Aluminum -V- Steel Gutters:
Most of our gutter jobs are made with aluminum sheet
metal and installed with stainless steel screws (no nails).
Considering the high price of copper, which cost us a good 6 times
the cost of aluminum gutter parts. But for
comparison, our copper gutter bids have been only around twice the
cost of aluminum gutters, so copper is actually the better value.
Warning!
Be very aware of rip-off
gutter contractors who want to sell you on steel gutters, charming as
they may be. They will claim steel gutters
are stronger.
Besides the fact that they
are required to use a high grade of aluminum alloy for gutters, and
aluminum gutters are much thicker to compensate for this strength
issue, damaged
gutters accounts for less than 10% of the replacements we have seen
over the last decade +.
At least 80% is due to rusted steel failure.
As seen with the Acura NSX sports car (shown right) they can
engineer aluminum alloys to be just as strong as steel, yet still
lighter for fuel efficiency. Can you see the real
difference now? Do
not be taken in for those lies. Steel is just a lot cheaper
for them to
buy and assures them of repeat business.
Cost Example:
The recycle value of steel is about $0.05 cents per pound =
$200 per ton, depending on the current market prices.
Where scrap aluminum is worth around $0.65 per pound = $1,300 per ton.
Copper scrap metal is worth around $2.40 per pound = $4,800 per ton.
That is why most cars today are
still made with steel frames and body parts.
(if you are looking for copper
gutters, see below)
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