While that might not sound like much it is enough to cause some serious problems.
How much does gutter expand and contract.
50ft x 12 inches 600 inches x 0000131 x 51 degrees 401.
How much do gutters cost.
For cast iron gutters the cost increases to approximately 57 per metre.
When rain gutter expands the hangers try to keep it in place.
A 50 foot aluminum rain gutter subjected to a 50 f change in temperature can expand or contract almost 0 5 inches.
A board cut across the grain or perpendicular to the growth rings may expand as much as 1 4 inch for every 12 inches of width while a quarter sawn board may expand 1 8 inch.
Most evidence suggests a 50 foot piece of gutter that is installed at 30 degrees f will expand virtually 75 on an inch in a year s time.
This means there may be a problem with buckling as temperatures climb into the higher 90s in summer.
The cost of replacing guttering depends on the material you choose the condition of the fascias how accessible is the roofline and the type of property you live in.
In fact aluminum can expand or contract 13 1 micro inches per linear foot for each 1 degree change in temperature 1.
The average cost to install new aluminum gutters is around 4 to 8 per linear foot on the cheaper end you could go with vinyl gutters at an average cost of 3 to 6 per linear foot for a typical home with 150 to 200 feet of gutters you can expect to pay around 600 to 1 600 for installation.
A seamless gutter also will move with the change in temperature but it has no seams so no problem.
Gutters like most building products will expand and contract with the change in the temperature when this happens the seams in the sectional gutters will start to leak.
To put this in perspective a 50 ft run of aluminum gutter subject to a 51 degree change in temperature could expand or contract 401 inches just over 3 8.
The conflicting forces distort the gutter causing it to crack and buckle fig 1.
When temperatures drop below 30 degrees most gutter materials are fully contracted.