Home Add to Favorite Contact Submit  
             28 March, 2024
 

    
Category:  Articles » Home Management » Home Improvement

 

Gutter Covers and Gutter Protection Devices - How Do They Work?

Popularity:
         Views: 1754
2009-03-12 08:39:04     
Article by Sock Woodruff

For hundreds of years rain gutters have been used in house design. Many different materials have been used over the centuries starting with stone, later zinc and wood, and today aluminum, galvanized steel, or copper. And as long as there have been rain gutters, there has been the need to regularly clean out the gutters because they have always collected and filled up with leaves, twigs, seeds, and other debris.

What is needed is something that will allow the water to pass through but will catch and hold any solid material being carried along by the water. Various inventive people have created all kinds of solutions. Today these are marketed as gutter guards, gutter covers, gutter screens, or gutter filters. The simplest solution is some kind of gutter screen. There are a number of different kinds currently available. Many of them employ a sheet of what is called expanded metal, which is made from a flat sheet with diamond-shaped holes. When water is poured on the screen it readily runs through the holes. A similar plate can be made from vinyl or plastic material by casting the holes.

Anything larger than the holes is caught and held back. The holes are rather large, and small pieces (broken pieces of leaves, dirt, etc.) can pass through. In addition, pine needles or leaf stems that hit the holes point-on can enter the holes. They may pass through or get stuck in the holes. Screens can become clogged with caught material and require periodic cleaning. Sometimes very fine dust or dirt is blown or sucked up into the air by winds or storms. This material can be picked up by raindrops and carried down with the rain. This fine material will readily pass through the diamond-shaped holes.

An alternative approach is to use a plate with long, narrow slits to pass the water. The width of the slit in such a gutter guard is much smaller than the dimensions of the diamond-shaped hole screen. This will prevent much smaller solid matter from being carried into the rain gutter. The flow rate through these slots will be somewhat slower than through the expanded metal screen. Most of the solid material stopped by the slot plate will be washed off the plate by the rain. Some may accumulate on top of the plate. This will normally dry out after the rain stops and be blown off by the wind.

Another strategy is to use a gutter cover. Water has a characteristic called water tension that makes it act like an elastic sheet. This is what allows water spiders to flit around on the surface of a pond. Capillary action makes the water try to stick to the surface of the gutter cover. Visualize a gutter cover with a horizontal flat-top surface and a half-circle curve on the left end. If a BB slowly rolled across the flat plate to the curve, it would then follow the curve from the 12 o'clock position until it got to the 9 o'clock position. Gravity would then make it fall directly to the ground.

If water were flowing over that same cover, the water would follow the curve from the 12 o'clock position all the way to the 6 o'clock position. If a short vertical tab were located at that point the water would run down the tab. Gravity would then make it fall. On a rain gutter cover, the lip of the cover is positioned so the debris falls outside the rain gutter, but the water falling from the tab falls inside the gutter.

With every one of these systems the idea works, but not perfectly so. There is always a little bit of debris that gets carried into the gutter by the moving water-but not much. However, a gutter filter may be the best solution yet. Instead of a filter or a cover, this system uses a piece of open cell foam that completely fills the top of the gutter. There are no open holes, no gaps, and only the tiniest bits of material, smaller than the very small foam cell size, can try to enter. The debris does stay on top, does dry out, and is blown away by the wind.

Installing one of the different kinds of gutter protection systems can avoid a lot of trouble, hassle, and home maintenance, whether you choose gutter guards, gutter covers, gutter screens or gutter filters. They all function to keep debris out of the gutter and keep water flowing freely through the gutter. The designs differ considerably, and the need for periodic maintenance is not entirely eliminated-you may still have to clean out the gutter, but only rarely rather than two to four times a year. For further information, pictures, and prices for these many products, go to GutterSupply.com.

Sock Woodruff is founder and partner of GutterSupply.com, the leading manufacturer and distributor of gutter supplies, gutter machines, gutter covers, and related tools and equipment.

Specialized in: Gutter Guards - Gutter Guard - Gutter Leaf Guards - Rain Gutter Guards
URL: http://www.guttersupply.com/p-gutter-leaf-guards.gstml
Print article      Bookmark this page
Related Articles 
Plumbing Considerations While Renovating Your Bathroom Based on the Current Trend (Popularity: ): As we kick off the New Year, it's time to think about what 2019 bathroom remodelling trends homeowners can take advantage of when planning for bathroom renovations. For 2019 renovation project, here we have listed the plumbing considerations to renovate your bathroom with the help of a professional plumber who also specializes in gas installations in Toowoomba QLD. So that you can rest assure, that there will not be any ...
How to choose the right Flooring for your Home? (Popularity: ): Choosing what kind of flooring in your home is much more complicated than you think. You have to consider several factors such as moisture, durability, costs, and more. These factors greatly influence your decision. We can help you arrive to a certain decision. As experts in home remodelling, Renovations Plus gives you these steps to ensure a wise flooring decision. 1. Think about function - How — and where — ...
Tips on How to Buy Barn Door Hardware in Toronto (Popularity: ): If you love shopping online, then our tips will help make your shopping experience more productive. There are a few things you should do when trying to purchase barn door hardware for example if you lived in Toronto then you would want to look for all of the organizations that are selling this hardware locally by doing a simple search like barn door hardware Toronto, this search will show you ...
Utilizing Residential Construction Company Services to Build Your Dream Home (Popularity: ): When it соmеѕ to hоmе соnѕtruсtiоn, thе firm that уоu саn dереnd on саrrуing out thiѕ рrоjесt iѕ a firm that specializes in professional residential construction in Montgomery County. This type of соmраnу is an ideal compant thаt уоu will have tо соntасt for thе building of the nеw hоmе уоu рlаn to hаvе. Moreover, reliable and professional home builders in Montgomery, TX can рrоvidе уоu with thе diffеrеnt ѕеrviсеѕ ...
Things to Check before Placing Commercial Furniture Orders (Popularity: ): Every business needs to invest in interiors, and keeping in mind that there are often bulk orders, the idea is to save as possible. In the last few years, many companies in and around Miami have emerged to be strong names for commercial furniture supplies. Starting from folding chairs, banquet tables to special range of furniture and equipment for events and special occasions, these suppliers deal with almost anything.If you ...


Related Business 
Rain Gutter Guards & Protection Systems (Popularity: ): Gutter Helmet has installed gutter guards and gutter systems like gutter leaf guards and protection systems throughout America and Illinois saving homeowners time, work and trouble since 1963.Never clean your gutters again with Gutter Helmet.
Gutter Helmet Of Utah and Colorado (Popularity: ): Gutter Helmet Gutter Covers and Rain Gutter Repair in Salt Lake City UT is the #1 rated rain gutter company in the United States. Gutter Helmet's secret is the principle of surface tension. Hold a glass under a running faucet and you can see surface tension at work. The water flows around the outside of the glass. Similarly, water clings to your Gutter Helmet as it flows down the roof, ...
P & G Specialties, Inc. (Popularity: ): Gutter Protectors and Gutter protection systems provided by Gutter Helmet Indiana keeps gutters clean and free flowing. Gutter Helmet installation procedures have been approved by major roofing manufacturers.
Gutter Solution Services (Popularity: ): Gutter Solutions North West services all of Western Washington in all of their gutter guard installation needs. We supply the unique Gutter Dome gutter guard system which is known for providing the most cutting edge siphoning technology and innovatively-designed rain gutter appliance on the market today.
Gutter Helmet - Rain Gutter | Repair | Cover | Guard | Salt Lake City, UT (Popularity: ): Gutter Helmet Gutter Covers and Rain Gutter Repair in Salt Lake City UT is the #1 rated rain gutter company in the United States.
Gutter Supply & Architectural Coppe (Popularity: ): Rutland Gutter Supply provides the largest selection of gutter supplies in the USA with all the gutter parts - downspout accessories to match.
Rain gutters (Popularity: ): Rain Gutter Specialties Serves Utah's rain gutter installation and cleaning needs. Gutters play a critical role in the protection of your home. Unfortunately most homeowners do not pay adequate attention to their gutter systems. And it is even a bigger shame for contracting companies to do the same. Few things can be the root cause of more damage to your home than nonexistent or faulty gutter systems.
Gutter Knight (Popularity: ): Gutter Knight is a locally owned and run business which provides high quality, value for money gutter protection available for residential through to commercial applications. All products are Australian made and pass through many strict Quality Control processes to ensure the highest quality material available. Founded on old fashioned work ethics and values, you can be assured that no short cuts are ever taken and every small detail is dealt ...
Rain Gutter Installation Services (Popularity: ): Island gutter offer rain gutter installation service from new york city to suffolk county, NY. We use quality products and highly-rated gutter systems for installation. We provide complete affordable rain gutter system solution for home and business owners in Long Island.
GuttersDirect.com (Popularity: ): Featuring a wide selection of gutter covers, gutter guards, roof drainage products, and related information.