Thinking about gutters for your home? You’re not alone – K Style is the most commonplace gutter system in North America. But when you look closer, there’s an expansive selection of styles and sizes to pick from, including galvanized, commercial, half-round and more! Of these options available for installation on homes today, 5-inch or 6-inch are by far the most popular; however that extra inch really does matter – find out why below!
As the photograph illustrates, that single extra inch makes a substantial difference. 6-inch gutters can store 50% more water than 5-inch ones! When selecting the size for your gutter, there are several variables to consider:
- Size of Your Home / Roof Planes
- Roof’s Pitch
- Style
Size of Your Home/Roof Planes
When determining the ideal size gutter for your home, you must consider how much water it needs to manage. Generally, gutters with a larger square footage are suitable for roofs of 600-800 sq ft. For instance, if your roof plane is within this range you can expect satisfactory results from 5-inch gutters.
The planes refer to one total area that comprises four edges – usually one side of a hip or gable roof! If you have a roof of 1,400+ square feet, 6-inch gutters are the best option as they can collect double the amount of water. Furthermore, if your shingles extend more than an inch and a half past the edge of your roof during heavy rainstorms, it is better to install larger size gutters in order to prevent any water from overshooting them and potentially causing damage.
Roof’s Pitch
Another point to contemplate when selecting the correct gutter size is your roof’s pitch – because as the angle of your roof increases, water is more efficiently channeled into your gutters.
To ensure that water flows quickly away from your home, the pitch of gutters should be high. As such and depending on the roof plane size (600-800 square feet) it may be beneficial to opt for 6 inch gutters even with a steeply pitched roof. By selecting an appropriate gutter system you can also effectively manage any accumulation of water as well as its delivery downspouts.
Style
When selecting the size of gutters for your home, be sure to factor in the width of your fascia boards. A larger fascia will require a smaller gutter so as not to appear disproportionate – i.e., if you have 1”x6” facsias then 5-inch gutters are ideal, while 1″x8″ or 1″x10″ call for 6-inch gutters. With this simple calculation, you can achieve optimal aesthetic results!
Having 6-inch gutters installed on your home is the optimal choice for better water management and drainage. Not only can these larger gutters handle 50% more water flow than their 5-inch counterparts, but they come with bigger 3”x4” downspouts which means clogging will be less of an issue. However, if you have a smaller roof that isn’t particularly steep then 5″ may still suffice; nonetheless, it’s important to prioritize quality materials when selecting what size gutter system works best for you – ensuring seamless and effective results!
