House type, look/style, the pitch of the roof, and even the types of nearby trees should be taken into consideration. Maybe the most important thing to consider is the amount of rain that your area receives. Generally speaking, 6-inch gutters are for commercial projects and 5-inch for most of the residential ones.
6-inch gutters can handle almost 50% more water than 5-inch gutters. They are installed with bigger 3”x4” downspouts for better water management.
Determine Your Gutter Size
To get the size of your gutter, measure the top of the gutter, starting at the front top outer lip, straight back to the fascia, just under the roof line. Our standard version is 5 IN. wide and designed to fit on gutters 5 IN. or smaller. While our super version is 6 IN.
While 6-inch gutters are less prone to congestion, this doesn't mean you should completely overlook any protective measures. You can augment their excellent draining performance by topping them with Gutter Helmet® gutter covers.
A good rule of thumb is to have your gutters supported by brackets no more than 1m apart and no more than 150mm from any angle or stopend. So, if you buy your guttering in 4m lengths, you will need 3 brackets per length, 1 bracket per stopend and 2 brackets per bend.
Ideal where strength is crucial when hanging 6" K Style gutter. Recommend hanger spacing is 24" on centers.
As a general rule of thumb, choose 6-inch gutters for larger and steeper roofs and 5-inch gutters for smaller, low-slope roofs. Larger gutters typically hold more water, making them ideal for areas receiving heavier rains. However, different conditions may call for an adjustment in gutter size.
Accordingly, a 6-inch gutter system is less likely to get clogged up. And when it is time to clean your gutters, 6-inch gutters provide a significant advantage. Since the mouth at the top is one inch wider, the debris is much easier to clean out.
In our experience, unless your gutters need cleaning more than 3 times per year, you will be far better off without the gutter mesh.
On average, for 6” aluminum gutters, the cost per foot is about 50 cents to 1 dollar higher than the cost of 5”.
Gutter Capacity
One foot of 5″ K-Style gutters holds 1.2 gallons of water. One foot of 6″ K-Style gutters holds 2.0 gallons of water.
One of the clear signs that a home needs gutter guard systems with leaf protection is when the gutters are clogged. As debris accumulates in the rain gutters, it can lead to water backing up and becoming trapped. This trapped water can lead to the gutter sagging or even detaching from the house.
While 5-inch gutters are the standard size, some homeowners opt for larger ones. 6-inch gutters are more expensive, but they can handle large amounts of water and are less likely to get clogged.
The downspout requirements for five and six inch gutters are about the same even though gutter downspout sizes vary. The general guideline for downspouts is one for every 25 feet of gutter, with 40 feet between downspouts being the maximum limit.
On the other hand, if you don't get a lot of rainfall and are on a tight budget, 5-inch gutters may be the better choice. They're less expensive than 6-inch gutters and can provide adequate protection for your home.
A 5 inch gutter is typically recommended for your standard shingle and slate roofs with little to no overhang. Roofs with an overhang, commonly seen with tile or metal roofing, should have a larger 6 inch gutter system.
Gutter guards accumulate debris that damages your roof and gutters. Small debris builds up inside the system while large debris remains on top. Over time, these guards will be covered in the dust, dirt, mildew, root and grit that accumulates on your roof every day.
For gutter guards, roofers often recommend options like mesh screens or solid covers, as they're durable and do a good job keeping debris out. If you're looking for something low-maintenance, a well-rated option like the micro-mesh type might be a good choice.
For homeowners who don't want to invest in gutter guards, downpipe strainers may be the unsung heroes of downpipe maintenance. These little guys fit snugly into the top of your downpipes, catching leaves and debris before they can cause any trouble below.
The size of your roof will impact the size of your gutters. If you have a standard roof plane of about 600 to 800 square feet, 5-inch gutters may be plenty sufficient. If you have a much larger roof plane (1,000+ square feet), you'll need the larger 6-inch gutters to accommodate the rainfall.
Gutter guards, especially when professionally installed gutter guards, provide numerous benefits, making them a valuable investment for homeowners. They: Reduce the frequency of cleaning. Lower the risk of gutter overflow.
Even though rain gutters are designed to protect your property against storms, high volumes of water can overwhelm the system, causing it to overflow. Normally, rain gutters can manage water during low to moderate levels of rainfall with no problem.
Gutters Should Extend Slightly Beyond the Edge of Your Roof Shingles: Three-fourths of the gutter's width should extend past your roof's shingles to catch water and redirect it through the downspouts.
Gutter hangers should always be placed at least every three feet for proper support (2 feet in northern climates where snow and ice can add additional weight on the gutters).
Your new gutters should be installed at a certain angle to ensure rainwater is diverted to the drains. As a rule of thumb, gutters should have a slope of 1/4 inch for every 10 feet.