from 50% to 90% of the sunlight and heat that hit your roof.
  • If you’re serious about improving the energy efficiency of your home, talk to an energy auditor or general contractor about other modifications you can make to improve your efficiency ratings.
  • It’s important to realize that the amount of benefits you get from your reflective coating will vary depending on the shape of your home, the coating you choose, how energy efficient your home already is.
"Also known as cool roofing, these roof coatings are available in a number of colors, surfaces, and thicknesses and can make a huge difference when it comes to saving money on energy costs and usage." Original Source: http://www.homeadvisor.com/r/reflective-roof-coatings/#.WYzFZlGGPIU
Author Alloy Gutter Categories Gutters Posted on

What Causes Gutters To Sag

If your rain gutters are sagging, it might be time for a little gutter maintenance. Over time, sagging gutters can cause leaks, which lead to even bigger problems like a compromised foundation and/or roof, insect infestation, mold buildup, and much more. But what, exactly, causes gutters to sag in the first place? There are many possible causes. Here are the top 3: 1. Improper Gutter Sizing Gutters and downspouts come in many sizes. You might think this is purely for cosmetic reasons, but it’s also very practical. Many homes have 5 inch gutters, which is usually enough to properly whisk the rainwater away. However, there are a few factors that may influence the effectiveness of your gutters, which should be considered before choosing one size over another. The first factor is roof slope. If you have a steeply sloped roof, you’ll need bigger gutters to accommodate the rainwater that will rush down the roof. The other factor is the average amount of rainfall in your area. If your area frequently experiences heavy rainfall, a smaller sized gutter won’t be able to handle the accumulating rainwater. You’ll need a bigger sized gutter for this instead. Similarly, if your downspouts aren’t large enough to accommodate the amount of rainfall, you’re going to run into issues. 2. Inadequate Support Missing gutter hangers can cause gutters to sag. Gutter hangers are an essential part of your rain gutter system. They provide support and strength. If your gutters don’t have enough support, you’re going to experience sagging. You may not have enough support if your gutter hangers are spaced too far apart, or if the screws aren’t long enough to anchor into the fascia. 3. Clogged Gutters Debris buildup is extremely heavy, which puts strain on your gutter system. Debris isn’t always visible from the ground, but if you haven’t hired a rain gutter cleaning service in a while, it’s a good bet this is the source of your sagging problem. While a rain gutter cleaning service may help you temporarily fix your clogged gutter issues, they won’t be able to help you realign your gutters or prevent the problem from happening all over again the next time your gutters fill with debris. KEY TAKEAWAYS:
  • The main issue with improperly sized gutters is that the gutters will fill with water and put a strain on the whole system.
  • Clogged gutters are the number one culprit of gutter sagging.
  • A simple rain gutter cleaning service may not have the tools or know-how to properly support your gutters.
"Gutter sagging is a common problem homeowners face. Unfortunately, it can be a detriment to your curb appeal, and cause severe and costly damage in the long run." Original Source: https://www.leaffilter.ca/blog/what-causes-gutters-to-sag/
Author Alloy Gutter Categories Alloy Gutter Posted on

Rain Gutter Ice Dams

If you have rain gutters on your home and you live in a climate where the temperature drops below freezing, you can have a problem with ice dams. When the temperature freezes, the snow or ice in your gutters can freeze solid, blocking the path for runoff. When the weather warms up enough to melt the ice, the top layer will melt first and back up onto the roof. If there is a freeze again, the ice and water can go underneath the shingles or other roofing material you have on your roof. When this happens, the water can leak into the house, which will in turn cause water damage to your insulation, ceilings and walls. There are a few products on the market that can help prevent this problem and by preventing ice dams, you will save money by preventing costly water damage inside your home. nice prevention tool is the use of heat tapes. This is a set of tape or cables that include electric heating wires that go along the edge of your roof just above the gutters and in the gutter itself. The heat will keep the snow and ice freezing solid and building up, in and around the gutters. The heating wires also help keep the gutters working properly by eliminating water from backing up onto the roof. KEY TAKEAWAYS:
  • The first way to prevent this damage is to make sure you have proper insulation and ventilation in your attic.
  • Your roofing contractor can help you to assess the potential problems with ice dams.
  • Proper prevention of your investment will save you a lot of money and heartache from the elements.


    • "Having the right system in your attic will help eliminate hot spots on the roof that will allow the snow and ice up there to melt unevenly."

    Original Source: http://www.homeimprovementcorner.com/gutter_ice_dam.php

    Author Alloy Gutter Categories Gutters Posted on

    Gutter Parts and Terminology Explained

    Just like your windows, siding and doors, gutters have their own variety of connecting parts that make them function properly. It’s important to know all the gutter parts and terms so if anything goes wrong or you just need to do some simple maintenance, you know what’s happening and how you can fix it. The first thing you need to know about your gutters is the materials they come in. Depending on where you live, you may benefit from one gutter material more than another. The most widely used gutter material is aluminum. Aluminum gutters are very lightweight and can come in a variety of different colors. Although aluminum gutters are light, it’s best to have gutters professionally installed to make sure they’re safely and securely put into place. Copper gutters are known mainly for their aesthetic appeal and beauty. However, with great looks comes a great price. Steel gutters will need to be maintained more often because they can easily rust if left unattended. Vinyl gutters are good for DIYers because they’re a very lightweight option and inexpensive, however, of all the other gutter materials, vinyl gutters are most prone to cracking. Seamless gutters are a much more reliable option. They’re custom made to your home and have no sections. Each length of gutter is one solid piece, leaving no room for parts to fall off and cause leaks. Gutter sections are simply the gutters themselves. They’re the horizontal part that attaches to your home and collects the runoff from your roof. If you have seamless gutters, the gutter sections are the entire gutter on each side of your home. Downspouts are the vertical gutter parts that allow the runoff from the gutters to drain away from your home. Downspouts can come in round or rectangular shapes. Hangers and hidden hangers are the piece that connect the gutter section to your home. Hidden hangers are installed inside the gutter so that they’re not visible from below or front. A miter is the fastener that connects two gutter sections on a corner. KEY TAKEAWAYS:
  • Sectional gutters are good for DIYers and are available at any home improvement store.
  • Pipe cleats are the fasteners that connect the downspout to the side of your home.
  • The elbow on a gutter system is the piece that connects to the end of the downspout so water can efficiently drain away.


    • "End caps are the piece of a gutter section that helps keep excess debris or water from escaping the gutters. Its found at the end of a section and can also be screwed into the eaves." Original Source: http://www.4feldco.com/articles/gutter-parts-terminology/

    Author Alloy Gutter Categories Clogged Gutters, Uncategorized Posted on

    Dirty Gutters: Buyers Are Looking at Your Gutters

    We’d all rather other things than spend an hour or two up a ladder cleaning out our gutters. It can be a quick job if you do it regularly, however not many of us enjoy climbing a ladder with a bucket, a mini shovel and a brush, scooping rotting leaves into the bucket, then climbing back down, only to move to the ladder half a step and do it again. No wonder most of us ignore this job to watch TV, have a nap, walk the dog or do nothing at all. When leaves clog your gutters, it stops water being able to flow away. This build-up of water must go somewhere and will often seep into your home. Especially when it goes unnoticed, this water will build up and cause mold issues. Believe it or not, if you’re trying to sell your house, people will notice if your gutters are dirty. No, they probably won’t climb ladders to have a peek, but they will know. Bugs love gutter debris, especially when it’s moist. They’ll happily make their home in your gutters, taking every opportunity to sneak into your house. And no one likes to be constantly swatting bugs when walking through a home. Termites also love rotting branches that collect in gutters, so you run the risk of a termite infestation if you don’t clean your gutters KEY TAKEAWAYS:
  • The harsh truth is that if you ignore gutter cleaning, it will cost you dearly.
  • Cascading water from the gutter not only ruins garden beds but can also fall and sit along the foundations of your home.
  • If your house is surrounded by trees, you may need to do this job more often (every season is recommended). However, if you’re tree-free, twice a year will do.


    • "Overfilled gutters can create a waterfall effect onto your garden beds below. Although waterfalls are a beautiful sight in nature, they’re not so marvelous when they’re caused from a blocked gutter." ORIGINAL POST: http://blog.homesales.com.au/latest/dirty-gutters-putting-buyers-off/