Browse 31 essential gutter installation and gutter guards terms and definitions used by professionals in Memphis.
Term Index
Open any term below for a dedicated definition page.
Aluminum Gutters is a rainwater drainage system made from formed aluminum channels and downspouts. The system collects roof runoff and directs it away from walls, foundations, doors, and landscaping. Aluminum gutters resist rust, remain relatively lightweight, and come in several profiles, sizes, colors, and installation styles for residential and commercial buildings.
American National Standards Institute is a private. Nonprofit organization that coordinates and accredits voluntary consensus standards in the United States. ANSI doesn't usually write standards itself. Instead, ANSI approves qualified standards developers, reviews due process, and represents U.S. Interests in international standardization.
Backer Board is a solid support board installed behind or beneath a gutter when the roof edge lacks a suitable fastening surface. It gives gutter hangers or hidden brackets a stable base and helps distribute load across the fascia or rafter tails. Backer board commonly consists of treated lumber, exterior plywood, or another weather-resistant material.
Best Management Practice is a proven method, procedure, or control used to achieve a desired result while reducing waste, damage, safety risks, or environmental harm. In gutter and stormwater work, a Best Management Practice may include correct gutter slope, stable downspout discharge, erosion control, routine inspection, and compliance with applicable building or environmental requirements.
Box Gutters is a concealed or semi-concealed roof drainage system built into the roof edge, parapet, or cornice. Unlike exposed hanging gutters, box gutters use a wide, lined channel to collect runoff before directing water into downspouts. They commonly appear on historic, commercial, and architecturally detailed buildings where appearance and drainage capacity both matter.
Catch Basin is a covered drainage container that collects surface water and traps leaves, soil, and other debris before water enters a pipe or drainage system. A catch basin usually includes a grate, a below-ground box, and an outlet pipe. The component helps control runoff near downspouts, driveways, patios, and low areas.
Copper Patina is the blue-green surface layer that forms when exposed copper reacts with oxygen, moisture, carbon dioxide, and other chemicals in the air. The layer mainly contains copper compounds. Including copper carbonate and copper sulfate. Copper patina develops gradually, changes the metal’s color, and can slow further surface corrosion.
Downspout is a vertical pipe that carries water from a gutter to the ground or a drainage system. It collects roof runoff at a gutter outlet and directs that water away from siding, foundations, walkways, and landscaping.
Drip Edge is a metal or rigid water-shedding strip installed along roof edges to direct rainwater away from the roof deck, fascia, and wall surfaces. It sits beneath or over selected roofing layers and often extends into the gutter. Proper placement helps control runoff, protect roof edges, and support a clean connection between roofing and gutters.
Eavestrough is a channel attached along a roof edge that collects rainwater and directs it to downspouts. The system helps control runoff near walls, doors, windows, foundations, and landscaping. In the United States, eavestrough is commonly called a gutter.
Environmental Protection Agency is a federal agency that protects human health and the environment in the United States. The agency develops environmental standards, enforces major pollution-control laws, evaluates chemical risks, provides scientific information, and supports state, tribal, and local programs involving air, water, land, waste, and hazardous substances.
Fascia Board is a long, straight board attached along the lower edge of a roof, where roof rafters or trusses meet the exterior wall. The board covers the roof edge, supports certain gutter hangers, and provides a finished surface for trim. Common materials include wood, engineered wood, PVC, and fiber cement.
Flashing is thin, water-resistant material installed at roof joints, wall intersections, openings, and edges to direct water away from vulnerable areas. Common materials include aluminum, galvanized steel, copper, and flexible membranes. Proper flashing helps protect roof sheathing, fascia, siding, and interior spaces from leaks caused by rainwater and runoff.
Gutter Apron is a strip of metal flashing installed beneath roof shingles and behind the back edge of a gutter. It directs roof runoff into the gutter while covering the gap between the roof edge and gutter. A gutter apron helps limit water intrusion behind the gutter and protects the fascia board.
Gutter Hangers are hardware pieces that attach a rain gutter to a building’s fascia, rafter tails, or roof structure. They support the gutter while it carries water, debris, and winter moisture. Common types include hidden hangers, spike-and-ferrule hangers, and strap hangers, each suited to different roof edges and installation conditions.
Gutter Pitch is the slight downward slope installed along a gutter run so rainwater flows toward a downspout. Installers measure the slope from the high end to the outlet end. Correct pitch helps prevent standing water, sediment buildup, overflow, and premature gutter failure while supporting reliable drainage during heavy rainfall.
Gutter Screens are protective covers fitted over open gutters to limit leaves, pine needles, twigs, and other debris from entering the drainage channel. The covers have openings or mesh that allow rainwater to pass while blocking larger material. Screen design, opening size, roof conditions, and installation quality affect speed and cleaning needs.
Gutter Slope is the slight angle that directs water through a gutter toward a downspout. Installers create this angle by positioning the gutter ends at different heights along the roof edge. A properly set slope helps prevent standing water, sediment buildup, overflow, and premature gutter damage during heavy rain.
Half-Round Gutters are drainage channels with a curved, semicircular profile that collect roof runoff and direct it to downspouts. Their open shape differs from the flat-bottom design of K-style gutters. Half-round gutters commonly use aluminum, copper, galvanized steel, or painted steel, and they require compatible hangers, end caps, outlets, and downspout connections.
Ice Dam is a ridge of frozen water that forms along a roof edge when heat melts snow on an upper roof and cold air refreezes the runoff. The ice blocks normal drainage.
International Residential Code is a model building code published by the International Code Council for one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses. The code sets minimum requirements for structural design, fire safety, plumbing, mechanical systems, energy use, and other residential construction features. Local governments adopt, amend, and enforce the code.
K-Style Gutters is a rain gutter profile with a flat bottom, straight back, and decorative front edge shaped like the letter K. The profile resembles crown molding and commonly appears on modern residential roofs.
Leaf Guards is a category of gutter covers installed over open gutters to limit leaves, pine needles, and other debris from entering the channel. The covers allow rainwater to pass toward the downspouts while reducing the amount of manual gutter cleaning.
Low Impact Development is a land planning and stormwater management approach that uses soil, plants, and small drainage features to manage rainfall near where it lands. The approach reduces runoff, erosion, flooding, and pollution by imitating natural water movement.
Miter Joints are angled connections where two gutter sections meet at a corner. Usually cut at about 45 degrees to form a clean turn. Installers seal and fasten these connections so water stays inside the gutter channel. Properly built miter joints support drainage, limit leaks, and help the gutter line follow the roof edge.
Rain Barrel is a covered container that collects and stores rainwater from a roof, usually through a gutter downspout. Stored water can support lawn and garden irrigation, reduce some surface runoff, and conserve treated water. A rain barrel needs a stable base, screened openings, an overflow route, and safe maintenance to prevent contamination.
Rainwater Harvesting is the collection, conveyance, storage, treatment, and reuse of rain that falls on roofs or other surfaces. A typical system directs runoff through gutters and downspouts into a rain barrel, cistern, or underground tank. Stored water may support landscape irrigation, toilet flushing, or other approved nonpotable uses.
Runoff is water from rain, melting snow, or irrigation that flows across roofs, soil, pavement, and other surfaces instead of soaking into the ground. In gutter systems, roof runoff enters gutters, moves through downspouts, and drains away from the building. Poorly directed runoff can cause erosion, flooding, staining, or foundation moisture.
Scupper is an opening that carries water through a roof edge, parapet wall, or building wall and discharges it outside. A scupper may drain directly onto a lower roof or connect to a downspout, conductor head, or drainage pipe. Scuppers commonly serve low-slope roofs where standard eaves gutters can't collect runoff effectively.
Splash Block is a shallow, sloped device placed below a downspout outlet to direct roof runoff away from a building foundation. Usually made from concrete, plastic, or molded rubber, a splash block reduces soil erosion and standing water near the wall. It works best on stable ground with a clear drainage path.
Stormwater is rainwater or melted snow that flows over roofs, pavement, soil, and other surfaces instead of soaking into the ground. Stormwater carries sediment, leaves, oil, chemicals, and other pollutants into drains, streams, rivers, and lakes. Gutters, downspouts, grading, and drainage features help direct and manage this flow.
