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  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2008
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    Roof Gutters

    Just did a search about gutters and found a wealth of knowledge on gutter toppers but nothing about gutter and downspout size.

    What do the knowledge banks here have to say about gutter and downspout sizing?

    Ranch style house with 4/12 pitch roof, if it matters.
    Confidence: The feeling you experience before you fully understand the situation

  2. #2
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    When we built our house we had gutter covers put in and wound up having them removed. In a heavy rain, the cover was more of a ramp. Water just went right across the screen.

    if I had it all to do over again, I would put in FlipClean.
    https://flipcleanguttersystems.com/
    My neighbor has these and cleans his gutters two or three time each season. Only takes him a few minutes.

  3. #3
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    Feb 2014
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    Lake Gaston, Henrico, NC
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    The Classic gutters I put on this house have been the easiest to clean that I've ever dealt with. They're 6", with 4" round downspouts. They leave lines of fairly extruded leaves out the ends of the spouts, and the house gets lots of leaves from Sweet Gums, Bald Cypress, and Crepe Myrtles.

    I go up every late Fall to clean them, but there has never been more than a couple of handfuls at the corners of the hips.

    Their tops are completely unobstructed by mounts. The lay in cast brackets.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  4. #4
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    May 2007
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    Fort Smith, Arkansas
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    That flip clean thing is pretty interesting. I see they don’t connect to the downspout so they can flip but curious about how they handle inside and outside corners. Can’t figure that one out and they show no hint on the videos or pictures.
    My three favorite things are the Oxford comma, irony and missed opportunities

    The problem with humanity is: we have paleolithic emotions; medieval institutions; and God-like technology. Edward O. Wilson

  5. #5
    Only if I lived in the desert would I install 4" gutters. Five inch are the standard around here. Of all the gutters I have dealt with over the last forty years in building trades, the "Leaf Guards" are the best. Not cheap by any means, but worth the price if you don't like cleaning gutters.

  6. #6
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    Oct 2006
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    Minneapolis, MN
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bruce Wrenn View Post
    Only if I lived in the desert would I install 4" gutters. Five inch are the standard around here. Of all the gutters I have dealt with over the last forty years in building trades, the "Leaf Guards" are the best. Not cheap by any means, but worth the price if you don't like cleaning gutters.
    I assume you mean Leafguard gutters. The only real issue with Leafguard is the cost. I have them, but they cost me $34 per foot installed! Some say that a really heavy rain will not go into the gutter, but I haven't paid enough attention to notice if that is happening.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    South Coastal Massachusetts
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    Had a commercial 8" gutter installed on our low pitch "Salt box" second story. All the other gutters are stock 6" wide.

    Same size downspouts, all around.

    As with previous posters, leaf guards tried and removed. The stainless mesh wire cover would catch pine needles and prevent water drainage.

    I now pay to have them cleared, twice a year.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Lancaster, PA
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    158
    5” or 6” k style gutter, 2x3 or 3x4 drop (down spout), leaf relief gutter guards. You’re probably safe to use a 5” gutter with a 2x3 drop, but I’d go 6” with a 3x4 drop.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Mountain City, TN
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    I replaced our 4" gutters with 6". The 6 " does a good job flushing pine needles through the downspout. I like to attach the gutters to the facia using the brackets that hook to the front of the gutter, then screws to the end of the rafter.

    A trim router and template is handy for making the hole for the downspout adapter.

  10. #10
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    May 2008
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    Peshtigo,WI
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    So it sounds like 6" gutters would be the ticket since I have white and red pine trees in my yard.

    Thanks for the advice.
    Confidence: The feeling you experience before you fully understand the situation

  11. #11
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    Feb 2014
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    Lake Gaston, Henrico, NC
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    The size of the downspouts seems to matter too. Those Classic Gutters are many times more expensive than the regular ones, but I've never seen 4" round downspouts anywhere else. All the parts come in boxes strong enough to walk on, with foam sheets separating the parts to prevent scratching. I forget how much the parts for that house cost, but including shipping, it was a few thousand dollars. Those long, heavy boxes had to be delivered by a semi-truck.

    On my house, we have regular gutters, but I didn't use downspouts, and the ends are open. Wide overhangs, and large rocks for the water to land on. They are self flushing.

  12. #12
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    Mar 2003
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    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    There clearly are some kind of calculations that get done for gutter size as there are areas on our home that have 5" and a few that have 6". My shop, with it's 12/12 pitch has 6" across about 46' and 17' of roof rise above it on each side. The front porch roof on the addition is 6" and collects both from it's own surface but also receives via downspouts from the house structure up above.

    Bigger is probably better than too small, but appearance can also come into play, so gutter design matters on some structures. As to downspouts...it's just like our dust collection systems: the downspouts need to be sized to be able to reasonably handle the volume of water that will be collected off the roof surface in at some designated rainfall level. I have no idea what that metric is, however. The 6" gutter sections on our home and on my shop are certainly larger than those on the 5" gutter.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  13. #13
    The "Leaf Guards" I referenced are rolled as a one piece gutter, not something added to top of existing gutter. Concealed fasting system. "Gutter Helmets," a add on product, also work well.

  14. #14
    The flip stuff, was invented in Richmond Va area as a side line for a local family. I think the first ones were for their own
    use. They didn't advertise and made the flip stuff just for people who had seen them ;often by seeing them flipped as they drove by a house ,and then stopped and asked home owner "where do you buy those?" Now I'm seeing advertising.
    Perhaps either through increased ambition or sale of company. Again, ...I'm guessing about their new high profile.
    But certainly seeing a lot of ads.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mel Fulks View Post
    The flip stuff, was invented in Richmond Va area as a side line for a local family. I think the first ones were for their own
    use. They didn't advertise and made the flip stuff just for people who had seen them ;often by seeing them flipped as they drove by a house ,and then stopped and asked home owner "where do you buy those?" Now I'm seeing advertising.
    Perhaps either through increased ambition or sale of company. Again, ...I'm guessing about their new high profile.
    But certainly seeing a lot of ads.
    I’m in northern VA and my neighbor told me pretty much the same story. He says it’s a great product but the marketing isn’t so great. My neighbor wants to buy the company. He’s a very successful real estate agent. I would imagine that he would do a better job of marketing.

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