Numbers are funny things. What is the difference between five inches and six inches? One inch, you say. How about 40 percent more? Confusing, right? How are you supposed to know the size of gutters your Canton-area home needs? 

Size Matters

Professionally installed, beautiful seamless gutters are available in both five-inch and six-inch sizes. The difference is more than a mere inch. A six-inch gutter profile holds a staggering 40 percent more volume of water than a five-inch gutter for the same linear run. 

You may need a six-inch gutter profile if your home has large roof fields (the flat expanses unbroken by dormers or gables) or a steep pitch (roof angle). Metal roofs tend to shed water faster than shingle roofs. 

The larger gutter can handle greater capacity, so if your local microclimate is wetter than other Michigan areas, you may benefit from six-inch gutters.

Perhaps you have a lot of trees overhanging your home’s roof; bigger gutters help there, too, catching and carrying away all the water dripping off the trees. 

Go Big

Up to now you might think, “Can gutters be too small? I might as well go big.” But the best judge of gutter size is your trained gutter installer. Gutters too big for your house can look awkward and may be an added expense you don’t need. 

With six-inch gutters, you generally need larger downspouts to carry the heavier volume of water-shedding from your roof. A typical, standard-sized downspout has a cross-section of 1-3/4″ by 2-3/4″. Oversized downspouts measure 3″ x 4″ and carry all the extra rainwater safely away from your home’s foundation. 

Shrinky Dink

All right then, maybe your home needs only five-inch gutters and standard downspouts. What possible risk could you run using them, even if your professional gutter installer recommends larger gutters? 

Overflowing gutters do more than bend and collapse (which is unattractive and drives down your home’s value). Undersized or overflowing gutters also:

  • Ruin your lawn and landscaping
  • Cause erosion of vital topsoil
  • Soak your foundations
  • Allow fascia boards to rot
  • Ruin your roof
  • Lead to ice dams in winter

So now what? Go big and risk spending too much? Go small and jeopardize your home’s structural integrity? Fortunately, the ideal solution is available simply by contacting professional gutter installers. 

Contact Victors Roofing today to see how the perfectly sized gutter can protect and beautify your Canton-area home.