What Size of Gutters are Right For Your Home?

Did you know that gutters have different sizes? To make sure that you choose the right sized gutter for your home, you need to look at your roof, your location and more. Here are the basics about gutter sizing:

Gutter sizes

The two most popular gutter styles are K-style and half-rounds. Both of these are available in five-inch and six-inch sizes. Both the five and six-inch gutter options are enough to deal with rain showers across most of the country, but that extra inch can make a big difference, accounting for nearly an entire extra gallon of water per foot of gutter.

There are larger gutters than five and six-inch versions: However, these seven and eight-inch gutter sizes are reserved for very particular circumstances and areas that get particularly heavy rainfall.

Drainage area

One of the most important factors when sizing gutters is the drainage area – essentially, how many square feet of roof you have. Your entire roof surface will be collecting water that will eventually drain down to the gutters. This surface must be calculated for in determining the appropriate size of gutters needed. If you already know how many square feet your roof is, you are well ahead on this point, but if not then you may need to conduct some measurements, or call in a professional who can quickly make the measurements for you. Remember that all surfaces must be calculated, including the inward-facing panels of intersecting roof areas.

Pitch

Pitch is another very important factor when picking the right gutter size. While drainage area affects how much rain falls on the roof, pitch controls how fast that water spills into the gutter sections. If the water moves more slowly on a low-pitched roof, then smaller gutter may be able to easily channel it without overflowing. But if the roof has a high pitch, that water may spill down too quickly for the gutters, in which case a larger gutter will be needed.

Location

A roofing professional will also note where you live before recommending a rain gutter. The rainfall in your location is also important – however, the most important factor here is not average rainfall, but rather the median rainfall intensity in the area. Smaller gutters can easily deal with a large amount of rain if it is spread over a long period of time. However, if rainfall in your area is focused in intense bursts, larger gutters may be needed.

This factor is measured in inches per hour, as well as how often high-intensity rainfall occurs. In Atlanta, for example, the greatest intensity rainfall is likely to reach in any given decade is 7.3 inches per hour. Gutter technicians will examine the records for your specific area as a general way to help recommend the best gutters.

For help with the process of choosing just the right gutter size for your home, contact us today!

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