GB2321477A

GB2321477A - Mounting guttering on a building

Info

Publication number: GB2321477A
Application number: GB9701736A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Andrew Timothy Rouston
Original assignee: BLUEBIRD FIXINGS Ltd
Current assignee: BLUEBIRD FIXINGS Ltd
Priority date: 1997-01-28
Filing date: 1997-01-28
Publication date: 1998-07-29
Also published as: GB9701736D0

Abstract

A method of mounting guttering on a building having a roof comprising supporting timber comprises securing to the supporting timber a plurality of mounting straps (7) each having a first portion (7a) extending in the plane of the roof and a second portion (7b) extending therefrom substantially vertically downwards, in use, and attaching the guttering (10, 11, 12) to the second portion of each of the straps. The invention also provides a device for mounting guttering on a building having a roof comprising supporting timber (4), the device comprising a mounting strap (7) having a first portion (7a) extending in the plane of the roof and a second portion (7b) extending therefrom substantially vertically, in use, and a mounting bracket (10) for receiving the guttering, the mounting bracket being attached to the second portion.

Description

METHOD OF AND DEVICE FOR MOUNTING GUT'REARING ON A BUILDING Field of the Invention This invention relates to a method of mounting guttering on a building, as well as to a device for use in such a method.

Background to the Invention When attaching rainwater guttering to existing buildings having no facia board, it is common practice to use metal spiked supports which are driven into the mortar between courses of brickwork or the like, a holding bracket for the guttering then being attached by means of a screwthreaded part extending therefrom and passed through a hole in the support. Nuts threaded on to the threaded part on either side of the support are then used to adjust and fix the height of the holding bracket, permitting the fall of the guttering to be correctly set.

In practice, this type of arrangement can be unsatisfactory, because the act of driving the spike into the mortar inevitably causes some disruption to the brickwork, requiring subsequent remedial work. In the case of single skin walls, in the U.K. typically of 41A inches thickness, there is a considerable risk that the upper bricks in the wall will be dislodged. In addition, the installation of the support and the bracket is relatively time-consuming.

Summary of the Invention According to the invention, there is provided a method of mounting guttering on a building having a roof comprising supporting timber, the method comprising securing to the supporting timber a plurality of mounting straps each having a first portion extending in the plane of the roof and a second portion extending therefrom substantially vertically downwards, in use, and attaching the guttering to the second portion of each of the straps.

Preferably, the second portion of each strap is provided with an elongate slot therein, for receiving a bolt or screw attaching a bracket for the guttering, whereby the height of the guttering may be adjusted at each strap to give the desired gradient or fall to the guttering to ensure that rainwater runs towards the downpipe connected to the guttering.

The guttering can be of any suitable shape, for example semicircular, rectangular or the more complex cross-sectional shapes conventionally employed.

The straps may be formed of any suitably rigid material, preferably a metal which can be bent by hand to vary the angle between the two portions. Examples of suitable metals are stainless steel and mild steel. In the case of mild steel, a corrosion-preventing coating will be required, for example galvanising treatment, paint, or plastics coatings such as epoxy materials. The coatings could be applied by any of the known techniques such as spraying, powder coating, electrophoretic coating or simple dip coating. The straps are preferably provided with a series of spaced holes along the first portion to enable nails or screws to be driven through into the roof timbers. For pitched roofs, it will be preferred to attach the first portion of each strap to the laths from which the tiles are hung, and the length of the first portion, together with the spacing of the holes, will be chosen to span and enable attachment to at least two of the laths. The second portion will then extend downwards at an acute angle to the first portion. In the case of a flat roof, it will be possible to attach the first portion of each strap to the timber decking of the roof, the second portion then extending substantially at right angles to the first portion.

The method of the invention permits guttering to be attached easily and with the minimum of disruption to existing buildings, for example older agricultural buildings which have not previously been provided with any. By sliding the lower tiles upwards to expose the tile laths, the straps may simply be nailed to the laths. The tiles can then be repositioned, and the guttering attached to the straps by means of suitable brackets, for example the plastics brackets conventionally used for attaching guttering to wooden facia boards. Adjustment of the guttering to achieve the correct fall is readily carried out by sliding the brackets along the slots in the second portions until the desired position is attained, and then tightening the fixing bolts. This will usually be carried out before the guttering is introduced into the mounting brackets.

The invention also provides a device for mounting guttering on a building having a roof comprising supporting timber, the device comprising a mounting strap having a first portion extending in the plane of the roof and a second portion extending therefrom substantially vertically, in use, and a mounting bracket for receiving the guttering, the mounting bracket being attached to the second portion.

Preferably the attachment of the mounting bracket to the second portion is such as to permit attachment at different heights, and is more preferably by way of a bolt passing through an elongate slot in the second portion, permitting the bracket to be slid to its desired position and then fixed by the bolt.

The method and device of the invention enable guttering to be installed on a building quickly and simply, with the minimum of disruption, and without damage to the fabric of the building.

Brief Description of the Drawings In the drawings, which illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the invention: Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view through a part of a pitched roof with a guttering mounting in accordance with the invention attached thereto; Figure 2 is a part view of a building with a strap forming part of the device shown in Figure 1 being attached; and Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the centre portion of the roof shown in Figure 2, with the strap attached.

Detailed Description of the Illustrated Embodiment Referring first to Figure 1, the building comprises a wall 1 formed of a double thickness of brick, with no cavity therebetween, in the manner of older buildings. A wall plate 2 of timber is bedded on the top of the wall 1 and carries the timber joists 3 and rafters 4 which make up the structure of the roof. Extending transversely across the outer surfaces of the rafters 4 are spaced tile laths 5, from which the tiles 6 are hung. Typically, some of the tiles might be nailed to the laths, but the majority will simply be laid on the laths and held in place by the weight of the upper tiles. In more modern buildings, a layer of waterproof roofing felt may extend across the rafters beneath the tile laths 5, but in older buildings this is likely not to be present, and in the drawings is omitted for the sake of clarity.

The device comprises a metal strap 7 having a first portion 7a extending at the angle of the rafters 4 and a second portion 7b extending vertically downwards. The strap, which may be formed of mild steel protected against corrosion by galvanising, or of stainless steel, is of a thickness such that it may be bent by hand to suit the pitch of the roof, since in practice roof pitch tends to vary widely, especially with older roofs. The first portion 7a is provided with a series of holes 8 (Figures 2 and 3) spaced along its length for fixing nails or screws, while the second portion 7b has an elongate slot 9 for attachment of a support bracket 10 for the guttering. The support bracket 10, which may be formed of a plastics material, for example, has a backplate 11 with a hole therethrough to receive a fixing bolt 12 which may be passed through the slot 9 to permit the position of the bracket 10 to be adjusted vertically to provide for a gradient or fall on the guttering to assist in flow of water towards the downpipe (not shown).

Figures 2 and 3 illustrate the method of the invention. To install the device on a building with a pitched tiled roof 20, one or more tiles 6 in the lowermost row or rows are slid upwardly to expose sufficient of the laths 5 to permit the first portion 7a of the strap 7 to be fastened to the laths by nailing through the holes 8, the strap being positioned so that the second portion 7b is positioned to enable the guttering to be located to receive the water running off the tiles, in use. The tiles 6a which have been slid upwardly can then be returned to their former position, and the next strap 7 can be installed at a positioned spaced laterally from the first, the interval between the straps being determined by the required support for the guttering. When the straps are all in position, the brackets 10 (Figure 1) may then be fastened to the respective second portions 7b of the straps by bolts, the bracket being slid vertically until the desired position is achieved before the bolt is tightened to lock the bracket in position. The guttering can then be located in the brackets in the conventional manner.

Claims

1. A method of mounting guttering on a building having a roof comprising supporting timber, the method comprising securing to the supporting timber a plurality of mounting straps each having a first portion extending in the plane of the roof and a second portion extending therefrom substantially vertically downwards, in use, and attaching the guttering to the second portion of each of the straps.

2. A method according to Claim 1, wherein the second portion of each strap is provided with an elongate slot therein, and the method comprises passing through said slot a bolt or screw attaching a bracket for the guttering, and adjusting the height of the guttering at each strap to give the desired gradient or fall to the guttering.

3. A method according to Claim 1 or 2, comprising attaching the first portion of each strap to one or more of the tile-supporting laths secured to the supporting timber of a pitched roof, and bending the second portion downwardly at an angle to the first portion.

4. A method according to Claim 1 or 2, comprising attaching the first portion of each strap to the timber decking of a flat roof, and bending the second portion so as to extend downwardly substantially at right angles to the first portion.

5. A method of mounting guttering on a building, substantially as described with reference to the drawings.

6. A mounting strap for use in a method according to any preceding claim, formed of a metal which can be bent by hand to vary the angle between the two portions.

7. A device for mounting guttering on a building having a roof comprising supporting timber, the device comprising a mounting strap having a first portion extending in the plane of the roof and a second portion extending therefrom substantially vertically, in use, and a mounting bracket for receiving the guttering, the mounting bracket being attached to the second portion.

8. A device according to Claim 7, wherein the mounting strap is formed of stainless steel.

9. A device according to Claim 7, wherein the mounting strap is formed of mild steel.

10. A device according to Claim 9, wherein the mounting strap is coated with a corrosion-preventing coating.

11. A device according to Claim 10, wherein the coating is formed by galvanising treatment, or is paint or a plastics coating such as epoxy materials.

12. A device according to any of Claims 7 to 11, wherein the mounting strap is provided with a series of spaced holes along the first portion to enable nails or screws to be driven through into the roof timbers.

13. A device for mounting guttering on a building having a roof comprising supporting timber, substantially as described with reference to, or as shown in, the drawings.