Gutters 101 - Let's Talk Rain Gutters!
Lets Talk Gutters!
Gutters are designed to protect your home from water damage. When gutters are installed correctly, rainwater should flow down your roof and into the pitched gutter and then flow down the downspout and out away from your homes foundation and walls.
Seamless Gutters vs. Sectional Gutters
Seamless Gutters have no seams on them except on the ends and corners. The gutter machine is brought on-site and gutters are run off to the exact measurements needed. For example: You could run out a 90 foot piece of gutter in one shot. Seamless gutters dramatically decrease the odds of your gutters leaking and needing repair later down the road.
Sectional Gutters are usually done by do-it-yourself types. These gutters come in sections and must be sealed through out the gutter. This person will buy gutters in pieces to make them easier to haul from the gutter supplier to the home. For example: You need a 45 foot run of gutter but since you couldn't haul it. You instead buy three individual 16 foot sections (accounting for overlap) and put them together and caulk each seam.
5" Standard vs. 6" Oversize Gutter
Most standard size homes have the standard 5 inch gutter and 2x3 downspouts installed. Most of the time this is an efficient size to handle the standard size roof and any potential rain. 6 inch gutter and 3x4 downspouts are more commonly used in commercial settings but over the years has seen an ongoing increase with residential customers.
Tips for 5 Inch Gutter
1. Anything over 40 ft should get 2 downspouts.
2. Try to avoid having the main roof downspout fall onto a lower roof.
3. To increase water flow add a bigger 3x4 downspout.
4. Spread out hidden hangers (gutter fastener) every 2 ft or less.
5. Always check fascia wood to ensure gutters will fasten securely.
When You Might Consider Using 6 Inch Gutter
1. Any small sections of a home that gets a massive amount of water
2. If you have a lot of trees surrounding your home, bigger gutters and downspouts could help eliminate some clogging. (Important note: They do not prevent all clogging but they could help with smaller debris.)
3.When you need long seamless pieces of gutters and only want a few downspouts (For example: 90 ft gutter and only 2 downspouts
K-Style vs Half-Round Gutter
K-Style Gutters are the most popular type of gutters (Pictured below). They come in various sizes including: 5", 6", and even 7".
Half-Round Gutters are great as well but often chosen more for aesthetic appeal. (Picture Below: One of our gutter technicians installing copper half-round gutters)
Types of Gutter Material
When installing gutters on your home, you have quite a few options when choosing your gutter material. Such as: aluminum, galvanize, plastic, copper, and more.
Aluminum being the most common gutter material used these days because they have a strong life cycle and can last up to 30 years with the correct maintenance. (Such as: keeping your gutters clean of leaves or debris and fixing any repairs needed)
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