Rain Gutter Installation Ocala

 

City in Florida, United States

Ocala

 

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Ocala
City
Top, left to right: Downtown Ocala, horse on a farm, Marion Hotel, Marion Theatre
Seal
Nickname(s):  "Horse Capital of the World" "Brick City"[1][2]
Motto:  "God Be With Us"
Interactive map of Ocala
Ocala   Show map of Florida

Coordinates: 29°11′16″N 82°7′50″W / 29.18778°N 82.13056°W / 29.18778; -82.13056CountryUnited StatesStateFloridaCountyMarionFounded1849Incorporated (town)February 4, 1869Incorporated (city)January 28, 1885Government

 • TypeCouncil–Manager • MayorBen Marciano • CouncilmembersBarry Mansfield,
Kristen Dreyer,
Jay Musleh,
James Hilty, Sr., and
Ire J. Bethea, Sr. • City ManagerPeter Lee • City ClerkAngel B. Jacobs • City AttorneyWilliam E. SextonArea

47.2 sq mi (122.3 km²) • Land47.2 sq mi (122.3 km²) • Water0.0012 sq mi (0.003 km²)Elevation

69 ft (21 m)Population

63,591

65,478 • RankUS: 586th
FL: 43rd • Density1,390/sq mi (535/km²) • Urban

182,647 (US: 202nd) • Urban density1,460/sq mi (564/km²) • Metro

396,415 (US: 138th) • Metro density249.6/sq mi (96.36/km²)Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)ZIP Codes

Area code352FIPS code12-50750GNIS feature ID0288030^[4]Sales tax7.0%^[7]Websiteocalafl.gov

Ocala (/oʊˈkælə/ oh-KAL-ə) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Florida, United States.^[8] Located in North Central Florida, the city's population was 63,591 as of the 2020 census, up from 56,315 at the 2010 census and making it the 43rd-most populated city in Florida.^[5] Ocala is the principal city of the Ocala metropolitan area, which had a population of 375,908 in 2020.

Home to over 400 thoroughbred farms and training centers, Ocala is considered the "Horse Capital of the World".^[9][10] Notable attractions include the Ocala National Forest, Silver Springs State Park, Rainbow Springs State Park, the College of Central Florida, and the World Equestrian Center.

Ocala is named after Ocale (also Cale, Etocale, and other variants), a Timucua village and chiefdom recorded in the 16th century, the name of which is believed to mean "Big Hammock" in the Timucua language.^[11] Another possible meaning of the name is "song or singer of admiration or glorification".^[12] Spaniard Hernando de Soto's expedition recorded Ocale in 1539 during his exploration through what is today the Southeastern United States. The site of Ocale has not been found, but historians believe it was located in southwestern Marion County, near the Withlacoochee River.^[13][14] References to Ocale, Olagale, and Etoquale occur in 16th and early 17th century sources, but do not specify a location.^[13][15] A Spanish mission named San Luis de Eloquale was established by 1630. Milanich believes the mission was near the Withlacoochee River. Eloquale is not named in a 1655 list of missions, and Ocale (and its variants) disappeared from history.^[16]

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Creek people and other Native Americans, and free and fugitive African Americans sought refuge in Florida. The Seminole people formed. After foreign colonial rule shifted between Spain and Great Britain and back again, in 1821, the United States acquired the territory of Florida. After warfare to the north, in 1827, the U.S. Army built Fort King near the present site of Ocala as a buffer between the Seminole, who had long occupied the area, and white settlers moving into the region. The fort was an important base during the Second Seminole War and later served in 1844 as the first courthouse for Marion County.^[17]

The modern city of Ocala, which was established in 1849, developed around the fort site. Greater Ocala is known as the "Kingdom of the Sun".^[18] Plantations and other agricultural development dependent on slave labor were prevalent in the region. Ocala was an important center of citrus production until the Great Freeze of 1894–1895.^[19][20][21] During the Reconstruction Era, Ocala was represented by several African Americans in the Florida House of Representatives and on the local level.^[22]

Rail service reached Ocala in June 1881, encouraging economic development with greater access to markets for produce. Two years later, much of the Ocala downtown area was destroyed by fire on Thanksgiving Day, 1883. The city encouraged rebuilding with brick, granite, and steel rather than lumber. By 1888, Ocala was known statewide as the "Brick City".^[1][2]

In December 1890, the Farmers' Alliance and Industrial Union, a forerunner of the Populist Party, held its national convention in Ocala. At the convention, the alliance adopted a platform that would become known as the "Ocala Demands". This platform included abolition of national banks, promoting low-interest government loans, free and unlimited coinage of silver, reclamation of excess railroad lands by the government, a graduated income tax, and direct election of United States senators. Most of the "Ocala Demands" were to become part of the Populist Party platform. ^{[citation needed]}

In the last decades of the 20th century, the greater Ocala area had one of the highest growth rates in the country for a city its size.^[23]

Many historic homes are preserved in Ocala's large residential Historic District, designated in 1984. East Fort King Street features many excellent examples of Victorian architecture. Ocala structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places include the Coca-Cola Building, E. C. Smith House, East Hall, Marion Hotel, Mount Zion A.M.E. Church, Ritz Historic Inn, and Union Train Station. The original Fort King site was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 2004.

Ocala is located at

29°11′16″N 82°07′50″W / 29.187704°N 82.130613°W / 29.187704; -82.130613.^[24]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 47.79 square miles (123.8 km²), all land. The surrounding farms are famous for their Thoroughbred Horses, in terrain similar to Kentucky bluegrass. Ocala is also known for nearby Silver Springs, site of one of the largest artesian spring formations in the world and Silver Springs Nature Theme Park, one of the earliest tourist attractions in Florida.

The 110-mile (180 km) long Ocklawaha River passes 10 mi (16 km) east of Ocala, flowing north from Central Florida until it joins the St. Johns River near Palatka.

Marion County is also home to the Ocala National Forest, which was established in 1908, and is now the second-largest national forest in the state. The Florida Trail, also known as the Florida National Scenic Trail, cuts through Ocala National Forest.^[25] Silver Springs State Park was formed as Silver River State Park in 1987, from land the state purchased around the Silver Springs attraction to spare it from development. The state took over Silver Springs itself in 1993 and incorporated it into the park in 2013.^[26]

Ocala has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa), with hot, humid summers and mild winters.

Ocala first appeared in the 1850 U.S. Census, with a total recorded population of 243.^[30] Ocala did not report separately in 1860.^[31]

As of the 2020 census, 63,591 people, 23,893 households, and 13,239 families were residing in the city.^[34]

As of the 2010 census, 56,315 people, 21,722 households, and 12,945 families lived in the city.^[35]

As of the 2000 census, 45,943 people, 18,646 households, and 11,280 families resided in the city. The population density was 1,189.2 inhabitants per square mile (459.2/km²). The 20,501 housing units had an average density of 530.7 per square mile (204.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 72.9% White, 22.1% African American, 0.4% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 1.8% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 5.7% of the population.

Of the 18,646 households, 40.9% were married couples living together, 15.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were not families. About 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.91. The city's age distribution was 23.2% under 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,888, and for a family was $38,190. Males had a median income of $29,739 versus $24,367 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,021. About 13.2% of families and 18.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.6% of those under 18 and 9.8% of those 65 or over.

Ocala is the headquarters of Emergency One, a worldwide designer and manufacturer of fire-rescue vehicles.

According to the City's 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,^[36] the largest employers in the city are:

Horses have a prominent role in Ocala's cultural makeup.^[37] The first Thoroughbred horse farm in Florida was developed in Marion County in 1943 by Carl G. Rose. Other farms were developed, making Ocala the center of a horse-breeding area. Local horses have won individual races of the Triple Crown series; in 1978, Affirmed, bred and trained in Marion County, won all three races, boosting interest in the industry there.

Ocala is one of only five cities (four in the US and one in France) permitted under Chamber of Commerce guidelines to use the title, "Horse Capital of the World",^[38] based on annual revenue produced by the horse industry. About 44,000 jobs are sustained by breeding, training, and related support of the equine industry, which generates over $2.2 billion in annual revenue. Postime Farms and Ocala serve as host to one of the largest horse shows in the country: H.I.T.S or "Horses in the Sun", a dressage/jumper event lasting about two months. It generates some $6 to 7 million for the local economy each year. The show features classes for over 100 different breeds, including Tennessee Walker, Paso Fino, Morgan, Saddlebred, and American Quarter Horse, as well as some draft breeds. Other equine events in the area include mounted shooting by the Florida Outlaws, as well as endurance rides, barrel races, extreme cowboy events, jumper shows, trick shows, parades, draft pulls, and rodeo events. In 2022, Ocala was the site of the inaugural point-to-point Florida Steeplechase at the Florida Horse Park.^[39]

Ocala is governed by a five-member board of councillors and a mayor, all of whom are elected on a nonpartisan basis. It has a council-manager form of government, relying on a manager hired by the city. The mayor sets policy, but has few powers other than vetoing legislation passed by the council and tending to some duties involving the police department. The current mayor is Ben Marciano.^[40] The city manager handles most administrative and financial matters.^[41]

A number of county offices are housed at the McPherson Governmental Complex.^[42]

As of 2020, Republicans outnumber Democrats in Marion County, roughly 112,000 to 80,000.^[43] In the 2008 presidential election, John McCain carried both the city and the county, the latter by a landslide, although Florida as a whole voted for Democrat Barack Obama by a narrow margin.^[44]

The public schools in Ocala are run by the Marion County School Board. There are 30 elementary, ten middle and ten public high schools in Marion County, which include the following schools in Ocala:

Ocala is home to the College of Central Florida, a member of the Florida College System, accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. CF offers bachelor's degrees in business and organizational management, early-childhood education, and nursing, as well as associate degrees and certificates. The college offers specialty programs in equine studies, agribusiness, and logistics and supply-chain management.^[51] It also has one of 21 campuses of Rasmussen College, a Higher Learning Commission, regionally accredited post-secondary institution.^[52][53] Webster University offers on-site, regionally accredited graduate degree programs in business and counseling at their Ocala Metropolitan Campus.^[54]

Three of the eight libraries in the Marion County Public Library System are located in Ocala;^[55] they are:

• Freedom Public Library
• Marion Oaks Public Library
• Ocala Public Library – headquarters for the Marion County Public Library System

Several major highways pass through Ocala, including I-75, US 27, US 301, and US 441. Ocala was on the western leg of the historic Dixie Highway.

• I-75 (I-75) runs north and south across the western edge of the city, with interchanges at SR 200 (exit 350), SR 40 (exit 352), and US 27 (exit 354).
• US 27 runs north and south throughout Ocala. It is multiplexed with US 301 and 441 until it reaches SR 492(Northwest 10th Street), then makes a sharp turn onto NW 10th Street then curves northwest through Williston, Perry, Tallahassee, and beyond.
• US 301 is the main local north and south road through Ocala. It is multiplexed with US 27 until it reaches NW 10th Street, and with US 441 throughout the city.
• US 441 is the main local north and south road through Ocala. It is multiplexed with US 27 until it reaches NW 10th Street, and with US 301 throughout the city.
• SR 492 runs east and west through the northern part of the city from the northern terminus of the US 27 multiplex with US 301–441 to SR 40 just southwest of the Silver Springs city limit.
• SR 40 runs east and west through Ocala. It spans from Rainbow Lakes Estates through Ocala National Forest to Ormond Beach in Volusia County, although a bi-county extension exists, spanning from Yankeetown in Levy County to Dunnellon, south of the western terminus of SR 40.
• SR 464 runs east and west from SR 200 through the southeastern part of the city. Beyond the city limits, it continues southeast towards SR 35, and continues as CR 464.
• SR 200 runs northeast and southwest from Hernando in Citrus County through US 27-301-441 where it becomes a "hidden state road" along US 301 until it reaches Callahan, and is multiplexed with SR A1A into Fernandina Beach.

Ocala International Airport provides general-aviation services to the community. Ocala Suntran provides bus service through select parts of the city. One of the major hubs for Suntran is the former Ocala Union Station, which served Amtrak trains until November 2004. Amtrak serves Ocala by bus connection to Jacksonville and Lakeland.

Ocala is also served by Greyhound Bus Lines. Marion Transit is the complementary ADA paratransit service for SunTran, the fixed route in the City of Ocala. Marion Transit was established in 1976, and operates paratransit buses providing public transportation throughout Marion County for the transportation of the disadvantaged population.

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2025)

As of 2025^[update] the city of Ocala has 43 park facilities.^[56]

The Marion County Museum of History is located in Ocala.^[57] The current facility opened in 2011.^[58] The museum is a part of the McPherson Governmental Complex.^[59]

• 
  Marion County Museum of History

Hospitals in Ocala include: AdventHealth Ocala, HCA Florida Ocala Hospital, and HCA Florida West Marion Hospital.^[60]

Ocala has two sister cities:

• Newbridge, County Kildare, in Ireland^[64] (2008)
• Pisa and San Rossore in Italy^[65] (2004)

• Appleton Museum of Art
• Emergency Medical Services Alliance
• Jumbolair Airport
• List of sites and peoples visited by the Hernando de Soto Expedition
• Ocala National Forest
• Sholom Park
• Star–Banner
• United Hebrews of Ocala

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Ocala.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ocala, Florida.

• City of Ocala, Florida
• Historic Ocala Preservation Society
• Ocala Banner, the East Florida Banner, and the Southern Sun, historical newspapers serving Ocala, Florida, full text and images openly online in the Florida Digital Newspaper Library
• Ocala/Marion Chamber of Commerce

Component of a water discharge system

 

A rain gutter, eavestrough, eaves-shoot or surface water collection channel is a component of a water discharge system for a building.^[1] It is necessary to prevent water dripping or flowing off roofs in an uncontrolled manner for several reasons: to prevent it damaging the walls, drenching persons standing below or entering the building, and to direct the water to a suitable disposal site where it will not damage the foundations of the building. In the case of a flat roof, removal of water is essential to prevent water ingress and to prevent a build-up of excessive weight.

Water from a pitched roof flows down into a valley gutter, a parapet gutter or an eaves gutter. An eaves gutter is also known as an eavestrough (especially in Canada), spouting in New Zealand, rhone or rone (Scotland),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} eaves-shoot (Ireland) eaves channel, dripster, guttering, rainspouting or simply as a gutter.^[7] The word gutter derives from Latin gutta (noun), meaning "a droplet".^[8]

Guttering in its earliest form consisted of lined wooden or stone troughs. Lead was a popular liner and is still used in pitched valley gutters. Many materials have been used to make guttering: cast iron, asbestos cement, UPVC (PVCu), cast and extruded aluminium, galvanized steel, wood, copper, zinc, and bamboo.

Description

[edit]

Gutters prevent water ingress into the fabric of the building by channelling the rainwater away from the exterior of the walls and their foundations. ^[9] Water running down the walls causes dampness in the affected rooms and provides a favourable environment for growth of mould, and wet rot in timber.^{[citation needed]}

A rain gutter may be a:

• Roof integral trough along the lower edge of the roof slope which is fashioned from the roof covering and flashing materials.
• Discrete trough of metal, or other material that is suspended beyond the roof edge and below the projected slope of the roof.
• Wall integral structure beneath the roof edge, traditionally constructed of masonry, fashioned as the crowning element of a wall.^[10]

A roof must be designed with a suitable fall to allow the rainwater to discharge. The water drains into a gutter that is fed into a downpipe. A flat roof should have a watertight surface with a minimum finished fall of 1 in 80. They can drain internally or to an eaves gutter, which has a minimum 1 in 360 fall towards the downpipe. ^[11] The pitch of a pitched roof is determined by the construction material of the covering. For slate this will be at 25%, for machine made tiles it will be 35%. Water falls towards a parapet gutter, a valley gutter or an eaves gutter. ^[12] When two pitched roofs meet at an angle, they also form a pitched valley gutter: the join is sealed with valley flashing. Parapet gutters and valley gutters discharge into internal rainwater pipes or directly into external down pipes at the end of the run. ^[12]

• 
  A parapet gutter at the base of a sloping roof and a parapet wall, outflowing to a downpipe
• 
  A simpler parapet gutter.
• 
  A valley gutter between two parallel roof surfaces.

The capacity of the gutter is a significant design consideration. The area of the roof is calculated (metres) and this is multiplied by rainfall (litres/sec/metres²) which is assumed to be 0.0208. This gives a required discharge outfall capacity. (litres/sec) .^[13] Rainfall intensity, the amount of water likely to generated in a two-minute rainstorm is more important than average rainfall, the British Standards Institute^[14] notes that an indicative storm in Essex, (annual rainfall 500 mm per annum) delivers 0.022 L/s/m²- while one in Cumbria (annual rainfall 1800 mm per annum) delivers 0.014 L/s/m².^[15]

Eaves gutters can be made from a variety of materials such as cast iron, lead, zinc, galvanised steel, painted steel, copper, painted aluminium, PVC (and other plastics) and occasionally from concrete, stone, and wood.^[16]

Water collected by a rain gutter is fed, usually via a downpipe (also called a leader or conductor),^[17] from the roof edge to the base of the building where it is either discharged or collected.^[18] The down pipe can terminate in a shoe and discharge directly onto the surface, but using modern construction techniques would be connected through an inspection chamber to a drain that led to a surface water drain or soakaway. Alternatively it would connect via a storm drain (u-bend) with 50 mm water seal to a combined drain.^[19] Water from rain gutters may be harvested in a rain barrel or a cistern.^[20]

Rain gutters can be equipped with gutter screens, micro mesh screens, louvers or solid hoods to allow water from the roof to flow through, while reducing passage of roof debris into the gutter.^[21]

Clogged gutters can also cause water ingress into the building as the water backs up. Clogged gutters can also lead to stagnant water build up which in some climates allows mosquitoes to breed.^[22]

The Romans brought rainwater systems to Britain. The technology was subsequently lost, but was re-introduced by the Normans. The White Tower, at the Tower of London had external gutters. In March 1240 the Keeper of the Works at the Tower of London was ordered by King Henry "to have the Great Tower whitened both inside and out". This was according to the fashion at the time. Later that year the king wrote to the Keeper, commanding that the White Tower's lead guttering should be extended with the effect that "the wall of the tower ... newly whitened, may be in no danger of perishing or falling outwards through the trickling of the rain".^[23]

In Saxon times, the thanes erected buildings with large overhanging roofs to throw the water clear of the walls in the same way that occurs in thatched cottages. The cathedral builder used lead parapet gutters, with elaborate gargoyles for the same purpose. With the dissolution of the monasteries- those buildings were recycled and there was plenty of lead that could be used for secular building. The yeoman would use wooden gutters or lead lined wooden gutters.

When The Crystal Palace was designed in 1851 by Joseph Paxton with its innovative ridge-and-furrow roof, the rafters that spanned the space between the roof girders of the glass roof also served as the gutters. The wooden Paxton gutters had a deep semi-circular channel to remove the rainwater and grooves at the side to handle the condensation. They were under trussed with an iron plate and had preformed notches for the glazing bars: they drained into a wooden box gutter that drained into and through structural cast iron columns.^[24]

The Industrial Revolution introduced new methods of casting-iron and the railways brought a method of distributing the heavy cast-iron items to building sites. The relocation into the cities created a demand for housing that needed to be compact. Dryer houses controlled asthma, bronchitis, emphysema as well as pneumonia. In 1849 Joseph Bazalgette proposed a sewerage system for London, that prevented run-off being channelled into the Thames. By the 1870s all houses were constructed with cast iron gutters and down pipes. The Victorian gutter was an ogee, 115 mm in width, that was fitted directly to the fascia boards eliminating the need for brackets. Square and half-round profiles were also available. For a brief period after the first world war, asbestos-cement guttering became popular due to it being maintenance free: the disadvantages however ensured this was a short period: it was more bulky and fractured on impact. ^[25]

Cast iron gutters were introduced in the late 18th century as an alternative to lead. Cast iron enabled eaves gutters to be mass-produced: they were rigid and non-porous while lead could only be used as a liner within timber gutters. Installation was a single process and didn't require heat.^[26] They could be attached directly to the fascia board. Cast iron gutters are still specified for restoration work in conservation areas, but are usually replaced with cast aluminium made to the same profile. Extruded aluminium gutters can be made to a variety of profiles from a roll of aluminium sheet on site in lengths of up to 30 m. They feature internal brackets at 400 mm spacing.^[27]

In UK domestic architecture, guttering is often made from UPVC sections. The first PVC pipes were introduced in the 1930s for use in sanitary drainage systems. Polyethylene was developed in 1933. The first pressurised plastic drinking water pipes were installed in the Netherlands in the 1950s. During the 1960s rain water pipes, guttering and down pipes using plastic materials were introduced followed by PVC soil systems which became viable with the introduction of ring seals. A British Standard was launched for soil systems, local authorities started to specify PVC systems. By 1970 plastic rainwater systems accounted for over 60% of new installations.^{[citation needed]} A European Standard EN607 has existed since 2004.^{[citation needed]}

• 
  A collector with 112 mm gutter, draining into 68 mm downpipe
• 
  Available gutter fittings
• 
  Available pipe and gutter fittings
• 
  Fitting a gutter to a 45° connector

It is easy to install, economical, lightweight requires minimum maintenance and has a life expectancy of 50 years. The material has a disadvantageous coefficient of thermal expansion 0.06 mm/m°C, so design allowances have to be made. A 4-metre gutter, enduring a −5 °C to 25 °C temperature range will need space to expand, 30 × 4 × 0.06 = 7.2 mm within its end stops.^[28] As a rule of thumb a 4-inch (100 mm) gutter with a single 68-millimetre (2.7 in) downpipe will drain a 600-square-foot (56 m²) roof.^[29]

High quality stainless steel guttering systems are available for homes and commercial projects. The advantages of stainless steel are durability, corrosion-resistance, ease of cleaning, and superior aesthetics. Compared with concrete or wood, a stainless steel gutter will undergo non-negligible cycles of thermal expansion and contraction as the temperature changes; if allowance for this movement is not made during installation, there will be a potential for deformation of the gutter, which may lead to improper drainage of the gutter system.

Seamless gutters have the advantage of being produced on site with a portable roll forming machine to match the specifications of the structure and are generally installed by experienced tradesman. Seamless gutter is .027" thick and if properly installed will last 30+ years.^{[citation needed]}

In commercial and domestic architecture, guttering is often made from zinc coated mild steel for corrosion resistance. Metal gutters with bead stiffened fronts is governed in the UK by BS EN612:2005.

Copper guttering boasts water cleaning abilities that stem from the antimicrobial properties of copper. It also develops patina that is commonly associated with the copper material, where the gutter system's colour darkens within the first few years and then transitions to a dark green at seven years. Copper gutters reach their full patina state at twenty years, however a verdigris solution can be used on the system to speed this process up drastically.^[30]

Aluminium gutters offer good corrosion resistance, are lightweight, and are easy to install. Additionally, aluminium gutters come in a variety of finishes and styles.^[31]

• 
  Aluminium gutters in Moscow

Finlock gutters, a proprietary name^[32] for concrete gutters, can be employed on a large range of buildings. There were used on domestic properties in the 1950s and 1960s, as a replacement for cast iron gutters when there was a shortage of steel and surplus of concrete. ^{[citation needed]} They were discredited after differential movement was found to open joints and allow damp to penetrate, but can be fitted with an aluminium and bitumastic liner.^[33] Finlock concrete gutter units are made up of two troughs – one is the visible gutter and the other sits across the cavity wall. The blocks which can range from 8 to 12 inches (200 to 300 mm) can be joined using reinforcing rods and concrete, to form lintels for doors and windows.^[33]

Guttering can be made from any locally available material such as stone or wood. Porous materials may be lined with pitch or bitumen.

• 
  Wooden gutter at an open air museum
• 
  Wood used on a stone building
• 
  Stone gutter in Burgundy
• 
  Stone gutters in Slovenia

Today in Western construction we use mainly three types of gutter - K-Style, round, and square. In days past there were 12 gutter shapes/styles. K-Style gets its name from its letter designation being the eleventh out of the twelve.

Gutter guards (also called gutter covers, gutter protection or leaf guards) are primarily aimed at preventing damage caused from clogged gutters and reducing the need for regular gutter cleaning. They are a common add-on or included as an option for custom-built homes.

Brush gutter guards resemble pipe cleaners and are easy to install. They prevent large debris from clogging gutters, but are less effective at reducing smaller debris.

Foam gutter guards are also easy to install. They fit into gutters, so they prevent large objects from obstructing waterflow, but they do not prevent algae and plant growth. A negative feature of foam type filters is that the pores quickly get clogged and thus need replacement due to not allowing water to pass through.

Reverse curve or surface tension guards reduce clogged gutters by narrowing the opening of the gutters. Many find them to be unattractive and difficult to maintain.

Screen gutter guards are among the most common and most effective. They can be snapped on or mounted, made of metal or plastic. Micromesh gutter guards provide the most protection from small and large debris.^[34]

PVC type gutter guards are a less costly option, however, they tend to quickly become brittle due to sun exposure.

• Sima (architecture)
• Chantlate
• Copper in architecture
• Cornice
• Rain chain
• French drain

Bibliography

• Chudley, R. (1988). Building construction handbook. London: Heinemann. ISBN 0434902365.
• Impey, Edward; Parnell, Geoffrey (2000), The Tower of London: The Official Illustrated History, Merrell Publishers in association with Historic Royal Palaces, ISBN 1-85894-106-7
• Maskrey, Michael B (2012). Level 2 NVQ diploma in plumbing and heating. London: City & Guilds. ISBN 9780851932095.
• Hall, E (1982). The New home owner manual. London: Hamlyn. ISBN 0600349918.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rain gutters.

• An Illustrated glossary of roofs and roofing terms.
• Tutorial on installing plastic guttering
• Tutorial on installing metal sheet guttering