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5% OFF Your 1st 3 Jobs!  (new customers only - 300ft/job maximum. Expires 6.1.11.) Call Us Today! - Contractors Only Alloy Gutter Company Inc. Offices in Metro Detroit and West Michigan Metro (734) 374-2100  .  West MI (616) 554-1575  .  Fax (734) 374-2218 Email: alloygutterco@aol.com .  Website: www.alloygutter.com

Nobody’s Perfect

Once upon a time there was a customer; we’ll call her Mrs. Smith. She hired a contractor to install seamless gutters and downspouts on her house. Mrs. Smith was very particular about everything. She carefully picked her colors, discussed every last detail with the crew, and sat in her lawn chair with her precious little toy poodle Taffy to oversee their workmanship. 9054982 The job progressed smoothly while Mrs. Smith and Taffy barked out requests and orders as they saw necessary. As the men were finishing, Mrs. Smith had to go inside to take a phone call, leaving Taffy to supervise. The crew members went around the back of the house to start the clean-up process, making sure to leave the job site spotless. Taffy remained in the front of the house curiously poking around the men’s tool belts. She found a tube of gutter sealant, pulled it out of the tool pouch, and proceeded to roll around in fresh caulk. 282210 Mrs. Smith exited the house at the exact same time that the workers came around to see the site. To the shock and horror of everyone involved, Taffy was covered in the very difficult to remove sealant. Mrs. Smith went CRAZY!!! She was absolutely furious, crying that her poor baby would never be the same. 7889987 Long story short, we here at Alloy Gutter paid for the puppy spa so that Taffy could get a proper clean-up and haircut. Mrs. Smith was satisfied with our willingness to do so, and in the end was quite pleased with our work to boot. 5036029 The point is, we all make mistakes. The important thing is that we take responsibility for our mistakes and satisfy our customers to the very best of our ability. We’ve been striving to do what’s right for 35 years now. Play your cards right and give us a shot; you might get a free cat pedicure out of the deal.

“My Old Gutters Never Filled With Ice”

We field calls like this on a regular basis during the winter months.  Ice dams are one of those “inconvenient truths” that we as Michiganders have to deal with each winter. Ice dams are created when ice and snow begin to melt off of the roof due to the home losing heat through the attic and through the shingles.  As the water then flows down the roof, it reaches the gutters which are much colder than the shingles, and re-freezes. When water re-freezes, it can do a number of things: 1.   It can pour over the front of the gutter, creating large and sometimes dangerous icicles. 2.   It can work its way between the gutters and fascia, giving the appearance of a leak. 3.   It can travel up the roof line and, unfortunately, even underneath the shingles. All of these problems, albeit frustrating, are normal.  Ice dams occur on homes regardless of the pitch, condition, or workmanship of gutters. A couple of possible solutions to this problem are: 1.   Additional insulation to slow the heat loss through the roof.  This will save you money on your heating costs and could potentially improve your ice dam situation. 2.   Another solution is hiring someone to remove the ice and snow from your roof and apply CaCl to the gutters and roof edges. The folks who call stating, “My old gutters never filled with ice” are mistaken.  Either they never paid attention to the condition of their old gutters, or the old ones were magical. This would be like buying a new car, and after the first snow you call Ford Motor Company and tell them that you’re tired of using your snow scraper and you want them to do something about it, because your old car never got covered with ice and snow. (Maybe they actually field calls like this!) Of course I’m being facetious but ice dams are difficult to impossible to avoid in Michigan winters.  Be patient, wait for a thaw, and your ice problem will go away.  I know, these Michigan winters sure feel long, but they always end.