Gutter FAQ's

Why do I need gutters on my home or building?

Gutter helps protect your home from water damage. Without a gutter system, water will start to ruin the forms of a building, causing rot, water damage on sidings, windows, soffit’s, fascia boards, insulation drywall, and even interior walls and floors.. etc. Water will run until it finds dry. Believe it or not water will run uphill in some cases to find its dry place. Once a building starts to get wet, it will either start rotting or dry rot… then comes in carpenter ants and other insects. Before you know it your building is not only washing away, rotting away, but it will also be eaten away by pests.

How do I know if I need new gutters?

If your gutters are over 15 years old, they will most likely need replacing if they are not working properly.
If your gutters are not flowing the water out the right way, and are nailed into your fascia board, they need to be replaced.
If you live right by the oceanside and your gutters are over 10 years old, they are most likely starting to get holes in the bottom. As well as your outlets to the down pipe are most likely corroded by the salt and sun.
If your cedar shake roof has been chemically washed and sprayed. Something in those chemicals eats the gutter.
If the gutter is pieced together and leaking. If you have fixed one or more corners, more than 3 times…its time for some new ones.
If your gutter is not long enough or was installed too low on the fascia board.
If your gutters have not been maintained well through out the years.

What is the warranty on my new gutter system?

We offer a 2 year labor warranty on the gutter system and install itself. Our material suppliers offer a life-time pro-rated warranty on the materials used in your new system.

*Please note we do not warranty mother nature*

Damage resulting from the acceleration of snow or ice due to acute pitched roofs or the roof materials (Metal sheet)
Damage resulting from the excessive accumulation of snow or ice.
Falling branches in wind storms
Fire

However if you have an acute pitched roof, or metal sheet roofing, we recommend a gutter hanger type gutter guard system. Please see our gutter maintenance products and read about Gutter Sentry and Alu-rex. These two systems act as a continuous gutter hanger resulting in strength for the entire lengths of your new gutter system.

What colours can I choose from?

There is a wide variety of colors you can choose from to best suit your home. Depending on what material and profile you choose to work with the colors vary. Please contact us and let us know what you are thinking about. If the color is not available from our regular suppliers, we can usually source the material you are looking for.

Why do gutters leak?

Due to the expansion and contraction of the metal, the caulking seals will crack or break due to the metal moving due to temperature changes of the metal. This can happen from freezing, or on hot summer days. Unfortunately you will not know they are leaking until it rains.

Why does my gutter drip, or have marks on the outside?

When you see your gutter dripping a little bit here and there and all along the gutter, this is because metals sweat, this is condensation. Just like a glass of water sweats even if you didn’t soak the outside of the glass it will still get wet sometimes.

The dark lines on the outside of the gutter are also from condensation. This is called “tiger striping”. There are products on the market to help prevent this from happening. Although if you are really worried about it, our biggest recommendation would be to simply not get the color white. Most other colors hide the tiger stripes fairly well. Condensation is usually only a small amount and will happen with all gutter, and all gutter companies.

What options can I choose to improve the functionality and longevity of my new gutter system?

First you need to consider where you live, what are your surroundings like and what type of environment the gutter is in.

I would go with a thicker material. Most gutter companies here on the west coast of Canada offer aluminum. We offer aluminum as well as many other materials. If aluminum is the most cost effective material for you, then consider doing an upgrade in thickness. Most companies offer a .023 thickness. We offer the .023 to our customers and the ability to upgrade to a .027 thickness. This makes your gutter a little bit stronger.
Next I recommend extra hangers. Rule of thumb in the gutter industry is hangers go every 16-24″. We automatically put in hangers every 16-18″, although you can have us put the hangers at whatever distance you choose.
Thirdly, instead of getting the plastic outlets that eventually fall apart due to the suns rays. Consider having metal outlet’s installed. The benefits to metal outlet’s is durability, less likely to clog right at the down pipe opening, and easier to work with, if you choose to take your down pipe off to paint your building. Also make sure the screws (not nails) are acceptable for your area. Considering if you are on the ocean.

These three options are fairly small and inexpensive ways to make your gutter stretch the extra life time.

*Please call for a free estimate to find out more ways we can get your gutter to last longer and flowing better than your original system!

How is gutter measured?

Gutter is measured across the top of the gutter.For example if the gutter is a 5″, it’s then measured 5 inches across the top from the back of the gutter to the front of the lip. Total width.

For questions on how to measure your building or for installation, please Contact us.

Half-Round Gutter FAQ's

What are the benefits of half-round gutter over conventional gutter?

Half-round gutter is round on the bottom, therefore copying nature more then the conventional square bottom. The water runs out of the half-round gutter with much more ease than it does in a square bottom. With square bottom gutter the water tends to sit in the bottom.

Is half-round gutter stronger or weaker than conventional gutter?

Because it’s a half circle, half-round gutter is actually stronger than conventional gutter. It does not fold over or bend as easily in snow and ice situations. In expansion and contraction half-round gutter does not buckle, unless the material is super thin, or the piece is too long.

Gutter Machine FAQ's

What is the warranty on my new gutter machine?

JB Gutterman Inc. Offers the most comprehensive gutter machine warranty in the industry: 3 years parts and labor on the complete gutter machine and all of its components. Our IronMan Next Generation Machine has 5-year warranty on electrical components. All parts of the machine are under warranty, not just parts manufactured by KWM. It is simple—if it breaks, it’s covered.

Can I purchase an extended warranty?

Yes! Please contact us so we can talk about the pricing and packages available.

Where will my machine be manufactured & assembled?

KWM gutter machines are manufactured and assembled in Rockdale, IL, USA.

Where will I be able to get service for my gutter machine if needed?

For KWM machine owners, Ed Huisman will either personally come to your town or job-site to fix your machine if its needed, talk it through with the machine owner, or the machine can be shipped to our shop to be repaired. Over the past 16 years, we have found there is next to no problems with the KWM machines. Most people that own KWM machines don’t need repairs to the machines. Most of our service calls are maintenance precautions.

Is my new gutter machine designed to last?

KWM gutter machines are designed and manufactured for the long haul. All critical forming rollers are hard-chromed for durability and wear resistance.

Is this the best machine for the money?

There is a reason JB Gutterman Inc. only sells KWM gutter machines. KWM builds the highest quality gutter machines on the market today, and our service is second to none. KWM sells more machines then any other manufacturer in the world.

Does my manufacturer offer special profile and custom machines?

KWM has more than 30 custom profiles you can use to set your company apart from your competition.

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Please contact us directly with your questions. We will respond back to you within 48 hours!