WO1995002100A1

WO1995002100A1 - A gutter system

Info

Publication number: WO1995002100A1
Application number: PCT/AU1994/000382
Authority: WO
Inventors: David William Snell
Original assignee: David William Snell
Priority date: 1993-07-09
Filing date: 1994-07-08
Publication date: 1995-01-19

Abstract

A gutter system (10) for roofs having a top wall (15) overlying the gutter channel (11) with a forward portion (16) of the top wall curving into the gutter and being spaced inwardly from the front (12) of the gutter. A mesh (20) can be placed in the formed slot (22). The system minimises water overflowing the gutter and provides a good separation between debris and water.

Description

TITLE

A GUTTER SYSTEM FIELD OF THE INVENTION THIS INVENTION relates to a gutter system for roof gutters, ground gutters and the like whereby water can readily flow into the gutter channel but debris such as leaves and twigs will pass over the gutter.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Roof gutters are generally difficult to access for cleaning purposes and therefore there is a tendency to not clean or inspect the gutters. However, roof gutters over time will become clogged with leaves and twigs and this will result in water blockage. The water can then flow into the ceiling of a house and cause extensive damage. Rotting or warping of the fascia can also occur. The gutters are prone or rusting if water cannot flow freely therefrom.

Ground gutters are also prone to clogging but are generally more accessible. It is necessary to provide a grating over the gutter to prevent injury occurring. These gratings can slow down leaves and twigs entering into the gutter, but are still not very effective.

Leaf excluders for gutters are known. Typically, the leaf excluder comprises a plastic or metal mesh which is positioned in the gutter. Sometimes, a portion of the mesh sits proud of the gutter. Perforated metal sheets are also known as leaf excluders.

The current leaf excluders suffer from a number of disadvantages. Firstly, the excluders are usually purchased as a separate unit and must be fitted to the gutters. This can be a finicky and a dangerous process. If the excluders are improperly fitted, their effectiveness is reduced. If the mesh size of the leaf excluders is small, water tends to run over the mesh and over-shoot the gutter rather than pass therethrough. If the mesh size is made larger, the holes can trap twigs and leaves which in turn act as catchers for other debris. It is known to raise the mesh above the top of the gutter such that the mesh acts as a wall through which the water must flow. This allows the mesh size to be small without water over-shooting the gutter. However, in this arrangement, debris is also trapped behind the wall. A further disadvantage with current leaf excluders is that it is necessary from time-to-time to flush the gutter with water. This is because the gutter collects fine debris which will form a sludge or a mat if not periodically removed. Currently, it is necessary to remove the leaf excluder, clean the gutter and then re-position the excluder which is again finicky and can be a dangerous operation for roof gutters.

The problem associated with gutter debris could be reduced if the mouth of the gutter could be made as narrow as possible. However, the more narrow the mouth is, the higher the percentage of water which can splash over the gutter, or over-shoot the gutter.

It is also known to use a roof gutter where the gutter channel is protected by a lid and where the outer end of the lid is curved downwardly into the gutter channel. Water passes around the curve by surface adhesion while debris simply falls away. In this type of gutter, the curved nose portion extends above and in front of the front wall of the gutter so that debris would fall to the ground rather than into the gutter. In practice, water did not always follow the curved path and much water did end up overshooting the gutter. The debris also tended to make the water flow turbulent and therefore difficult to flow around the curved portion and into the gutter channel.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been devised to improve on gutters of the type having a curved surface. The invention can minimise water overshooting the gutter by spacing the curved portion inwardly from the front face of the gutter rather than in front of the gutter.

In one form, the invention resides in a gutter system comprising a front wall, a rear wall and a bottom wall to define a gutter channel for collecting water, a top wall extending from the rear wall and towards the front wall, the top wall having a curved forward portion which curves into the gutter channel and which portion is spaced inwardly from the front wall such that water passing over the top wall will pass around the curved portion and into the gutter channel.

This arrangement is superior to other known gutter systems using a curved portion as in these systems, the curved portion sits in front of the front wall of the gutter. When water passes over the curved portion, it is found that up to 50% of the water will dislodge from the curved surface and in these known systems, will therefore not pass into the gutter but merely fall to the ground.

In the current system, any dislodged water will still pass predominantly into the gutter channel.

To assist in passing water into the gutter channel, the top wall may be downwardly inclined from the rear wall to the front wall. A pitch of 5° - 40° is suitable with a pitch of 30° being preferred.

The top wall may be substantially smooth to facilitate passage of water and may also be continuous and therefore substantially free of perforations, slots and the like.

The forward portion may be spaced inwardly from the front wall by a distance sufficient to allow water to pass into the gutter channel with minimal or no over-run. Spacing of 1 - 5 centimetres is generally sufficient and a spacing of about 1.5 - 2 centimetres is preferred.

The forward portion may curve from 60° to 180° or more. As water tends to dislodge from the curved portion adjacent the lowermost portion of the curve, it is generally not necessary to extend the forward portion through greater than 180°.

To further minimise entry of debris into the channel, a mesh, perforated sheet and the like may be positioned between the top wall and the front wall of the gutter and to generally overlie the inlet area defined by the spacing between the top and the front wall.

The mesh suitably extends from adjacent the forward portion to below the uppermost point of the front wall to minimise water flowing over the mesh and over the front wall of the gutter system.

To minimise disruption of water flow through the mesh, the mesh may be attached to the curved portion at a position spaced from the initial curving of the curved portion. In this manner, water is already curving about the curved portion due to surface adhesion and is flowing in a direction angled to the plane of the mesh, which reduces the tendency for which to flow along the mesh and overshoot the gutter. The mesh may be attached to the curved portion and the front wall of the gutter by a plurality of spaced fasteners which may be removably attached to the curved portion and front wall so that the mesh can be removed if desired. It is desirable to minimise the possibility of debris clogging the mesh, as this will cause water to overshoot the gutter. Thus, it is desirable to have the mesh pore size sufficient to minimise debris becoming snagged in the mesh. The mesh pore size of about 7 - 30mm is considered to be suitable.

To facilitate self-cleaning of the gutter channel, the gutter channel may be formed with smooth rounded corners and edges. This minimises dirt and the like from collecting and caking in the channel. The top wall may be integrally formed with the remainder of the gutter system. This will eliminate the need to separately fit the top wall to the gutter, and also eliminates any misalignment occurring.

To strengthen the top wall, there may be provided one or more braces. These may extend between the top wall and the front wall, bottom wall, or rear wall, or a combination. If the braces intercept the water flow, the braces may be designed or positioned to provide turbulence to the water flow to facilitate the self-cleaning action of the gutter system.

Alternatively, the mesh can function to brace the top wall to the front wall. The gutter system may be attached to a fascia by simple hooks or brackets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS An embodiment of the invention will be illustrated with reference to the following drawings in which

Figure 1 is a part perspective view of a first embodiment of the gutter;

Figure 2 is an end section view of a second embodiment of the gutter; Figure 3 is a section view of a third embodiment of the gutter;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment;

Figure 5 is an end section view of figure 4; and

Figure 6 is a plan view of figure 4.

BEST MODE

Referring to the embodiment and initially to

Figure 1 there is illustrated a gutter system 10. Gutter system 10 includes a gutter channel 11 formed from a front wall 12, a rear wall 13 and a bottom wall 14.

These walls are preferably integrally formed either from metal or plastic by bending or moulding. Gutter system

10 further includes a top wall 15 which extends from the upper longitudinal edge of rear wall 13 and is inclined downwardly towards front wall 12. Top wall 15, in the embodiment, is integrally formed with rear wall 13 and is of a continuous material. Top wall 15 is inclined at a pitch of approximately 30° down towards front wall 12. Top wall 15 has a curved forward portion 16 which curves through approximately 180° into channel 11. Curved portion 16 is spaced inwardly from front wall 12, the spacing being approximately 20 millimetres. Rear wall 13 is attached to fascia 17 by brackets (not shown). To stiffen top wall 15, over straps 18 are provided, the over straps extending between the rear wall and the front wall and underneath top wall 15. These brackets are spaced along the gutter as required. Over strap 18 passes through an aperture 19 in rear wall 13 as shown.

Between the curved portion 16 and front wall 12 is provided a mesh 20. Mesh 20 has a front longitudinal thickened edge 21 which locates within a slot 22 in front wall 12 as shown. The rear longitudinal edge 23 sits against top wall 15.

In use, water flows along top wall 15 and due to surface adhesion continues to flow about curved portion 16 and into channel 11. Any leaves or debris will be prevented from entering into channel 11 by virtue of mesh 20, and also by virtue of the relatively narrow opening between top wall 15 and front wall 12.

Figure 2 illustrates a similar system which can be injection-moulded from plastics material. In this system, front wall 25, bottom wall 26, rear wall 27 and top wall 28 are integrally formed. The channel 29 is formed with rounded edges to facilitate self-"cleaning of the gutter. The curved portion 30 curves into channel 29 and again is spaced inwardly from front wall 25. It can also be seen in this figure (and also Figure 1 and Figure 3) that by the time water approaches a vertical flow around the curved portion, it is ready below the upper lip of front wall 25. Thus, in the event that water does become dislodged from the curved portion, the water will strike the inside surface of front wall 25 and will flow into channel 29 and will not splash outside the gutter.

A mesh 31 is provided and this mesh may be formed from stainless steel. The mesh again extends between top wall 28 and front wall 25 and includes thickened portions 32, 33 at the longitudinal edges of the mesh which locate within recesses 34 on top wall 28 and slot 35 on front wall 25. Slot 35 traps the thickened edge while recess 34 is configured such that thickened edge 32 fits snugly therein to provide a flush finish and therefore a smooth surface for water flowing over top wall 28 and around curved portion 30. Braces or straps 36 are provided adjacent the lower free edge of top wall 28 to strengthen the top wall 28.

Figure 3 illustrates a gutter system similar to Figure 2 except that a different type of brace 37 is provided. This brace is in the form of a metal or plastic strap which extends from rear wall 27 around curved portion 30 and snaps into a recessed channel 39 in front wall 25.

Each of the gutters illustrated above can be simply hung onto the fascia board by pins 40 (see Figure 2). Referring now to figures 4 to 6 there is illustrated a fourth embodiment of the gutter system. Referring initially to figure 4, the gutter system comprises a gutter having a rear wall 50, a curved bottom wall 51 which continues its generally curved configuration to form front wall 52. The formed gutter channel has a smooth internal curvature which makes cleaning of the gutter channel simpler. The upper peripheral edge of front wall 52 has its usually inwardly directing curved lip 53. Integrally formed with the rear wall is a top wall 54 which covers the gutter channel. The front portion of top wall 54 is curved and curves inwardly into the gutter channel. This curved portion 55 is spaced inwardly from front wall 52. As top wall 54 and curved portion 55 are initially cantilevered, it is braced by mesh 56. Mesh 56 is of a fairly open mesh configuration having rectangular perforations of approximately 25mm long and 7.5 mm wide. This open-slot arrangement minimising snagging of any debris which in turn minimises water flowing over the mesh and overshooting the gutter. Mesh 56 is connected to between front wall 52 and curved portion 55 by a plurality of clips 57 which are spaced approximately 100mm apart. Clips 57 pass through punched openings in curved portion 55 and lip 53. Each end of the clip is formed with a loop of wire which can be pushed through the opening to attach the clip, and therefore the mesh to the gutter. As illustrated in figure 5, the mesh is positioned on lip 53 at a spacing inward and downward of the uppermost portion of lip 53 such that should any water pass over the mesh, it will hit lip 53 and then pass back into the gutter rather than overshoot the lip. The top wall 54 of the gutter can be provided with a slightly raised land portion 58. Land portion 58 provides added strength to the top wall, but also flattens out any water flowing from the roofing sheets prior to the water passing about the curved portion. This is particularly relevant for corrugated roofs where water passes from the roof and onto top wall 54 as separate streams. Land portion 58 functions to flatten the separate streams which will improve the adhesion of the water about curved portion 55. As water passes around curved portion 55, it drops into the gutter channel as the lowermost free edge 60 of curved portion 55 is spaced from the bottom of the gutter channel. Thus, water flowing about curved portion 55 becomes dislodged at 60 and drops into the gutter channel with sufficient velocity and turbulence to also provide a rinsing action in the gutter channel. This, together with the generally curved bottom configuration of the gutter channel can provide a self cleaning effect to the gutter.

The gutter can be attached to a fascia 61 by clips 62 which can be of a conventional type. To allow the clips to pass into the gutter, slots 63 are formed in the junction between rear wall 50 and top wall 54. Rear wall 50 also includes a longitudinal inwardly extending rib 65 the function of which is to assist in locking clip 62 to the gutter. The angle of the gutter against the fascia can be adjusted via clip 62 in a known manner. The slots are higher than the overflow level on the front wall such that water will not pass into the slot.

If the gutter system is formed from non- conductive material (such as plastic), the mesh may be formed from conductive material and may be subjected to a small electric charge. This makes the gutter ideal for snow as the small electric charge with melt the snow. The front wall of the gutter system is lower than the rear wall such that should there be blocking of the downpipe, water will flow over the font wall in preference to through the apertures through which pins 40 pass. Thus, the front wall is lower than the position of the slots in rear wall 27.

By having the gutter virtually enclosed, there is little likelihood of debris entering into the gutter. The gutter can act as a snow gutter and a normal rainwater gutter. Combustion of debris in the gutter due to adjacent forest fires is eliminated or substantially reduced by virtue of the covering effect of top wall 54.

It should be appreciated that various other changes and modifications may be made to the embodiment without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Claims

CLAIMS :

1. A gutter system comprising a front wall, a rear wall and a bottom wall to define a gutter channel for collecting water, a top wall extending from the rear wall and towards the front wall, the top wall having a curved forward portion which curves into the gutter channel and which portion is spaced inwardly from the front wall such that water passing over the top wall will pass around the curved portion and into the gutter channel.

2. The gutter system of claim 1, wherein a mesh is positioned across the spacing between the curved forward portion and the front wall.

3. The gutter system of claim 2, wherein the mesh contacts the curved forward position such that water passing over the forward portion strikes the mesh at an inclined angle.

4. The gutter system of claim 3, wherein the mesh contacts the front wall of the gutter at a position below the uppermost point of the front wall such that water passing along the mesh will strike the front wall and will pass into the gutter.

5. The gutter system of claim 2, wherein the mesh includes fasteners having portions which pass into openings on the curved forward portion and the front wall to fasten the mesh to the gutter system.

6. The gutter system of claim 1, wherein the top wall is integrally formed with the back wall.

7. The gutter system of claim 1, wherein the bottom wall and the front wall form a U-shaped configuration.

8. The gutter assembly of claim 1, wherein the spacing between the curved forward portion and the front wall is between 1 - 5cm .

9. The gutter assembly of claim 1, wherein the forward portion curves between 60° - 180° relative to the vertical.

10. The gutter assembly of claim 1, wherein the top wall is downwardly inclined at an angle between 5° - 40°.

11. The gutter assembly of claim 1, including openings to allow the gutter system to be mounted to a roof, the openings being higher than an overflow level on the front wall such that water is prevented from passing through the openings.