3 Factors to Consider When Evaluating a Company for Commercial Gutters
Maintaining the proper water flow of your gutters is an issue facing many homeowners, many of whom didn’t consider the ramifications of leaky, clogged, or improperly protected gutters until it was too late. Yet, maintenance is an issue that is just as important, if not more so, when evaluating a company for its commercial gutters. Companies have not only themselves but their workers to consider, as well as the possible damage to equipment and infrastructure that can result from gutters with a faulty or inefficient drainage system.
Industrial facilities need to be protected from rain and mold damage, as well as remain safe for the employees on the ground. Often, maintaining gutters by hand is even less of an option for a company property than for a private one. Evaluating a company’s needs and installing proper gutter protection can prove to be a key time and money saver down the road. Here are 3 factors to consider when evaluating a company for commercial gutters.
Style Requirements
Though an open gutter with a covering accessory may be adequate for a home drainage system, a company may require more extensive protection. Company property owners often opt for box gutters, which is a style of gutter designed to join parallel roofs common in commercial installations. A good gutter company can manufacture them to many custom specifications suitable for any infrastructure, keeping in mind that the style of commercial gutters can greatly change their utility. Being wide on the top, for example, allows box gutters to process even more rainwater than the average system.
Different metals should also be evaluated. Aluminum gutters and copper gutters have different uses for different commercial installations. Copper gutters are more decorative and durable, but a seamless aluminum gutter may have more utility, coming in many more styles (such as k-style) common in company facilities. Knowing whether the building will be seen by the public or simply used in production can change the aesthetic requirements and decide whether the gutters should be visible from the outside at all.
If none of the common options for the style or metal construction of the gutters fit a company’s needs, a custom installation by a trusted gutter company could be the answer. A trusted installer can expect the property and design the drainage system that best fits its needs.
Type of Roof
The structure and shape of the roof can greatly influence what kind of gutter installation a commercial property requires. Facilities with sloped roofs may benefit from a gutter guard like the ShurFlo, which extends the slope of the roof over the gutter to promote drainage. Depending on the height and shape of the roof, a seamless gutter may be more beneficial than a more complicated model. Since commercial gutters must process more water for more buildings than the average homeowner’s, all of the drainage and leaking problems associated with protecting the roof of the building have to be considered even more carefully.
The company’s aesthetic is another thing to consider. How the roofs are designed and how the look of the gutters affects the buildings’ appearance could greatly influence the options they have on commercial gutter installations, as some are more or less decorative or able to hide under the roof altogether. Making sure the gutters fit under the roof and don’t interfere with the shingling can also affect which style works best for which roof to make installation and maintenance as easy as possible.
Location
The area in which the company requesting commercial gutters is located can have a huge impact on what its drainage system needs. If the company is located in a forested area or has a frequent animal problem, nests or insect pests could be a predictable issue with the gutter installation, and one that needs to be addressed when evaluating the company’s needs. Since squirrels and birds can create waste and debris that clogs the gutters, a gutter guard accessory may be a necessary addition to a custom gutter shape that dissuades animals from nesting there.
Some regions experience drastically more rainfall than others, which is another significant factor when taking location into account when evaluating a commercial property. If the slope or shape of the gutter doesn’t allow for that high volume of water, the gutter can become leaky or warped, further complicating the drainage problem and promoting rot and mold on the entire installation. Getting workers and equipment wet from overflowing gutters could also become a concern in areas with high rainfall, for which a more intense drainage system may be necessary.
Companies located in cold areas may also need reinforcers installed on their commercial gutters to maintain their strength and shape against the warping effects of the cold and the heavy load of sleet and snowfall. Metals less likely to warp in the cold are a necessary option for gutter contractors to give companies that could experience freezing water, to prevent it from damming the gutter and requiring additional maintenance.
Conclusion
Hiring an experienced gutter contractor may be a necessity if you anticipate the gutter installations on your commercial property becoming a problem. As with homeowning, owning a company requires you to foresee the kind of damage that faulty or unsuitable gutters can do to your property and do everything you can to prevent it before it costs you thousands of dollars in repairs and maintenance.
The style of the gutter needs to be considered to fit not only the company’s practical needs but their aesthetic needs as well. The shape of the roof can also affect what type of gutter best suits the company’s infrastructure and what accessories they may need to best reinforce the gutters and protect the roof from damage. The location of the company itself is also a paramount consideration when evaluating a company for commercial gutters. Depending on the temperature, the amount of rainfall, and the prevalence of animal pests, gutters may need to be reinforced, protected, or custom built by a gutter company to fit that property’s needs.
Running a company requires a lot of different elements working together in tandem. The gutter system is often an aspect of commercial property that goes unmaintained and unnoticed until it’s too late. The results could be thousands of dollars in damage to company infrastructure, time wasted getting estimates on maintenance, and even hurt employees. Hire an experienced gutter contractor to evaluate your property for the factors that determine how to keep the costs related to gutter maintenance down, so you don’t have to think about it ever again.
