EP2746485A1

EP2746485A1 - Tubular gutter element

Info

Publication number: EP2746485A1
Application number: EP12290456.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Bruno Martinez; Bruno Fromager; Roch Lemercier
Original assignee: Umicore Building Products France
Current assignee: Umicore Building Products France
Priority date: 2012-12-21
Filing date: 2012-12-21
Publication date: 2014-06-25
Anticipated expiration: 2032-12-21
Also published as: EP2746485B1; ES2559357T3

Abstract

The present disclosure concerns roof gutters, more particularly modular gutter elements for mounting along roof edges or eaves.

The gutter element has a generally tubular form, with solid metal water-impermeable bottom and sides, and a perforated metal water-permeable covering. It is characterized in that:
- the gutter element has at least one end either narrowed or widened, so as to permit telescopic connections between elements;
- the gutter element is equipped on each of its two lengthwise sides of integral suspension means.

Such an element lends itself for assembly of both right and left downward sloping gutters.

Description

The present disclosure concerns roof gutters, more particularly prefabricated modular gutter elements for placement along roof edges or eaves.
Most gutters are of the open type, i.e. U-shaped and open on their upper side. Another type is the tubular gutter, having the upper side covered with a perforated sheet or mesh. The advantage of such gutters is their better protection against leaves or other debris susceptible to clog the draining system.
Gutters are often installed starting from prefabricated fixed length elements, Such elements need to be assembled on-site so as to reach the necessary length. Open gutters lend themselves to easy assembly as adjacent elements can readily shove into each other, offering reasonably water-tight joints using only a few centimeters of overlap. Many systems exist to further enhance such interconnections, rendering them more watertight while still allowing for some slide to cope with thermal expansion.
Contrary to open gutters, tubular gutter elements do not shove in each other easily. Often, such elements are placed end-to-end using connecting hardware either inserted inside the joint, or else enclosing adjacent elements externally. This latter option is e.g. illustrated in US 5,216,852 .
However, the need for connectors implies the manufacture and on-site availability of yet another piece of hardware.
Alternatively, narrowing or widening one end section of each tubular gutter element would allow for telescopic connections, without the need for connecting hardware.
However, this alternative creates a new problem. Indeed, known gutter elements are provided with attaching means on one side only; narrowing or broadening one end will "polarize" the elements, making them suitable for either right or left running down-slopes, but not both. So, one would end up with 2 different types of elements, one for right sloping and one for left sloping gutters, an impractical situation.
With respect to the above explanation, it has to be emphasized that gutters need to be placed with a proper lengthwise slope to facilitate the flow. The direction of the slope is defined by the location of the nearest downspout, which is most often fixed by architectural constraints. Telescopic connections have to be correctly polarized so as to ensure that water flows from the inner section into to the outer section; otherwise, water will be seeping between the walls of the telescoping elements and spill from the gutter.
The object of the present invention is to provide a single type of tubular gutter element adapted for assembly of both right and left downward sloping gutters by partially shoving elements into each other.
In a first embodiment, a gutter element is defined having a generally tubular form, with solid metal water-impermeable bottom (1) and sides (2, 2'), and a perforated metal water-permeable covering (3). It is characterized in that:

the gutter element has at least one end (5) either narrowed or widened, so as to permit telescopic connections between elements;
the gutter element is equipped on each of its two lengthwise sides (2, 2') of integral suspension means (4, 4').

In another embodiment, the gutter element is characterized in that the transversal profile of the gutter, including the integral suspension means (4, 4'), is side-to-side symmetric, i,e, having a bilateral symmetry. In this case, the integral suspension means (4, 4') may advantageously be formed by lengthwise strips located above the water-permeable covering when the element is mounted in a functional position,
The gutter element may further be characterized in that, on a transversal profile of the element, tangents (6, 6') to each essentially flat lengthwise strip converge under an angle (7) of more than 4° towards a point situated below the element when mounted in a functional position. Said tangents are drawn parallel to the essentially flat external part of each lengthwise strip.
In another embodiment, the gutter element is characterized in that it is made out of a single sheet of metal.
In another embodiment, the use of any of the above-described gutter elements is defined, whereby the element is attached to a roof using the integral suspension means on a first lengthwise side, the integral suspension means on the second lengthwise side being at a lower level than those of said first side. A level difference of at least 6 mm is preferred, which corresponds to the requirements of French norm NF EN 612:2005,
By "integral suspension means" is meant that the side of the gutter element, and the suspension means on said side, are permanently attached. They may advantageously be made out of the same sheet of metal as the sides and bottom of the gutter. In a more advantageous embodiment, said suspension means comprise lengthwise strips along the top of each lengthwise gutter side. These strips may be perforated at regular intervals so as to allow for fixing the gutter using perforating means such as screws or nails.
Although other combinations are possible, the gutter elements will typically be either:

narrowed on one end;
widened on one end;
widened on one end and narrowed on the other end.

The first option is preferred as a visually more attractive constant external section of the gutter is then obtained.
This flaring and/or swaging of the ends should preferably be performed over about 10 to 20 cm so as to allow an adequate telescopic overlap of connecting elements. When dealing with elements made of sheet metal, the diameter of the telescoping sections should differ by about twice the thickness of the sheet, This ensures a reasonably snug fit and lowers the risk of leaks,
The preferred metal to be used in the manufacture of the gutter elements is Zn or Zn alloy such as the Ti-Cu-Zn alloys commonly used in the building industry,
The invention is illustrated in Figures 1 to 4,
Figure 1 shows a general view of a single gutter section according to the invention, with:

(1) a solid metal water-impermeable bottom;
(2, 2') solid metal water-impermeable sides;
(3) a perforated metal water-permeable covering;
(4, 4') integral suspension means; and,
(5) a narrowed end.

It should ne noted that the narrowing is exaggerated on this figure for the sake of clarity.
Figure 2 is a transverse profile of a gutter element, showing:

(1) a solid metal water-impermeable bottom;
(2, 2') solid metal water-impermeable sides;
(3) a perforated metal water-permeable covering;
(4, 4') integral suspension means;
(6, 6') construction lines being tangents to each essentially flat lengthwise strip; and,
(7) the angle between 6 and 6'.

This polarization issue of telescoping elements is schematically illustrated in Figures 3a (correct fitting, no leaks) and 3b (incorrect fitting, danger of leaks). Thanks to their reversibility, the disclosed elements can be used for gutters sloping towards either side, while the connections remain correctly polarized to avoid leaks.
Choosing for a symmetrical transverse profile of the elements has the added advantage that the elements can be reversed without altering the aspect of the gutter.
A further refinement is the inclusion of a provision to guarantee that any spillover, such as during heavy raining, will take place at the outer brim of the gutter, i.e. on the side farthest from the roof or eaves, Assuming that the gutter is mounted against a vertical support using strips located above the water-permeable covering, this result can be achieved by choosing a generally V-shaped profile. The essentially flat lengthwise strips should moreover be made slightly convergent towards a point situated below the element. When pressed and fixed against a vertical support, such a gutter will spontaneously adopt a slightly inclined position, ensuring that any spillover takes place away from the building. This embodiment is shown in Figure 4.

Claims

Gutter element having a generally tubular form, with solid metal water-impermeable bottom (1) and sides (2, 2'), and a perforated metal water-permeable covering (3), characterized in that:
- the gutter element has at least one end (5) either narrowed or widened, so as to permit telescopic connections between elements;

- the gutter element is equipped on each of its two lengthwise sides (2, 2') of integral suspension means (4, 4').
Gutter element according to claim 1, characterized in that the transversal profile of the gutter, including the integral suspension means (4, 4'), is side-to-side symmetric.
Gutter element according to claim 2, characterized in that the integral suspension means (4, 4') are formed by generally flat lengthwise strips located above the water-permeable covering (3) when the element is mounted in a functional position.
Gutter element according to claim 3, characterized in that, on a transversal profile of the element, tangents (6, 6') to each generally flat lengthwise strip converge under an angle (7) of more than 4° towards a point situated below the element when mounted in a functional position.
Gutter element according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it is made out of a single sheet of metal,
Use of a gutter according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the gutter is attached to a roof using the integral suspension means (4, 4') on a first lengthwise side, the integral suspension means on the second lengthwise side being at a lower level than those of said first side.
Use of a gutter according to claim 6, characterized in that the level difference between the first and the second lengthwise integral suspension means is at least 6 mm.