GB2233383A - Lining of guttering - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of lining guttering 70, especially valley guttering in commercial and industrial buildings, wherein plastics sheeting 10 in strip form is folded into the gutter shape to fit same. The edge of the strip may be fitted under the adjacent roof cladding 72. The ends are folded up and sealed to define boxed ends, or may be sealed to an end cap. The down spouts may be formed by putting holes in the strip, heating the strip around the holes and by inserting spout thimbles in the holes. Clips 76 may also be used for holding the edges of the strip in position. <IMAGE>

Description

Improvements Relating to the Linking of Troughs This invention relates to the lining of troughs, and has particular application to the lining of gutters, particularly to the lining of gutters of industrial and commercial buildings The guttering of commercial and industrial buildings, particularly modern buildings, has been found to be rather ineffective insofar as relatively soon after erection of these buildings, many gutters leak. This is to some extent due to the poor constructional methods used in the erection of the buildings, and also due to soil and ground movements.

The guttering of commercial and industrial buildings being larger than domestic guttering tends to be constructed of rigid material such as concrete and any building movements frequently results in the cracking of the guttering leading consequentially to the leakage of water undesirably from the guttering.

The present invention in its widest aspect seeks to overcome the problem of guttering leakage, but as will be clear in the following, the invention at least in its preferred form has a number of significant advantages.

Commercial and industrial guttering tends to be of U-shaped cross section so that the guttering has two clearly defined sides and a base, and in accordance with the invention in its general aspect there is provided a method of lining guttering comprising inserting in the guttering plastics material strip by folding the sheeting along to fit the guttering shape.

Preferably, the sheeting is pre-creased so as to be tailored to fit inside the guttering, the pre-creasing defining fold lines which will lie adjacent the internal corners of the guttering.

The sheeting may be formed so as to define a plurality of parallel creases therein so that the sheeting will be omnibus in its application insofar as on site the sheeting can simply be inserted into tile guttering and folded at the appropriate crease for being tailored to fit the particular guttering.

The plastics material sheet may be of any desired length, and may for example be equal to the length of guttering to be lined, or alternatively the sheeting may be in sections which are joined end to end to define the desired length of guttering. In such arrangement, the sheeting which has multiple creases as defined above is made up of a number of sections joined end to end by overlapping the sections with the respective creases in the respective sections in alignment.

In a particularly advantageous arrangement, the plastics material sheeting is thermoplastic so that after the sheeting is inserted in the guttering, the plastics material can be heated and shaped, for example to form blocked end walls and drain spouts in register with the down pipe from the guttering.

In conjunction with single sided guttering there may be plastic C-clips for holding the plastic sheeting to the free side of the guttering. Such C-clips may comprise plastic tubes which are longitudinally slit, so that such tubes can be clipped over the edges of adjacent sheeting and guttering and trapping the edges of the sheeting.

In forming a drain spout in the section of the sheeting covering the base of the troughing an aperture is made, and then a blow torch is used to soften the plastics material around the edge of the aperture so that it can be shaped to spout form. A conical sleeve may be pushed into the aperture to effect the shaping, and to form an extension.

Such a conical sleeve may be formed by the wall section of an article such as a plastic flower pot or a specially shaped thimble. When the plastics material re-hardens, for example around the edge of the conical sleeve, it will grip to and seal to such sleeve forming an effective down-spout extending into the down pipe.

For the blanking off of the end of the sheeting, it may be folded so as to form a transverse upright wall and again using a heating means such a blow torch, the wall can be fixed in erected condition, and sealed to prevent escape of water at such end.

The invention in its preferred form has many advantages.

Thus, no messy adhesives are required; installation involves no disturbance internally of the building; semi and unskilled labour can be used; the sheeting will not fracture with building movement.

The invention also provides guttering lined by the method and a lining of plastics material for use in the method.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 shows in diagrammatic perspective elevation how a strip of plastics material is utilised for forming a lining for guttering; Fig. 2 shows in front and side elevation an edging strip for use in connection with the gutter lining; Fig. 3 shows in diagrammatic section an industrial building having gutters to be lined; Figs. 4 and 5 show different guttering arrangements suitable for lining according to the present invention; Fig. 6 shows a gutter of the type which exists in connection with the illustrated building in Fig. 3; Fig. 7 shows a downspout of plastics material and usable in connection with the lining according to the invention; and Fig. 8 shows a view similar to Fig. 4, but illustrating a modified construction.

Referring to Fig. 1, the plastic lining for guttering is manufactured from strip material 10 which may be stored on a reel 12, and the strip is simply creased as indicated by crease lines 14, 16, 18 and 20 so as to conform to the profiling of the appropriate gutter to which the lining is to be fitted.

Fig. 2 shows a section of galvanised edging strip which is used in connection with the lining material as will be described hereinafter. The edging strip is indicated by reference numeral 22, and it will be seen that it is centrally joggled at 24 in order to provide an overhang stepped portion 26 which overlaps the lining edge as will be clear from the following.

In order to provide an appropriate gutter lining material 10, the supplier is supplied with the appropriate dimensions i.e.

length and cross sectional dimensions and shape, and then the flat strip material for example from reel 12 is cut to length and to width if necessary, and is then creased accordingly.

It is preferable that a sample of the lining material be supplied to the customer before it is installed.

If it is assumed that the gutter to be lined is in the region for example 28 of the building 30 as shown in Fig. 3, and of which an enlarged view is illustrated in sectional elevation in Fig. 6, it will be seen that reference numeral 32 indicates the roof cladding of the sloped roof side 34 (Fig.

3) whilst the vertical wall portion is indicted by reference 36. Before fitting the sheeting 10, the existing futtering should be well cleaned and all old mastics, bitumens and cement bulging removed. The gutter is of U-shaped channel section 38, and one upright 40 is secured to the wall 36 whilst the other upright 42 has an extended flange 44 which lies under the roof cladding 32.

To insert the gutter lining 10, it is simply placed in position as illustrated to line the interior of the gutter 38 thereby to repair cracks and holes in the guttering, and the edges are covered by edging strips 22, one of which lies on the cladding 32, and the other of which is attached to the wall 36. A felt or other cladding strip 46 such as bitumen may be arranged to overhang the upper edge of the galvanised edging strip 22.

The lining 10 preferably is free to move within its own fixing limit so that it will not unduly distort or buckle when in use.

At the ends, the lining strip 10 can be folded so as to form vertical end faces, and the folded material can be fixed in position by appropriate softening of the material using a blow torch and by sealing together the softened portions.

To provide a downspout for draining water into the downpipe, the base of the lining may be provided with an aperture at the appropriate location, and the material defining the edge of the aperture may then be softened and turned downwardly so as to form a spout mouth into which may be fitted for example a downspout thimble of the form shown in Fig. 7 comprising a cylindrical portion 50 and an upper flange 52. The flange 52 may be sealed to the softened material around the aperture in the lining. As an alternative to the downspout thimble of the form shown in Fig. 7, a truncated conical sleeve of plastics material which can be sealed to the lining material may be used.

Figs. 4 and 5 show two alternative gutter arrangements. In Fig. 4, the existing gutter 60 is located between two sloping roof sections 62 and 64, and the lining 10 is fitted so as to extend under the cladding 62 and 64. The cladding may be wedged as indicated by wedges 66 and 68 to raise the cladding to enable the gutter lining to be fitted thereunder as shown.

Fig. 8 shows an alternative to the Fig. 4 arrangement wherein, instead of wedging the roof claddings 62 and 64 as in the Fig. 4 embodiment, galvanised edging strips 22 which fit under the cladding and over the lining edges are employed. In each of these embodiments again the lining is free to move within its own fixing limits.

In the arrangement shown in Fig. 5, the gutter 70 is an edge of building or single sided gutter so that it lies adjacent roof cladding 72 on the sloping side of the roof, which may be wedged upwardly by a wedge 74 for the same reason as explained in Fig. 4, but the other edge of the gutter indicated by reference 74 is in fact free and overhanging in relation to the building. In order to hold the edge of the lining 10 firmly to the overhanging edge of the gutter 74, an appropriate sized pvc tube 76 may be slit lengthwise with a fine toothed circular saw, and clipped over the adjacent edges of the gutter and lining as shown in Fig. 5 to prevent the gutter lining from being displaced in the wind. Apart from this attachment, the lining is not otherwise attached to the gutter, and indeed the lining in each of the embodiments is relatively free within the gutter although it is held captive by the roof claddings and galvanised strips.

The crease lines 14, 16, 18 and 20 may be formed in the plastic sheet material by any suitable means such as pressure rollers, heated rollers or heat and pressure as required, in order to reduce the section of the material to provide what is sometimes termed an integral hinge.

Claims (14)

1. A method of lining guttering comprising inserting in the guttering plastics material strip by folding the sheeting along to fit the guttering shape.

2. A method according to Claim 1, wherein the sheeting is pre-creased longitudinally and is folded along the creases to fit the guttering.

3. A method according to Claim 2, wherein at least one edge of the sheeting is located under the edge of adjacent roof cladding.

4. A method according to Claim 3, wherein the guttering is valley type between pitched roof sections, and each edge of the sheeting is located under the edge of adjacent roof cladding.

5. A method according to Claim 3, wherein the guttering is valley type between a pitched roof section and a vertical wall, and the edge of the sheeting adjacent the vertical wall is located under an edging strip affixed to the vertical wall.

6. A method according to Claim 3, wherein the guttering is single sided and the free edge of the guttering the sheeting is attached thereto by means of a clip.

7. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the or each end of the plastic sheeting is boxed by means of an end cap sealed thereto.

8. A method according to any of Claims 1 to 6, wherein the or each end of the plastic sheeting is boxed by folding end sections thereof and sealing same in position.

9. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the guttering sheeting is provided with a drain spout by cutting an aperture therein, softening the sheeting around the aperture, and by inserting an outlet spout thimble through the aperture so that the sheeting bonds to the spout thimble.

10. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the plastics sheeting is not held to the guttering other than the fitting fitting thereinto and where appropriate the trapping of the sheet edges.

11. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein, where the sheeting edges are located under the roof cladding, the cladding is eased up using wedges to allow the plastics sheeting edges to be located under the roof cladding.

12. A method of lining guttering substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

13. Guttering lined with plastics material sheeting in accordance with the method as claimed in any preceding claim.

14. Plastics material sheeting for lining guttering in accordance with the method according to any one or more of Claims 1 to 12.