# Vinyl vs. metal gutters.



## WynCntry

Hello. I'm building a new house and am thinking about getting my gutters from Lowes. They have both vinyl and metal. Although the vinyl is slightly cheaper I would not be opposed to going with metal.
Although (in my opinion) the vinyl is prettier than metal, my main concern is with performance. Can someone let me know the pros and cons of going with vinyl over metal, or vice versa.
Thanks.


----------



## MBatson

Do you have snow and ice in the winter? If you do I would suggest going with the metal gutters. If you do not want seams and potential leaks, I would suggest looking for a professional to install seamless gutters on your new house.


----------



## concretemasonry

I have had both plastic and aluminum gutters. Metal is far superior.

Seamless is obviously the way to do since it is continuous since a good installation with not have the seams and installation is usually more professional.

Depending on the number of downspouts and run lengths, an oversize downspout (if you can use one) can really be an asset.

Dick


----------



## Tom Struble

depends where you live,pvc rain handling system are very popular in European countries where i think they have more or less perfected the system

over here metal is king


----------



## handy man88

Depending on where you live, plastic gutters can crack due to the cold weather, and could have a shorter lifespan due to exposure to UV light.


----------



## WynCntry

Thanks for the replies. I live in central coastal California. So no ice and no snow. Gets around freezing in the middle of the night in winter otherwise just normal rain around Jan-Feb.


----------



## Roofmaster417

Everyone has very valid points.,seamless is the way to go for several reasons ,the aluminum has a better variety in colors. The performance of an aluminum seamless gutter system requires less maintenance other than maybe a power wash here or there and cleaning from debris.,the vinyl is a magnet for dirt and not to mention its not a seamless system.The vinyl sections at lowes are either 8' or 10' maybe 12' honestly I have never used them, my gutter installer has always used seamless.Anyway the sections have to be connected properly and if not the straps come apart and they would seem difficult to connect 4 or 5 of them and keep them connected while maintaining a negative degree for water flow. I have contracted numerous roofs with vinyl and they never hold together very well.,now if your house is really small then they might work well for you, meaning the less sections to connect the less likely of sagging and losing your negative flow for drainage.


----------



## jmiller

our local roofing supply will drive a gutter truck to your site and run them off for you to hang. 

If I lived in CA I'd use half rounds with chains as downspouts:


----------



## handy man88

jmiller said:


> our local roofing supply will drive a gutter truck to your site and run them off for you to hang.
> 
> If I lived in CA I'd use half rounds with chains as downspouts:


I wonder if people in CA will upgrade to 6" gutters after all that rain they had a few weeks ago.

I often visit CA and I see many homes in the southern CA where homeowners don't worry about drainage or having huge hills in their backyard with minimal vegetation.


----------



## Daniel Holzman

You may want to consider building your house with no gutters. We used to have gutters on our house, and removed them because they clogged with leaves, and seemed to increase the chance of ice dams. This was about 8 years ago, and there have been no problems since.

As long as the overhang of the house is adequate, and there is positive pitch of the soil away from the house, there seems to be little reason to have gutters, unless you are installing a water collection system (as they do in Bermuda). I would at least consider the option of designing with no gutters, and use a diverter above the entrances if you do not have a covered entryway.


----------



## Roofmaster417

I would not recommend for anyone to remove they're gutters.Guttering assists in the redirection of water coming off the roof.,without them you further the possibility of erosion, and not to mention flooding your basement and causing severe foundation problems.,Maintain your gutters keep them clean and your downspouts unclogged and have a functionable process of redirection out of your downspouts.,and those copper gutters are super nice.I live in Springfield and have familly in San diego and Ramona and I don't think 8" gutters would have helped.


----------



## Tom Struble

Dan wasn't speaking of removing your gutters:no:

he was speaking of designing and building and grading so they are not needed which is really the best way


----------



## Roofmaster417

Daniel Holzman said:


> You may want to consider building your house with no gutters. We used to have gutters on our house, and removed them because they clogged with leaves, and seemed to increase the chance of ice dams. This was about 8 years ago, and there have been no problems since.


I made the comment in the event of someone reading the post/replies decided to remove his guttering because he or she read it on this site. The intention was not to try and correct him but to give on lookers the result of removing your gutters without the proper requirements to achieve a non-gutter structure.I am sure that you understand sometimes people see something and just do it because he or she said it was true.Gutters are a fairly expensive roof accessory and if someone removes them its difficult to reinstall gutters that have been removed.


----------



## WynCntry

Thank you all for your valuable responses. After reading all the posts in this thread I have decided to go with the seamless metal gutters. I certainly do not want joint issues, nor cracking or sagging problems.
I can't go with the zero-gutter solution because the roof sheds a lot of water and has slowly been wearing a furrow at the back of the house as the water drains slightly downhill. Also sections of the plot are bowl shaped, so I have to divert all the water I can. Thanks again.


----------



## handy man88

Roofmaster417 said:


> I would not recommend for anyone to remove they're gutters.Guttering assists in the redirection of water coming off the roof.,without them you further the possibility of erosion, and not to mention flooding your basement and causing severe foundation problems.,Maintain your gutters keep them clean and your downspouts unclogged and have a functionable process of redirection out of your downspouts.,and those copper gutters are super nice.I live in Springfield and have familly in San diego and Ramona and I don't think 8" gutters would have helped.


I agree. Removing gutters can cause wash outs/severe erosion directly below the eaves even if you have positive pitch.

Another reason why vinyl gutters are not a good idea is when accessing the roof to clean them, most people lean the ladder right on the gutter, and I doubt if vinyl gutters can handle the weight pushing against them as they age.


----------



## Roofmaster417

Another downfall of those vinyl gutters here in S.W Missouri is we have ice and if someone neglects cleaning them then that ice works that debris,(branches,twigs,tennis and golf balls) and will bust or contort them.


----------



## Michael Thomas

In my experience, some types of plastic gutters are more likely to experience sagging and disconnected sections than their metal counterparts:


----------



## DangerMouse

Hey guys! Please use the red ! to report spammers. Do not quote them please.
When you 'quote' them it doubles their spam AND our work because then we have to remove YOUR post too, ok? 
Thanks! Keep up the good work!

DM


----------



## Robert F

Seamless is the only way to go,most vinyl gutters are small and cheaply made.


----------

