Aluminum vs Vinyl Gutters
Gutters are the unsung hero of your roofing system. They divert water away from your roof and home, keeping both your roof and your foundation safe. Without gutters, you may find yourself with a leaky roof or water in your basement. Unless they’re clogged, however, you might not give them a second thought.
Installed along the roof's edge, gutters catch the water and guide it through downspouts, preventing it from saturating the soil around your home. This effective drainage system plays a vital role in safeguarding your roof, walls, and foundation from potential issues like leaks and erosion.
Gutters have a lifespan of around 10-20 years, meaning that you usually replace your gutters when you replace your roof. When you’re ready to replace your gutters, you may discover that you have a choice of a few different gutter materials. The most popular two are vinyl and aluminum gutters.
Choosing between Aluminum and Vinyl Gutters
While both vinyl and aluminum gutters provide the same functionality and are both lightweight materials suitable for gutter use, we recommend aluminum gutters as the better gutter for most of your gutter needs. Aluminum gutters are the superior material, easier to install, and generally last longer than vinyl gutters.
The Reason to Install Aluminum Gutters
Vinyl gutters may be less expensive, but they come with several flaws that make them problematic compared to aluminum gutters. Vinyl is sensitive to heat and cold and is vulnerable to cracking and splitting. This also decreases the gutter’s lifespan to 10-15 years, vs 20 years for aluminum gutters.
Vinyl is assembled in sections that need to be caulked or sealed together, or they leak. Aluminum gutters are also easier to install, can be seamless, and are more durable than their vinyl counterparts.
Vinyl gutters are lightweight, which might be helpful for installation, but they also can’t hold weight, which is problematic in heavy snow or significant rainfall, both of which can affect the southeastern Pennsylvania area.
Aluminum Gutter Installation
In all, if choosing between aluminum and vinyl gutters, you should strongly consider seamless aluminum gutters. They’re durable, long-lasting, and can handle the weather elements. The installation process is slightly more complex than vinyl gutters. It’s recommended that you let an experienced installer handle your aluminum gutter installation.
Volpe Enterprises, Inc. installs high-quality aluminum gutters because they’re a significant improvement over vinyl gutters. Interested in having gutters installed? Contact us today.