Spectra

Spectra gutter parts are for hanging K-style gutter on a house and carrying roof water down and away from the foundation. The sectional pieces are a good fit for a homeowner doing the job themselves. The gutter, elbows and end caps are painted in Spectra’s TrueCoat colors and sold under a Color-Match Guarantee, so they match on the fascia.

Spectra Gutter Systems started in St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1978 and moved to Atlanta, Georgia, in 1992. It makes painted and copper rainware: gutter, downpipe, elbows, end caps, hangers, gutter guards, trim coil and the machines that form seamless gutter. Spectra paints, slits, roll forms, stamps and ships every product itself.

The K-style gutter

K-style is the most common gutter on houses. It has a flat back that sits tight against the fascia and a front shaped like crown molding, so from the street it looks like trim. The sectional pieces are pre-cut lengths you join on the house. Use the longest pieces the wall allows, and lap each seam so the upstream piece sits inside the downstream one and water runs over the lap. Before the first hanger goes up, snap a chalk line with about a quarter inch of fall every ten feet toward the downspout. The end cap comes as a right-hand cap, and every run needs a left and a right. Run sealant around the inside of each one before you crimp it on.

Putting it up yourself

A homeowner can hang this. Sectional gutter is cheaper than seamless and easier for a homeowner to install. What you give up is joints: more of them means more places to leak, so every seam and end cap gets sealant. You need a ladder, a measuring tape, a saw and sealant, and a drill, tin snips and a chalk line make the job go faster. Spectra also forms seamless gutter from coil in K-style, half-round and box profiles and makes copper gutter, and seamless and copper systems are best installed by a pro. Spectra’s Leaf Series gutter guards go onto existing gutters with little need for a pro, and LeafBlock is the one that keeps out pine needles and roof grit.

Outlet, elbows and downspout

The outlet drops through a hole you cut in the bottom of the gutter at the low end of the run and feeds the downspout. Cut the hole with snips, set the outlet in a bead of sealant and fasten it on sawhorses before the gutter goes up. Front elbows bend toward or away from the wall. Two bring the downspout from the outlet back against the siding, and a third at the bottom kicks the water out into the yard, so count three per downspout. Side elbows bend left or right along the wall, for jogging around a window or a corner. Downspout bands strap the downspout to the wall, at least one near the top and one near the bottom. The mistake seen most is a bottom elbow that dumps water right against the house, where it runs straight down to the basement. Put a Spectra downspout extension on the bottom elbow so the water lands well away from the foundation.

Hangers and heavy snow

Both hangers hold the gutter to the fascia, and the snap hanger clips into the gutter’s front lip. The Flathead Valley averages 54 inches of snow and Whitefish gets 63, and ice dams are a known hazard there. Aluminum gutter can dent from heavy impacts, and ice sliding off a roof hits hard. Spectra points cold, snowy climates to steel, which is sturdier and carries heavier loads. With aluminum sectional, hang the front of the gutter low enough that sliding snow clears it, and set hangers closer together under valleys and long roof slopes, where the load piles up.

Specs

Spec	Value
Gutter profile	K-style, sectional
Gutter size	5-inch
Downspout, outlet and elbows	2x3
End cap size	5-inch
Color	White
Aluminum gutter service life	Around 20 to 30 years
Leaf Series guards	Leaf Screen, Leaf Guard, Leaf Lock, LeafBlock

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you install Spectra gutter guards?

Leaf Guard, Leaf Lock and LeafBlock are made to go on without special tools, and each section installs in minutes. Before the first piece goes on, scoop the gutter clean and run a hose down it, because a guard over old sludge just hides the clog. Check that every hanger is tight while you’re up there, since the guard sits on the gutter and can’t fix a sagging run.

Which Spectra gutter guard is right for your trees?

There are four in the Leaf Series, and each one is tailored to different debris, roof styles and ways of installing it. Around most Montana houses the trouble is conifers, lodgepole pine, spruce and fir, and needles slip through a coarse screen that stops a maple leaf, so for needles and roof grit go with LeafBlock. If critters nest in your gutters, go with LeafBlock, because it keeps out pests along with the fine stuff.

What colors do Spectra gutters come in?

TrueCoat colors include Musket Brown and Forest Green, and custom colors are available too. The finish is advertised as fade and chalk resistant, which matters on a south wall that takes sun all afternoon. Decide whether you want the gutter to blend in with the trim or stand out against the siding, and then look at a sample against the house, not on a screen.

What are Spectra gutters made of?

Spectra makes aluminum and copper gutter. Aluminum is light, doesn’t rust and takes paint in any color. Spectra’s coil guide compares .027, .032 and .040 aluminum, and where ice slides off the roof or a ladder leans on the gutter, the thicker stock holds its shape better than the thin stuff.