Today's Gutter
Today, gutters are manufactured in hundreds of shapes and sizes. And yes, there are industry standards for gutter lengths, widths, gauge and number of downspouts per square foot of drainage. These industry standards can be found in a publication called the Architectural Manual, published by the SMACNA ( Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors National Association. ) In the manual, eleven lip beads are illustrated as being available on each of the twelve most common rectangular gutter styles ( which are themselves available in widths from 3 to 8 inches and in different materials such as aluminum and galvanized steel ). This allows for thousands of variations of the rectangular gutter alone.
Ever hear people in the gutter industry refer to gutters as 'K-style' or 'ogee' and wondered what that meant ? Well, ogee is simply a term that refers to any architectural design that incoporates a double curve with the shape of an elongated 'S', viewed from the side, 'ogee' gutters have an elongated 'S' incorporated into the front face design, K-style gutters are simply ogee gutters. In the U.S., the most common gutters are five-inch or six-inch ( measured front to back at the widest point ) K-style gutters. Over the past twenty years, galvanized steel has been replaced by coated aluminum and ten foot pieces with welded or soldered seams has given way to seamless gutters manufactured right on the site.
