A Gutter Run

An inch of rain is not much but it if falls in half an hour it could flood a gutter.

A gutter run.

If gutters slope too severely they don t hold water and water could splash over the sides in heavy rain. The above recommendations assume that you have properly sized downspouts every 40 feet. If gutters don t slope water gathers in them. If the run is more than 35 feet long some specialists recommend installing the high point of the system in the middle and sloping the gutter downward in both directions to downspouts on both ends.

The downspout is the piece that is attached to the side of the home and channels runoff to the ground away from your home. Gather some basic weather information to calculate the proper size for gutters and downspouts for a house. The standard is about inch per 10 feet. As with gutters a downspout s capacity must match or exceed the expected runoff.

The above recommendations assume that you have properly sized downspouts every 40 feet. Gutter connectors join gutter sections together like gutter to corner with options that fit traditional and contemporary style gutters. You may have to temporarily remove your hangers as you go or you can notch out the apron around them. Use a measuring tape to determine the length of the gutter.

The gutter slope also called the pitch is the amount the gutter tilts down to let rainwater flow out of it. A gutter apron is a bent piece of flashing that tucks up under the shingles and over the gutter. As with gutters a downspout s capacity must match or exceed the expected runoff. Increasing the pitch increases a gutter s handling capacity but the gutter may look askew over a long run.

If the gutter run measures longer than 40 feet 12 2 m it should be positioned to pitch down from the middle aimed toward a downspout at each end. Home centers sell a gutter apron in 10 ft. Rain gutters should be attached to the fascia and run the entire length of the roof ending with a downspout. The amount of collected water increases until it spills over the sides of the gutter.

Watch and learn how and stop. The total rainfall and how rapidly it falls will affect the runoff from the roof. Increasing the pitch increases a gutter s handling capacity but the gutter may look askew over a long run. Total roof area also affects runoff.