| Oversized Rain Gutters
If you have large roof surfaces or live in
a rainy climate, regular sized rain gutters may not be sufficient to channel the rainfall
away from your house. And, if you have a
steep roof in a windy location, you may find
that it collects more water than normal and
also overflows your normal sized gutters.
The solution to this problem is to use extra
wide (also called "oversized")
rain gutters.
Here are some tips if you are considering
oversized gutters:
- Because oversized gutters are more expensive,
use them only on the roof edges
that require
additional capacity. Put regular
gutters
on all other roof edges.
- Water is heavy and oversized gutters hold
more water, which means more weight and the
weight is further cantilevered out than with
regular gutters. Make sure that the gutters
are sufficiently sturdy, have sturdy attachment
hardware, and have a solid surface to attach
to.
- Oversized gutters can help in normal rain
areas if the force and slope of the water
running off your roof causes it to overshoot
your gutters. Wider gutters offer a larger
"target" and thus reduces spillage.
- Oversized gutters can be used in normal rain
areas for longer distances between downspouts.
If you are intermixing gutter sizes, make
sure that the manufacturer makes conversion
pieces.
Finally, a secondary benefit of using larger
gutters and downspouts is the fact that they
are less likely to clog. Sometimes, homeowners
will install extra wide downspouts on regular
gutters to alleviate some of the clogging. |
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