How Much Drop Should A Rain Gutter Have

This brings up another important rule to keep in mind.

How much drop should a rain gutter have.

If the pitch is too gentle water will just fill up in the gutters until it overflows and a too sharp pitch isn t aesthetically pleasing. Most contractors tend to set the slop at one quarter inch per ten feet of guttering. This means the downspout end of the gutter should be set 3 4 of an inch lower than the other end. Size downspouts to fit the gutter.

As a general rule gutter slope is set at 1 4 inch per 10 feet of guttering. Or you can slope the gutters down from each end toward a single downspout placed in the middle of the run. Gutters should slope an inch or two for every 40 feet. If the length of the gutter is 10 5 metres 35 feet the amount of slope required is 1 25 cm 1 4 inch multiplied by 1 metres 3 5 feet which when rounded up is 2 5 cm 1 inch.

For gutter runs longer than 40 feet it s best to pitch the gutter down from the middle to a downspout at each end. For rainy climates where gutters will handle a larger amount of water for long periods they should have a maximum distance of 18 inches apart between them. A square inch of downspout can drain 1 200 square feet of roof during a rain with an intensity of one inch per hour. That said gutters need to be completely level from front to back or water could spill over either edge.

For example for every 10 feet of gutter they need to drop 1 2 inch from the high end to the downspout. Gutters need to be pitched at a 5 degree angle. Roof area the locale s rainfall intensity and gutter capacity determine how many square inches of downspout are needed. For example if you have 30 feet of guttering the calculation is 1 4 x 3 0 75 i e.

Calculate the gutter slope by dividing the length of the gutter needed by 10. So if you have a 25 foot section of guttering you should set the downspout end of the gutter 5 8 of an inch lower 1 4 x 2 5 5 8 than the other end. This allows the water to flow gently but. If you live in a warm place with sporadic rain you can hang gutter hangers close to the middle of the gutter with a spacing of no more than 36 inches or three feet apart from the center.

To ensure that gutters drain properly make certain they slope inch for every 10 feet toward a downspout.