Seamless Gutter Q&A with Tropical Gutter Pros
At Tropical Gutter Pros, we often get questions in regards to hangers, sealant and downspouts. Here are some typical questions and answers about seamless gutters to help you make an educated decision in your seamless gutter selection.
Q: How many downspouts should I have and where will they be place?
A: For downspout placement the industry standard is one every 50 feet and or every 3 corners. Based on that we make some decisions on how the gutters are pitched for the best flow of your system and getting the water to the sides of the home so that it goes into the swales that the builder puts in between the homes to get the water to flow away from the home.
Q: Where are deflectors added?
A: Deflectors are placed on inside corners and then on the front where the gutters over the door are higher than the sides.
Q: What size gutters do I need?
A: 6″ seamless gutters is the standard in northeast Florida for residential homes. 6″ gutters hold 40 percent more water than a 5″ inch gutter. If you have a metal or tile roof, then a 7″ gutter may be recommended. Commerical applications usually need 7″ gutters.
Q: Will the downspouts be extended to the outer edge of the mulched beds to keep the water away as far as possible from house?
A: – Yes, we can put the extenders on the bottom to go past the mulch bed. They are basically the cut offs of the downspouts. We put them in, but coming back to make an adjustment if you decide you want them longer or shorter is not a warranty or call back item. You can also purchase plastic ones at Home Depot or Lowes for less than $10, which many of our customers prefer. We also sell them, but it is one product that my supply house is more expensive than the box store.
Q: Also, do you use galvanized 3 inch screws in hidden bracket hangers? sealing of all corners, end caps with professional grade adhesive caulk?
A: Galvenized steal hidden hangers with the 3″ inch screw is local industry standard, so yes, that is what we use.
Q: What is the gutter made of?
A: Gutters come in a coil that runs through a machine to shape it. The coil is painted in the factory and is a .027 guage aluminum for 6″ gutters and 0.32 guage aluminum for 7″ gutters. They do use thicker guages in the north, but these are the standards in Florida. The thicker guage is not needed for 6″ gutters because there isn’t the weight of snow or ice accumulating.
Q: How do you seal your corners (miters) and end caps?
A: All corners and end caps are sealed with Geocel or a comparable industry standard sealant.
Q: Is leaf guards needed with 6 inch k style gutters? If so, what is your recommendation for my property and how much more would that add to the total cost?
A: Gutter guard is only needed if there are trees around the property. Based on the location of the trees we will determine if we feel that you would need any. If unsure, we recommend you go through a season and if you find for some reason the gutters do get a bunch of debris in them, it is always something easy to add at a later time. This is always a seperate line item on the quote based on the footage of the area needing leaf protection.
Q: What makes Tropical Gutter Pros different than other gutter companies?
A: There are numerous gutter companies in our area and we all buy our products from the same supply houses. What makes us different is we don’t do a hard sell. We offer fair, honest, up front pricing. We communicate before, during and after the installation. We strive for 100% customer service, have been in business for 5 years and intend to be here for the long haul. We offer a warranty that is in writing on our website and stand behind it, the warranty and plan on being here for years to come if the need arises. Our owner is involved in the business and we are very active in giving back to our community, supporting many animal rescues and Veteran Organizations. We are corporate sponsors of The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, Boots on the Ground, and The Kingfish Tournament.
Tropical Gutter Pros would love to earn your business. Please give us a call today at 904-370-3782 to help with any of your seamless gutter needs.