EP1971729B1

EP1971729B1 - Gutter assembly

Info

Publication number: EP1971729B1
Application number: EP07700332A
Authority: EP
Inventors: John Anthony Smith; Brian Douglas Watson
Original assignee: Caskade Ltd
Current assignee: Caskade Ltd
Priority date: 2006-01-10
Filing date: 2007-01-05
Publication date: 2010-04-14
Anticipated expiration: 2027-01-05
Also published as: EP1971729A1; JP2009522479A; GB0600332D0; CN101365851A; DE602007005932D1; ATE464441T1; WO2007080380A1; EA200870162A1; CA2636413A1

Abstract

A gutter assembly (202) comprising an elongate gutter (204) for receiving water and defining a primary water transport channel (210) and a secondary water transport channel (212) is disclosed. The primary water transport channel (210) is connected to a drainage downpipe (238) and vortex reduction members (224) reduce formation of vortices in the vicinity of primary water inlets (216) of the primary water transport channel (210). When sufficient water flows into the gutter (204), the primary water transport channel (210) fills with water to become free of air to enable water to be transported along the channel (210) by means of suction in the drainage downpipe (238).

Description

The present invention relates to gutter assemblies, and relates particularly, but not exclusively, to gutter assemblies for draining rain water from roofs.
A conventional gravity drainage system is shown in Figure 1. 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.
Conventional gravity drainage systems of this type suffer from the drawback that because the rate at which water can flow away from the gutter 4 by means of gravity is limited, a series of downpipes 10 must be provided along the length of the gutter 4. As a result, the downpipes 10 often pass through the central part of a building on which the drainage system 2 is installed, which can cause obstructions in the case of buildings for industrial use.
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.
At low flow rates of water draining off the roof panels 106 into the gutter 104, water entering the gutter 104 enters the primary outlet 108 (which extends lower than the secondary outlet 110) and passes via outlet pipe 112 to primary collection pipe 116 from where it flows to a vertical downpipe (not shown) at the end of the collection pipe 116 by means of gravity. As the rate of flow of water into the gutter 104 increases, the outlet pipe 112 and primary collection pipe 116 become full of water. As a result, drainage of water within the system 102 becomes substantially free of air and gives rise to a negative pressure or suction, which draws further water into the primary outlet 108, and in turn increases the rate of flow of water away from the gutter 104 along pipes 112, 116.
If the rate of flow of water into the gutter 104 further increases such that the level of water in the gutter 104 rises, water enters the secondary outlet 110 and passes down outlet pipe 114 and secondary collection pipe 118 by means of gravity. In the event that the water flow further increases, the pipes 114, 118 become filled with water and substantially free of air, as a result of which suction arises to further increase the rate of removal of water from the gutter 104.
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.
However, 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. Also, 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. In addition, the 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.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention seek to overcome the above disadvantages of the prior art.
AU 562 211 B2 discloses a gutter system, according to the preamble of claim 1, comprising a conduit running substantially horizontally below a shallow channel. Water runoff from a building roof is received in the shallow channel and drains through draining tubes into the conduit to be carried away.
US-A-5 435 105 discloses a roof guttering system including gutter portions which each have a bottom trough covered by a concave upper trough. Runoff initially is received in the top trough and then flows via apertures and strainers into the bottom trough.
EP-A-0 034 140 discloses a girder for supporting roof elements, consisting of a profiled metal plate which forms an upwardly open, trough-shaped channel. In order to prevent the blockage of the channel by ice, the two side walls of the channel are connected to one another below their top edge by a cover plate.
According to the present invention, there is provided 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, characterised in that at least part of at least one said first water transport channel has increasing cross sectional area in a direction towards at least one said first water outlet.
By providing 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. In addition, 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. In particular, 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. Also, 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. In addition, the feature of at least one said first water transport channel having an increasing cross sectional area in a direction towards at least one said first water outlet 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.
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.
This provides the advantage of making the gutter assembly easier to manufacture.
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 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.
By providing means for indicating flow of water in at least one said second water transport channel, this provides the advantage of indicating when at least one said first water transport channel becomes blocked.
Said means for indicating flow of water in at least one said second water 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.
This provides the advantage of maximising the extent to which said second 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 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.
A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only and not in any limitative sense, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

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; and
Figure 6 is a side cross sectional view of the vortex reducing member of Figure 5.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, a gutter assembly 202 has a generally horizontal gutter 204 formed from prebonded 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. As can be seen more clearly in Figure 4, 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. Similarly, 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 respectivelyFirst 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.
As shown in greater detail in Figures 5 and 6, 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.
Referring again to Figures 3 and 4, 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. Similarly, 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. Alternatively, 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 inlets216, 220 arranged along the channels.
The operation of the gutter assembly 202 shown in Figures 3 to 6 will now be described.
As water flows from the roof panels 222 into the gutter assembly 202, water flows into the primary water inlets 216 via the inlets 236 in the first vortex reduction members 224, since these are at a lower height than the inlets 236 in the second vortex reduction members 226. As a result, water enters the primary water transport channel 210 where it flows under gravity down drainage downpipe 238. As the rate of flow of water into the gutter 204 increases such that the water in the gutter 204 reaches the top of the first vortex reduction members 224, the primary water transport channel 210 fills with water, and the first vortex reduction members 224 located above primary water inlets 216 prevent air from entering the primary inlets216. When this occurs, the passage of -water- down the drainage downpipe 238 creates a negative pressure or suction, which increases the rate of flow of water along primary water transport channel 210, and draws further water into the primary water inlets216.
As the rate of flow of water increases, 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.
It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the above embodiment has been described by way of example only, and not in any limitative sense, and that various alterations and modifications are possible without departure from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. For example, instead of, or in addition to, using profiled inserts, water transport channels 210, 212 may be formed by means of one or more pipes located in the gutter 204.

Claims

A gutter assembly (202) comprising (i) at least one elongate gutter (204) for receiving water and defining at least one first water transport channel (210) having at least one cover member (214) defining at least one first water inlet (216) to at least one said first water transport channel (210), (ii) at least one first water outlet adapted to be connected to a respective drainage pipe, and (iii) vortex reducing means (224) for reducing formation of vortices in the vicinity of at least one said first water inlet (216), wherein at least one said first water transport channel (210) is adapted to fill with water and be substantially free of air to enable water to be transported along the channel (210) by means of suction in at least one drainage pipe (238) connected in use to a said first water outlet,
characterised in that at least part of at least one said first water transport channel (210) has increasing cross sectional area in a direction towards at least one said first water outlet.
An assembly (202) according to claim 1, further comprising at least one profiled insert (206) adapted to be located inside a respective gutter (204) to define at least one said first water transport channel (210).
An assembly (202) according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising at least one conduit adapted to be located inside a respective gutter (204) to define at least one said first water transport channel (210).
An assembly (202) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one said cover member (214) is adapted to be mounted to at least one said gutter (204).
An assembly (202) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one said gutter (204) defines a plurality of water transport channels (210, 212).
An assembly (202) according to claim 5, comprising at least one said first water transport channel (210), and at least one second water transport channel (212) adapted to receive water when the rate of flow of water in at least one said first water transport channel (210) reaches a predetermined amount.
An assembly (202) according to claim 5 or 6, further comprising means for indicating flow of water in at least one said second water transport channel (212).
An assembly (202) according to claim 7, wherein said means for indicating flow of water in at least one said second water transport channel (212) comprises a respective outlet to an exterior of the second water transport channel (212).
An assembly (202) according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein at least one said gutter (204) defines at least one second water outlet, and at least one said second water transport channel (212) is adapted to fill with water and be substantially free of air to enable water to be transported along the channel (212) by means of suction in at least one drainage pipe (240) connected in use to at least one said second water outlet.
An assembly (202) according to claim 9, wherein at least part of at least one said second water transport channel (212) has increasing cross sectional area in a direction towards at least one said second water outlet.
An assembly (202) according to claim 9 or 10, wherein at least one said gutter (204) has 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.
An assembly (202) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the vortex reducing means comprises at least one vortex reducing member (224) adapted to be located adjacent at least one said first water inlet (216).
An assembly (202) according to claim 12, wherein at least one said vortex reducing member (224) includes a plurality of fins (234) for defining a plurality of second water inlets (236) for directing water to at least one said first water inlet (216).
An assembly (202) according to claim 12 or 13, wherein at least one said vortex reducing member (224) includes a profiled surface for directing water from at least one said second water inlet (236) to at least one said first water inlet (216).