AU676809B2 - Guttering system - Google Patents

Description

0) 1 P/00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: GUTTERING SYSTEM This invention relates generally to guttering for the carriage of rainwater from a rainwater catchment area, such as the roof area of a building, to a collection point. The collection point is commonly a drain system but can be a water storage means.

S Guttering as presently used is channel shaped and is positioned below the terminal edge of roof cladding means, conventionally tiles or metal sheet material, so that rainwater will discharge into the guttering. The guttering is sloped along its length, which slope is commonly called a'fall', so as to *i 10 promote a flow of water towards a discharge opening from the guttering.

Problems with guttering arise from the shallow fall commonly adopted in order achieve an aesthetically acceptable appearance for the guttering. By adopting a greater fall quick discharge of the rainwater from the guttering is achievable. The greater fall minimises the possibility of there being local low spots in the guttering where water can 'pool' and promote corrosion.

The greater fall also mimimises silting in the guttering, a prime cause of corrosion, because dust and like accumulations in the guttering are more readily washed away where there is a swift flow of water, as follows from the use of a "substantive fall", which term is to be understood to mean a fall substantially greater than that conventionally used for rainwater guttering.

It is an object of the present invention to provide means whereby a substantive fall can be given to rainwater guttering in an aesthetically acceptable manner.

Broadly stated the invention can be said to provide a guttering system to collect rainwater from the rainwater catchment surface of a building, said system includes a rainwater guttering which is of channel form with a front wall, a back wall and a bottom, and a) concealing thep wiwch includes a front panel and a bottom panel to respectivley conceal the guttering front wall and bottom, the fascia front and bottom panels define two sides of a guttering compartment with oooo a depth between a top edge of the front panel and said bottom panel which is sufficient to house a guttering which has a substantive angle of fall relative to the horizontal, mounting means for said guttering and said fascia whereby said 015 system can be mounted to a building which has a rainwater catchment surface, the mounting means for said guttering allows said guttering to be mounted below o* a discharge edge of said catchment surface and with a substantive angle of fall relative to the horizontal, and a rainwater deflector means positioned within said guttering compartment and having an imperforate zone to deflect into said guttering at least that rainwater which discharges from said catchment surface with a velocity sufficient to overshoot said guttering.

-2a- Several preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig.1 is an end view of a first elemental form of the guttering system according to the present invention, Fig.2 is an end view of a modified elemental form of the guttering system, Fig.3 is an exploded isometric view of a further form of the guttering system for use with a rainwater catchment means comprising roof tiles *0 0.: ft f ftf ft ft ft ft: ftftft f I I 3 which have their terminal edges substantially at the eaves line of an associated building, Fig.4 is a variation of the form of the invention as shown in Fig.3, is an end view of a guttering system using the components illustrated in Fig.3, and Fig.6 is an end view of a form of the invention using the major components of the members shown in Fig.3 and the roof tiles have their terminal edges disposed beyond the eaves line of an associated wall.

In the elemental form of the system as shown in Fig.1 a quad type guttering 1 is fixed to a fascia board 2 of a building. The guttering in full line representing a typical vertical position for the highest end of the run of guttering and the broken line representation indicates the elevation of the guttering at it lowest end.

In Fig.1, the guttering concealing fascia member 3 has a front panel 4 and a bottom panel 5 to provide a guttering housing compartment. The top edge of the panel 4 is profiled at 6 and free edge of the bottom panel 5 is profiled at 7. There are water drain holes 8 in the bottom panel 5. The 20 front and bottom panels 4 and 5 of the fascia 3 hide the guttering 1 from view from below and in elevation.

Mounted on the fascia board 2 at regular spacing these ae brackets ::i each having a curled upper end 11 and a profiled tail end 12. The o' 25 brackets 10 are horizontally aligned. The bracket ends 11 and 12 are respectively engaged by the profiled edges 6 and 7 of the concealing fascia 3 thereby to demountably clip the fascia 3 horizontally on the mounting brackets The guttering 1 is mounted in conventional gutter brackets 9 fixed at regular spaced apart intervals to the building fascia and at elevations providing the required fall for the guttering.

The terminal edge 6 of the concealing fascia 3 is provided with a flange 13 to overlie the upper edge of a limb 14 of a deflector 15. The deflector has a second limb 16 at an acute angle to the limb 14 and at the junction of the limbs 14 and 16 there are apertures 17. The valley at the junction of the limbs 14 and 16 rests in the similarly shaped Vees 38 of the mounting brackets The deflector 15 has other limbs 18,19,20 as illustrated with the bracing limb 20 bearing on the surface of the building fascia 2 to securely support the deflector As illustrated the tiles 21 overhang the guttering and the sarking of the roof extends over the building fascia 2 and overhangs the top edge of the deflector flange 20 The numeral 23 indicated a perforated leaf excluder of known form which is resiliently mounted in the manner illustrated.

i .i In a normal guttering system the vertical drop between the terminal edges of the tiles 21 and the top of the guttering is very small and in some 25 arrangements the terminal edges of the tiles can extend into the guttering so the discharge ends of the valleys in the tiles are below the top edge of the guttering. In such arrangements all of the water discharged will enter the guttering.

As proposed by the present invention the guttering is lower than the terminal edges of the tile valley (or the corrugations of corrugated iron roofing) and at the lowest end of the run of guttering it is well below the terminal edges of the tile valleys. Under very light to light rainfall conditions and low wind conditions the discharged rainwater will generally fall substantially vertically into the guttering. However, where there is moderate to heavy rainfall the discharge velocity of the rainwater from the tiles (with or without wind conditions) will almost certainly be such that much of the rainwater will overshoot the guttering.

The imperforate limb 14 of the deflector will redirect all water impinging on it to the apertures 17 which will discharge substantially centrally over the guttering. The arrangement described will also take account of wind conditions which often are such as to cause dispersal of rainwater free i:ooo falling into a guttering.

Fig.2 illustrates another form of the invention where the deflector 15 of Fig.1 is an imperforate flange part 24 of the concealing fascia 3. In effect the part 24 is an enlargement of the flange 13 of Fig.l. The limbs 20 18,19,20 of the deflector 15 of Fig.1 are now parts of a separate member fixed as indicated 26 to the building fascia. The member 25 is conveniently provided with a prop leg 27.

In Fig.3 the mounting brackets 10 of Figs.1 and 2 are replaced by roll or otherwise formed mounting member 28 which would be horizontally mounted to the building fascia 2. To facilitate the mounting the member 28 the body part 29 thereof is preferably provided with rows of spaced holes indicated 30. The mounting member 28 is provided with a leg 31 to engage under the bottom edge of the building fascia 2 and the leg has a downwardly angled terminal edge flange 32. At intervals along the O 6 length of the flange 32 sections of the flange would be upturned, as indicated 33 in Figs.5 and 6, to clip the flange 32 to the bottom edge of the building fascia 2. To facilitate this pairs of cuts across can be provided across the flange 32.

The edge flange 32 may play a part as a latching surface for the concealing fascia profile 7. It may also act merely as a positioning means with the profile 7 which bears (in a latching manner) against the rear surface of the building fascia as shown in The mounting member 28 has a Vee shaped top panel 34 with limbs and 36, at the edge of the Vee there are drainage holes 37 to allow rainwater falling into the Vee to escape to the guttering 1 below. The holes 37 are large enough and in such number as to accommodate the S:15 volume of rainwater likely to encountered in storm conditions.

The terminal edge of the limb 36 of the mounting panel Vee section 34 is profiled as illustrated and indicated 39 to be engaged by the profiled terminal edge 6 of the fascia front panel 4.

In a fascia mounting operation the fascia front panel terminal edge 6 Swould be hooked over the profile 39 anrid then swung in the direction of the arrow in Fig.5 to hook the terminal edge 7 of the fascia bottom panel over the flange 32.

At spaced intervals along the length of the mounting member 28 guttering bracket mounts 40 are provided. These mounts 40 can be of a number of forms with the common feature that they provide means for vertical adjustment of a guttering mounting bracket. In the form illustrated in Fig.3 the bracket mounts 40 are channel shaped member with side flanges 41 O) attached to the mounting member 28 with a slot 42 in the bottom 43 of the channel. A cup head bolt 44 is mounted in the slot as shown, The guttering bracket of the preferred form indicated 45 comprises a back strap 46 with a lug 47 at its upper end to engage over the top edge of the guttering 48. There is a bottom bar extension 49 of the back strap 46, the bottom bar 49 is cranked to provide an upturned leg 50 and an upper bar portion 51 which terminates in a short front strap 52. There is a spacer 53 of length such that is fits neatly between the back strap 46 and the bottom bar step 50 and is of a height such that its upper surface provide a continuity of the surface of the upper portion 51 of the bottom bar 49.

There is a hole 54 through the spacer 53 and there are aligned holes and 56 in the back strap 46 and the bottom bar leg 50. The shank of the 15 cup head bolt 44 passes through the holes 55 and 56 and the spacer 53 and a nut 9@ is applied to the threads of the cup head bolt 44 allow the guttering bracket 45 to be mounted at a required elevation in the slot 42.

S The length of the slots 42 correspond with the required fall for the guttering 20 48 for which the system is designed.

In Fig.6 the arrangement just described is associated with a water catchment area which is tiled and the tiles 21 overhang the guttering 48.

Water from the tiles 21 may be passed through a perforated leaf barrier 25 member 23 of known type comprised of a strip of slotted resilient material end engaged in the notch 57 in the limb of the Vee channel 34 of the mounting member 28 and disposed in abutting relationship with the ends of the roof tiles 21. The other edge of the leaf barrier strip 23 bears on the limb 35 Vee channel 34.

In Fig.4 an alternate arrangement is provided wherein the mounting member 28 has stepped back 58 to accommodate the thickness of the heads of cup head bolts 44 entered into slots 59 through head access openings 60 in the shoulder 61 resulting from the stepping of the mounting member 28. The guttering brackets 45 would be mounted as previously to the mounting member 28.

In Fig.5 the arrangement of Fig.3 is associated with a tiled roof where the tiles 21 terminate in alignment with the eaves of a building so the terminal edges of the tiles 21 do not overlie the guttering 48. A water directing member, hereinafter called a flashing 62, is provided. The flashing 62 illustrated in Fig.5 comprises a panel 63 with a downturned leg 64 and flange 65 angled to bear on the 35 limb of the Vee channel 34 of the mounting member 28 where it would be fixed, as by pop rivets or screws as indicated 66. The panel 63 overlies the top edge of the building fascia 2 and rests on the roof rafters 67 at its rear end 68, where it may be *.permanently secured by screws or nails. A formed ridge 69 acts as a tile support batten.

S: 20 To complement the action of the flashing 62 a trim strip 70 (see Fig.3) can be provided. The trim strip 70 has a sealing leg 71 which would be sealed S by means of a sealing strip 72 (see Fig.5) to the terminal edges of the tiles 21 to accommodate an irregular terminal edge alignment of the tiles, as is common. The trim strip body part 73 would be spaced from the flashing 25 62 by spacers 74 held captive by screws, or the like, connecting the trim strip 70 to the flashing 62.

Other features of Figs.5 and 6 are the leaf barrier members indicated in the two drawings as being of different types. In Fig.5 the perforated leaf barrier is indicated 75 and is a strip of rigid material or one which whilst 0 9 flexible can hold a shape. The strip 75 has edge flanges 76 and 77 respectively abutting the concealing fascia profiled edge 6 and the edge of the flange 78 of the member 70 with the terminal edges of the flanges resting on the portion 79 of the side 36 of the member 34 and on the limb 73 of the member In Fig.6, the leaf barrier member is of the form indicated 23 in Fig.1 being a strip of flexible plastic material with perforations preferably slots. As illustrated the edges of the strip 23 are engaged in notches between limbs of a perforated support plate 80. It is to be noted that the leaf barrier and support plate 80 are shaped and sized to ensure bearing contact between the leaf barrier 23 and the terminal edges of the tiles 21.

In all of the above embodiments of the invention the common elements are S15 mounting means for horizontal attachment to a building and for detachable e support of a guttering concealing fascia, and mounting means for guttering housed within a guttering compartment provided by the concealing fascia where the guttering mounting means provides support for the guttering at a required slope to the horizontal, and a deflector means whereby water 20 leaving the rainwater catchment surface with a velocity such that is will overshoot the guttering will be diverted into the guttering irrespective of the height of the guttering relative to the terminal edge of the water catchment

S..

surface.

,ooo

Claims (8)

1. A guttering system to collect rainwater from the rainwater catchment surface of a building, said system includes a rainwater guttering which is of channel form with a front wall, a back wall and a bottom, and a grttemg concealing the faei which includes a front panel and a .'ottom panel to respectivley conceal the guttering front wall and bottom, the fascia front and bottom panels define two sides of a guttering compartment with a depth between a top edge of the front panel and said bottom panel which is sufficient to house a guttering which has a substantive angle of fall relative to the horizontal, mounting means for said guttering and said fascia whereby said system can be mounted to a building which has a rainw.ter catchment surface, the mounting means for said guttering, allows said guttering to be mounted below a discharge edge of said catchment surface and with a substantive angle of fall relative to the horizontal, and a rainwater deflector means positioned within said guttering compartment and having an imperforate zone to deflect into said guttering at least that rainwater which discharges from said catchment surface with a velocity sufficient to overshoot said guttering.

2. A guttering system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said deflector means is part of said mounting means.

3. A guttering system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said fascia front and bottom panels have latching surfaces to engage with co-operating latching C87 -~i _A~o -1Oa- surfaces of said mounting means thereby to detachably mount said fascia to said mounting means.

4. A guttering system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said deflector means is a flange along a top edge of said fascia front panel inwardly downwardly directed with respect to said guttering compartment.

S o O 11 A guttering system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 i t ">ding a perforated leaf barrier means through which rainwater from said catchment surface must pass in order to enter said guttering.

6. A guttering system as claimed in claim 1 or claim 3 wherein the mounting means comprises a plurality of elongated brackets each adapted for fixing to a building to be serviced by said system and where each bracket has two ends and each end is profiled to provide the latching surfaces of the mounting means and the fascia front and bottom panels have free edges which are profiled to provide the latching surfaces of said fascia, the spacing apart of the latching surfaces of the mounting brackets and the fascia being such that by resilient deflection of said brackets and/or said fascia said fascia can be demountably coupled to said brackets.

7. A guttering system as claimed in claim 1 or claim 3 wherein the mounting means comprises a plurality of elongated brackets each adapted for fixing to a building to be serviced by said system and where each bracket has two ends and with one end profiled to provide an upper latching surface of the mounting means and the fascia front and bottom panels have free edges which are profiled to respectively provide an upper latching surface for engagement with the upper latching surface of said 0 brackets and a lower latching surface for engagement with a co-operating o* latching provision on said building. bees.*

8. A guttering system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings. Dated this 4th day of December, 1995 GRAHAM KEITH HOPKINS By his Patent Attorneys CARTER SMITH BEADLE ABSTRACT: A guttering system including a rainwater guttering (48) and a guttering concealing fascia where the guttering is of channel form and the fascia includes a front panel and a bottom panel to define two sides of a guttering compartment, the system is for the collection of rainwater from a rainwater catchment surface (21) of a building, mounting means (40,45) for the guttering and mounting means (28) for the fascia whereby the system can be mounted to a building which includes said rainwater catchment surface and imperforate rainwater deflector means (36) disposed within said guttering compartment to deflect into said guttering (48) at least that rainwater which discharges from said catchment surface (21) with a velocity sufficient to overshoot said guttering (48). *00 00 0 *0 *ge