AU782887B2

AU782887B2 - Valley gutter guard

Info

Publication number: AU782887B2
Application number: AU40606/02A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Rodney George Wade
Original assignee: Rain Harvesting Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Rain Harvesting Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2002-05-09
Filing date: 2002-05-09
Publication date: 2005-09-08
Anticipated expiration: 2022-05-09
Also published as: AU4060602A

Description

Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: Invention Title:

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT Rodney George Wade Rodney George Wade CULLEN CO Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, 239 George Street Brisbane QId 4000 Australian Valley Gutter Guard The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it, known to us: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to means for preventing leaves and other debris from passing into and accumulating in a roof valley gutter. The invention is particularly concerned with a valley gutter guard for use with corrugated sheet roofing.

A roof valley is the region where two inclined roofs meet. This region has a substantially V-shaped cross-sectional configuration and slopes toward the edge of the building. A metal tray or gutter is located in the roof valley to collect water flowing from the roof cladding and to direct the water to a roof gutter or outlet. In order to prevent water penetration under the roof cladding and into the ceiling cavity, the valley gutter is provided with upturned edges and the roof cladding is arranged to extend as far as practical toward the axis of the valley gutter to provide maximum overlap.

Typically this results in the lower edges of the cladding of each inclined roof being separated from one another by no more than 40 to 120mm. Such an arrangement is quite adequate for roofs which collect pure rainwater.

However, in practice, it is not typical for roofs to collect only rainwater they also provide a catchment area for a wide range of debris, particularly leaves and twigs from surrounding trees. Such debris gets caught up in the flowing water and ends up in the "hang up" zone.

This is the zone between the lower edges of the roof cladding and the valley tray. That is, debris which falls onto the roofs in the area serviced by the roof valley, flows down the roofs and collides to form a blockage at the hang up zone. In other instances, debris washes down the roofs and flows under the hang up zone on the opposing sides of the valley gutter so that it becomes wedged up tight under the roof sheets. For such blockages to clear, the debris has to gravitate and turn at 45 degrees away from the angle of flow, against the flow of the water, so that it can flow down the valley gutter. Generally, this does not happen, the valley gutter remains blocked, and there is a backflow of water over the upturned edges of the valley tray onto the roof frame and into the building leading to a water damaged ceiling.

To date, the only attempt that I am aware of to address this problem has been to clip a strip of mesh to the underside of opposing edges of the corrugated sheet roofing. This arrangement is not only unsightly but is not effective to the extent that leaves and debris can still penetrate between the roofing and the mesh.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an effective means for preventing leaves and debris from passing into and accumulating in a roof valley gutter, which does not have the aforementioned problem and which provides the public with a useful alternative.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided an arrangement for preventing leaves and debris from passing into a roof valley gutter between two corrugated sheet metal roofs, said arrangement comprising a strip of mesh extending over the valley gutter having opposing longitudinal edges which are retained by flashings pinned to the roofs, wherein the flashings each comprise a plurality of tongue extensions which project from a longitudinal section at such an angle that each tongue extension extends between respective adjacent ridge corrugations in the corrugated sheets from the peak of the ridges to the bottom of the channels therebetween at an inclined angle such that the interface between the end of each tongue extension and the bottom of the channel is a smooth large obtuse angle which does not significantly impede the flow of rainwater with entrained leaves and debris, thereover.

Another aspect of the present invention is the flashing per se. According to this aspect there is provided a flashing having a plurality of tongue extensions projecting from a longitudinal section thereof at an angle of approximately 450.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Suitably, the mesh is fabricated from metals such as stainless or galvanized steels or irons, aluminium, copper, brass or like alloys, which are optionally powder coated, if appropriate. Plastics materials such as polyethylene may also be used however they are not preferred. Generally for most applications the mesh aperture size will be of the region of about 3mm x 3mm to 15mm x 15mm, most preferably approximately 4mm x 4mm.

The flashing is suitably manufactured from the same material as the corrugated sheet metal roof which is usually 0.4mm high tensile steel or aluminium. The flashing will generally be such as to match the roof and may be plain galvanized or colour bonded to the same colour as the corrugated sheet metal roof. The flashing is secured to the corrugated sheet metal roof by the use of fixing elements such as screws, pop rivets, or nails which extend through the flashing and selected ridges of the corrugated sheet roofing. The securing of the flashing simultaneously secures the mesh by pressing the longitudinal edge of the flashing over the mesh so that the mesh is held in compression against the roofing.

A longitudinal fold can be formed in the flashing, which is parallel to the edge of the corrugated sheet metal roof. The fold is suitably located offset from where the fixing elements are to be inserted, towards the tongue extensions, and it is designed to produce a low level ridge running the length of the flashing so that when it is fixed in position, the fixing elements will tend to tension the ridge downwardly causing the tips of the flashing tongues to be biased against the bottom of the channels between adjacent corrugations in the roof, thereby forming an effective seal with the roof.

The flashing is designed to snugly fit between the roof corrugations and to this end the tongue extensions project at an angle of approximately 450 with respect to the longitudinal section.

In order to ensure tight contact between the tips of the tongue extensions and the troughs of the corrugated roofing, a slight fold can be formed in the end region of the tongues so as to bias the tips against the roofing.

The flashing is suitably provided in 1100mm length strips having ten tongue extensions per strip.

Such strips correlate with the width of a standard sheet of corrugated roofing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure la is a cross-sectional view of a flashing according to one aspect of the present invention, Figure lb is a perspective view of the flashing depicted in Figure la, Figure 2 is a plan view of the flashing depicted in Figures la and lb, Figure 3 is a perspective view of a flashing and mesh arrangement in situ, and Figure 4 is a plan view of a house showing a roof valley in which the arrangement of Figure 3 can be located.

In all of the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like parts.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring firstly to Figures la, lb and 2, the flashing 10 is formed from 0.4mm high tensile alloy coated steel sheeting, and includes a plurality of tongue extensions 11 each of which projects from one longitudinal region 12 at an angle of 450 with respect to the edge of the longitudinal region. The tongue extensions 11 are smoothly contoured and have rounded tips 13 so as to form a snug fit between adjacent ridges of corrugations in the sheet roofing as described below.

A fold line 14 extends along the longitudinal region 12 and a series of folds 16 are formed in the tips of the tongue extensions 11 so as to bias the tongue extensions against the troughs of the corrugated roofing.

Openings 15 are formed near the fold line to enable the flashing to be secured to the roof by the use of screws, rivets, or the like.

The flashing is fitted to each roof adjacent the valley gutter in the location indicated by in Figure 4 and shown in detail in Figure 3. In Figure 4, the house has two sets of downwardly sloping corrugated roofs 40, 41 and 42, 43 separated by two valley gutters 44, 45. Location overlies valley gutter 44.

Prior to fitting the respective flashings 31 (see Figure a mesh 32 is placed over the valley gutter 33. The mesh 32 is an alloy coated steel mesh having square openings of approximately 4mm x 4mm in size. It is of a weld mesh fabrication of 0.4mm steel wire.

The mesh 32 is retained in situ when the flashings 30, 31 are fixed onto the roofing corrugations so that the mesh is sandwiched and held in tight contact with the roofing. Fixing of the flashings 30, 31 also places pressure on the respective tips 13 and the longitudinal region 12 so that the flashings are held tightly against the roofing, thereby ensuring the integrity of the arrangement and the exclusion of leaves 7 and other debris from the valley gutter, and thereby meeting the objective of the invention.

Claims

1. An arrangement for preventing leaves and debris from passing into a roof valley gutter between two corrugated sheet metal roofs, said arrangement comprising a strip of mesh extending over the valley gutter having opposing longitudinal edges which are retained by flashings pinned to the roofs, wherein the flashings each comprise a plurality of tongue extensions which project from a longitudinal section at such an angle that each tongue extension extends between respective adjacent ridge corrugations in the corrugated sheets from the peak of the ridges to the bottom of the channels therebetween at an inclined angle such that the interface between the end of each tongue extension and the bottom of the channel is a smooth large obtuse angle which does not significantly impede the flow of rainwater with entrained leaves and debris, thereover.

2. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the tongue extensions project from the longitudinal section at an angle of approximately 450

3. The arrangement of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the longitudinal section has a longitudinal fold therein, said fold being such as to produce a low level ridge extending the length of the flashing.

4. The arrangement of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the tips of the tongue extensions are bent inwardly so as to press against the troughs of the corrugated sheet metal roof.

A roof wherever fitted with an arrangement as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.

6. A flashing having a plurality of tongue extensions projecting from a longitudinal section thereof at an angle of approximately 450

7. The flashing of claim 6, wherein the longitudinal section has a longitudinal fold therein, said fold being such as to produce a low level ridge extending the length of the flashing.

8. The flashing of claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the tips of the tongue extensions are bent inwardly so that, in use, they press against the troughs of the corrugated sheet metal roof.

9. An arrangement for preventing leaves and debris from passing into the valley gutter between two corrugated sheet metal roofs, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. A flashing substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings. DATED this 9 th Day of May 2002 Rodney George Wade By his Patent Attorneys CULLEN CO