Gutters · Conway
Gutters in Conway, FL
In a 10-year storm, rain in Conway can fall at 8.72 inches an hour for five minutes, according to NOAA's Atlas 14 values for this town. That short, hard burst is the load your gutters and downspouts must move. Gutter size, downspout count and where the water lands all follow from that number and from the leaves that fall from the trees around your lot.
Updated October 2026
Rain and gutter size
Conway's rain sets the minimum gutter size
The five-minute rate is the number that matters most for gutters. A 25-year storm here reaches 10.1 inches an hour, and a 100-year storm reaches 11.9. Over a full day, a 10-year storm drops about 6.15 inches, and a 100-year storm drops 10.3 inches. Gutters sized only for a gentle drizzle will overflow in the first minutes of a summer thunderstorm.
IllustrationIllustration: downspout splash block
Plumbing code ties the gutter's capacity to the slope it is set at. Measured at 1/8 inch per foot, a 6-inch half-round gutter carries 110 gallons per minute and a 5-inch one carries 74. By our arithmetic, the 6-inch size carries about 49 percent more water, which is a real margin on a Conway roof that gets a burst like this.
Downspouts need the same care. A 2-by-2-inch leader carries only 30 gallons per minute, so a long roof run dumping into one small leader will back up. A 3-inch round leader carries 92, and a 4-inch round leader carries 360. Check the roof area each downspout serves, then add half the area of any tall wall that sheds rain onto the roof.
Discharge rules
Keeping downspout water away from Conway foundations
Your downspouts must discharge at least 1 foot from the building's sidewall, whether through underground pipe, a tail extension or a splash block. This rule protects the foundation and is in the Florida Building Code for one- and two-family homes. Most of the homes in Conway are single-family detached houses, which is the group this rule covers most often.
Conway's median home was built in 1975, and most of its housing units went up before 1980. Many of those homes may have old or undersized gutters, or downspouts that dump right at the foundation. Check those first when you walk the lot after a heavy rain.
Debris and upkeep
Leaves, pollen and cleaning gutters near Conway trees
Southern live oaks can grow 60 to 80 feet tall, and their leaves are a litter problem. Pine needles drop heaviest from September through November, and Florida pollen peaks in March and April. Those three debris loads are why a gutter that looks clear in June can be clogged by fall.
A useful cleaning rhythm under oaks and pines is after the spring oak leaf drop in late April and May, before the June to September storm season, and after the autumn pine-needle peak in late November and December. Under heavy canopy, clean more often. An insurer's guidance says at least twice a year, and more often with overhanging trees.
Orlando International records about 51.45 inches of rain a year, and 45 percent of it falls from June through August. Clean before that stretch begins, because a gutter packed with oak leaves in June has little room for the downpours that follow.
Rain on your roof
Preset: 6.15 inches, the 10-year 24-hour rain (NOAA Atlas 14 at Conway).
7,663 gallons run off that roof, all of it toward the gutters and downspouts.
Math: square feet × inches × 0.623 gallons.
Questions
Gutters in Conway: questions
How big should gutters be for a Conway home?
Size them for the burst, not the average rain. A 10-year storm here falls at 8.72 inches an hour over five minutes, per NOAA Atlas 14 for this town. A 6-inch half-round gutter at 1/8 inch per foot slope carries 110 gallons per minute, against 74 for a 5-inch gutter. Compare the roof area each run serves against those capacities, and confirm the final sizing with the Orange County Division of Building Safety.
Source: NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 9 version 2, partial-duration intensity estimates at the Conway 2020 Census internal point (28.4969, -81.3330), read Oct 5, 2026
How far from my house must downspouts discharge in Florida?
At least 1 foot from the building's sidewall. The Florida Building Code sets that distance for one- and two-family homes, and it allows underground piping, tail extensions or splash blocks. Conway's homes are mostly single-family detached, at 91.4 percent of its housing units, so this rule applies to most lots here.
Source: 2023 Florida Building Code, Residential, 8th ed., R318.5 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription); FBC-Building 1503.7, read Oct 5, 2026
How often should I clean gutters under oak trees in Conway?
An insurer's guidance says at least twice a year, usually in spring and fall, and more often with overhanging trees or frequent storms. Southern live oaks can reach 60 to 80 feet, and their leaves are a litter problem. Plan a clean after the late April and May oak drop and another in late November and December after the pine-needle peak.
Source: thig.com, read Oct 5, 2026
Do gutters need a permit in Conway?
Conway is an unincorporated census-designated place, so the Orange County Division of Building Safety handles roof and building permits here. Confirm with that office whether your gutter or downspout work needs one before you start. Keep the discharge rule in mind when you plan the work: downspouts must end at least 1 foot from the sidewall.
Source: Orange County Division of Building Safety, read Oct 5, 2026
Sources for this page(27)
- 1.Single-family detached share of housing units: 91.4%. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (acs2024_5yr), via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 2.Median year homes were built: 1975. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (acs2024_5yr), via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 3.U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (acs2024_5yr), via Census Reporter API, table B25034. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 4.U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (acs2024_5yr), via Census Reporter API, table B25035. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 5.NOAA NCEI, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (annual/seasonal), access-data API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 6.Hurricane Matthew (2016). NWS Melbourne, Post Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Matthew (2016). Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 7.Hurricane Irma (2017). NWS Melbourne, Post Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Irma (2017). Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 8.Permit office: Orange County Division of Building Safety. Orange County Division of Building Safety. Read Oct 10, 2026.
- 9.2023 Florida Building Code, Plumbing, 8th ed., Chapter 11 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription). Read Oct 5, 2026. FBC text read from UpCodes (unofficial transcription): check floridabuilding.org or the ICC viewer before quoting (spec 8.7). Source URL inherited from COM-20 (the research cites it "as COM-20").
- 10.2023 Florida Building Code, Residential, 8th ed., R318.5 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription); FBC-Building 1503.7. Read Oct 5, 2026. FBC text read from UpCodes (unofficial transcription): check floridabuilding.org or the ICC viewer before quoting (spec 8.7).
- 11.2023 Florida Building Code, Residential, 8th ed., Chapter 8 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription). Read Oct 5, 2026. FBC text read from UpCodes (unofficial transcription): check floridabuilding.org or the ICC viewer before quoting (spec 8.7). Source URL inherited from NC-2 (the research cites it "as NC-2").
- 12.2023 Florida Building Code, Residential, 8th ed., Chapter 3 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription). Read Oct 5, 2026. FBC text read from UpCodes (unofficial transcription): check floridabuilding.org or the ICC viewer before quoting (spec 8.7).
- 13.ask.ifas.ufl.edu. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 14.blogs.ifas.ufl.edu. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 15.ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 16.thig.com. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 17.NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 9 version 2, partial-duration intensity estimates at the Conway 2020 Census internal point (28.4969, -81.3330), NOAA Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 18.NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 9 version 2, partial-duration 24-hour depth estimates at the Conway 2020 Census internal point (28.4969, -81.3330), NOAA Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 19.U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (acs2024_5yr), via Census Reporter API, U.S. Census Bureau (via Census Reporter). Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 20.NWS Melbourne, Post Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Matthew (2016), National Weather Service. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 21.NWS Melbourne, Post Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Irma (2017), National Weather Service. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 22.Orange County Division of Building Safety, ocfl.net. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 23.U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (acs2024_5yr), via Census Reporter API, tables B25034/B25035, U.S. Census Bureau (via Census Reporter). Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 24.Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, inspections FAQ (updated 2026-03-17), Citizens Property Insurance. Read Oct 4, 2026.
- 25.Orange County Government, Division of Building Safety, ocfl.net. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 26.2023 Florida Building Code, Building, 8th ed., Chapter 15 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription), UpCodes (Florida Building Code transcription). Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 27.NOAA Atlas 14 at Conway: 8.72 in/hr (5-minute, 10-year). NOAA Atlas 14 Precipitation Frequency Data Server. Read Oct 5, 2026.
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Gutters in Conway
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