Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04D—ROOF COVERINGS; SKY-LIGHTS; GUTTERS; ROOF-WORKING TOOLS
  • E04D13/00—Special arrangements or devices in connection with roof coverings; Protection against birds; Roof drainage ; Sky-lights
  • E04D13/04—Roof drainage; Drainage fittings in flat roofs, balconies or the like
  • E04D13/064—Gutters
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04D—ROOF COVERINGS; SKY-LIGHTS; GUTTERS; ROOF-WORKING TOOLS
  • E04D13/00—Special arrangements or devices in connection with roof coverings; Protection against birds; Roof drainage ; Sky-lights
  • E04D13/04—Roof drainage; Drainage fittings in flat roofs, balconies or the like
  • E04D13/076—Devices or arrangements for removing snow, ice or debris from gutters or for preventing accumulation thereof

Definitions

• the present invention relates to gutter assemblies, and relates particularly, but not exclusively, to gutter assemblies for draining rain water from roofs.
• the gravity drainage system 2 includes a structural gutter 4 mounted between inclined roof panels 6 for collecting rain water draining off the roof panels 6.
• Gravity rain water outlets 8 (of which only one is shown in Figure 1) are provided in the gutter 4 and lead to respective down pipes 10 which are connected to an underground drainage system, as will be familiar to persons skilled in the art, and water drains away through the down pipes 10 by means of gravity.
• Siphonic drainage systems such as that shown in Figure 2 are known which attempt to overcome this problem.
• the siphonic drainage system 102 of Figure 2 - is mounted to an elongate structural gutter 104 mounted between inclined roof panels 106 to collect rainwater draining off the roof panels 106.
• a primary outlet 108 and secondary outlet 110 are provided in the gutter 104 and lead to outlet pipes 112, 114 respectively, which are in turn connected to a primary collection pipe 116 and a secondary collection pipe 118 respectively.
• the collection pipes 116, 118 are connected to vertical drainage downpipes (not shown) at their ends.
• the siphonic drainage system 102 of Figure 2 has the advantage of requiring fewer downpipes, as a result of the increased rate of flow of water away from the gutter 104 , which reduces the extent to which downpipes cause an obstruction in the lower part of the useful space of a building, since the downpipes may be located at the ends of the collection pipes 116, 118.
• the drainage system 102 of Figure 2 suffers from a number of disadvantages.
• the main disadvantage is that the provision of separate pipework fittings and joints outside of the gutter 104 generally necessitates location of the pipework inside the building, which means that if -a failure occurs, because of the high flow rate of the system 102, substantial damage can be caused to the structure and contents of the building to which the system 102 is installed.
• the outlet pipes 112, 114 and collection pipes 116, 118 occupy a considerable volume in the upper part of the useful space of the building, which reduces the proportion of useable space in the building.
• outlet pipes 112, 114 and collection pipes 116, 118 of the siphonic drainage system 102 can be subjected to considerable stresses in use, which can under certain circumstances damage joints between the gutter 104 and the primary and secondary outlets 108, 110, which in turn can cause leaks from the gutter 104. This can be a considerable problem in cases where the gutter 104 is located inside the building .
• a gutter assembly comprising (i) at least one elongate gutter for receiving water and defining at least one first water transport channel having at least one cover member defining at least one first water inlet to at least one said first water transport channel, (ii) at least one first water outlet adapted to be connected to a respective drainage pipe, and (iii) vortex reducing means for reducing formation of vortices in the vicinity of at least one said first water inlet, wherein at least one said first water transport channel is adapted to fill with water and be substantially free of air to enable water to be transported along the channel by means of suction in at least one drainage pipe connected in use to a said first water outlet.
• a gutter defining at least one first water transport channel such that water is transported along the channel by means of suction in at least one drainage pipe
• this provides the advantage of enabling water to be transported away from the gutter at higher rates of flow than in the case of a gravity drainage system, but without necessitating the provision of outlet and collection pipes outside of the gutter, as required by a conventional siphonic drainage system.
• the provision of at least one first water transport channel in the gutter as opposed to providing transport pipes externally of the gutter, enables the water transport channels to be provided externally of the building, which minimises the risk .of leakage into a building to which the gutter assembly is installed.
• the invention minimises the risks associated with expansion and contraction of pipework external to the gutter, and the structural deficiencies of that pipework being inadequately restrained.
• the provision of vortex reducing means for reducing formation of vortices in the vicinity of at least one said first water inlet provides the advantage of minimising air intake and maximising the rate of flow of water through the assembly by maximising the volume of water accommodated in the or each first water transport channel .
• the assembly may further comprise at least one profiled insert adapted to be located inside a respective gutter to define at least one said first water transport channel .
• the assembly may further comprise at least one conduit adapted to be located inside a respective gutter to define at least one said first water transport channel.
• At least one said cover member may be adapted to be mounted to at least one said gutter.
• This provides the advantage of facilitating construction of the assembly, whilst allowing for maintenance and/or cleaning by means of removal of the cover member.
• At__l_east part of at least- one said first water transport channel may have increasing cross sectional area in a direction towards at least one said first water outlet . This provides the advantage of maximising the extent to which said first water transport channel becomes filled with water and substantially air free to enable water transport by means of suction.
• At least one said gutter may define a plurality of water transport channels.
• This provides the advantage of providing further water transport channels when the or each first water transport channel reaches its intended design capacity.
• the assembly may comprise at least one said first water transport channel, and at least one second water transport channel adapted to receive water when the rate of flow of water in at least one said first water transport channel reaches a predetermined amount.
• the assembly may further comprise means for indicating flow of water in at least one said second water transport channel .
• transport channel may comprise a respective outlet to an exterior of the second water transport channel .
• At least one said gutter may define at least one second water outlet, and at least one said second water transport channel may be adapted to fill with water and be substantially free of air to enable water to be transported along the channel by means of suction in at least one drainage pipe connected in use to at least one said second water outlet.
• At least part of at least one said second water transport channel may have increasing cross sectional area in a direction towards at least one said second water outlet.
• At least one said gutter may have a said first water outlet arranged adjacent a first end thereof and at least one said second water outlet arranged adjacent a second end thereof.
• This provides the advantage of enabling use of space in the gutter to be maximised by enabling water to flow in one direction along a first water transport channel of increasing cross section, and in the opposite direction along a second water transport channel of increasing cross section .
• the vortex reducing means comprises at least one vortex reducing member adapted to be located adjacent at least one said first water inlet. This provides the advantage of simplifying construction of the assembly.
• At least one said vortex reducing member may include a plurality of fins for defining a plurality of second water inlets for directing water to at least one said first water inlet .
• At least one said vortex reducing member may include a profiled surface for directing water from at least one said second water inlet to at least one said first water inlet.
• This provides the advantage of assisting change of direction of water between the second water inlet and the first water inlet.
• an insert assembly for forming a gutter assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, the insert assembly comprising at least one first insert adapted to be mounted to an elongate gutter to define at least one first water transport channel having at least one cover member defining at least one first water inlet to at least one said first water transport channel, and vortex reducing means for reducing formation of vortices in the vicinity of at least one said first water inlet, wherein at least one said first water transport channel is adapted to fill with water and be substantially free of air to enable water .to be transported .along the channel- by means of- suction in at least one drainage pipe connected in use to a first water outlet of said first water transport channel.
• the insert assembly may further comprise at least one second insert adapted to be mounted to an elongate gutter to define at least one second water transport channel adapted to receive water when the rate of flow of water in at least one said first water transport channel reaches a predetermined amount.
• Figure 1 is a schematic cross sectional illustration of a conventional gravity gutter system
• Figure 2 is a schematic cross sectional illustration of a conventional siphonic gutter system
• Figure 3 is a schematic cross sectional view of a gutter assembly embodying the present invention and installed in a roof;
• Figure 4 is a perspective view of part of the gutter assembly of Figure 3;
• Figure 5 is a bottom view of a vortex reducing member of the gutter assembly of Figure 3.
• Figure 6 is a side cross sectional view of the vortex reducing member .of. Figure 5.
• a gutter assembly 202 has a generally horizontal gutter 204 formed from pre- bonded membrane steel, or any other suitable material to avoid corrosion, and lined with thermal insulation (not shown) .
• a series of first profiled inserts 206 and second profiled inserts 208 are located in the gutter 204 to form a primary water transport channel 210 and a secondary water transport channel 212 respectively.
• the cross sectional area of the primary water transport channel 210 increases in the direction of arrows A in figure 4, and that of the secondary water transport channel 212 increases in the direction of arrows B.
• the primary water transport channel 210 has a cover 214 defining primary water inlets 216 arranged lengthwise in the direction of the primary water transport channel 210.
• the secondary water transport channel 212 has a cover 218 defining secondary water inlets 220 arranged lengthwise in the direction of the secondary water transport channel 212.
• the primary water inlets 216 and secondary water inlets 220 allow water draining from inclined roof panels 222 into the gutter 204 to enter the primary 210 and secondary 212 water transport channels respectively.
• First vortex reduction members 224 and second vortex reduction members 226 reduce the creation of vortices in water entering the primary and secondary water transport channels 210, 212 respectively, and are located on top of the primary and secondary water inlets 216, 220 respectively.
• the second vortex reduction members 226 are generally of identical construction to the first vortex reduction members 224 and are mounted to respective cylindrical supports 228 so that the height of the second vortex reduction members 226 is higher than that of the first vortex reduction members 224, for reasons which will be explained in greater detail below.
• each of the vortex reduction members 224 , 226 comprises a generally circular metallic plate 230 having a profiled lower surface 232 at a central part of its underside, and a series of generally equiangularly arranged fins 234 (eight fins 234 being shown in Figure 5) around its periphery.
• the fins 234 define horizontal water inlets 236 for directing water flow towards a primary water inlet 216 or secondary water inlet 220, and the profiled lower surface 232 assists in changing the direction of water flow from horizontal as it enters the inlets 236 to direct the water down the primary 216 or secondary 220 water inlet to minimise the formation of vortices as the water is directed into the inlets 216, 220.
• the primary water transport channel 210 is connected at its wider end to a discharge downpipe 238 at the edge of .a building (not shown) to which the gutter assembly 202 is installed such that water initially drains away through the downpipe 238 by means of gravity, until the primary channel 210 fills sufficiently with water to cause the water to be more rapidly drawn away by suction.
• the secondary water transport channel 212 is connected at its wider end (i.e. the opposite end to that to which downpipe 238 is connected to primary water transport channel 210) to an outlet pipe 240 (shown in dotted line in Figure 3) which discharges out of the building .and provides a visual- indication when water flows in the secondary water transport channel 212.
• the secondary water transport channel 212 may be connected to a discharge pipe in a similar manner to the primary water transport channel 210.
• the profiled inserts 206, 208 are arranged such that the cross sectional area of the primary water transport channel 210increases in a direction towards the downpipes 238 and that of the secondary water transport channel increases in a direction towards outlet pipe 240. This ensures that the water transport channels 210, 212 fill with water in a relatively uniform manner as water enters the channels 210, 212 through the respective inlets21 ⁇ , 220 arranged along the channels .
• water reaches the level of the second vortex reduction members 226 and therefore enters the secondary water inlets 220 and travels along the secondary water transport channel 212, from where it either discharges through an outlet pipe, or the secondary water transport channel 212 fills with water and becomes substantially air free and creates a negative pressure or suction in a similar manner to the primary water transport channel 210.
• water transport channels 210, 212 may be formed by means of one or more pipes located in the gutter 204.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Architecture (AREA)
• Civil Engineering (AREA)
• Structural Engineering (AREA)
• Sink And Installation For Waste Water (AREA)
• Investigation Of Foundation Soil And Reinforcement Of Foundation Soil By Compacting Or Drainage (AREA)
• Jet Pumps And Other Pumps (AREA)
• Measurement Of The Respiration, Hearing Ability, Form, And Blood Characteristics Of Living Organisms (AREA)
• Undergarments, Swaddling Clothes, Handkerchiefs Or Underwear Materials (AREA)
• Ultra Sonic Daignosis Equipment (AREA)
• Paper (AREA)
• Centrifugal Separators (AREA)
• Laying Of Electric Cables Or Lines Outside (AREA)

Priority Applications (6)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=35911571

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (9)

Cited By (4)

Families Citing this family (6)

Citations (7)

• 2006
  • 2006-01-10 GB GBGB0600332.1A patent/GB0600332D0/en not_active Ceased
• 2007
  • 2007-01-05 CN CNA2007800020643A patent/CN101365851A/zh active Pending
  • 2007-01-05 CA CA002636413A patent/CA2636413A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2007-01-05 DE DE602007005932T patent/DE602007005932D1/de active Active
  • 2007-01-05 WO PCT/GB2007/000028 patent/WO2007080380A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2007-01-05 EA EA200870162A patent/EA200870162A1/ru unknown
  • 2007-01-05 JP JP2008549921A patent/JP2009522479A/ja active Pending
  • 2007-01-05 AT AT07700332T patent/ATE464441T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2007-01-05 EP EP07700332A patent/EP1971729B1/en not_active Not-in-force

Patent Citations (7)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events