US20060037253A1

US20060037253A1 - Gutter protection system

Info

Publication number: US20060037253A1
Application number: US10/921,721
Authority: US
Inventors: Michael Mozeika
Original assignee: NEW DIMENSION INDUSTRIES
Current assignee: NEW DIMENSION INDUSTRIES
Priority date: 2004-08-19
Filing date: 2004-08-19
Publication date: 2006-02-23
Also published as: EP1802824A2; WO2006023043A2; EP1802824A4; WO2006023043A3

Abstract

A gutter protection system includes a foam insert which is installed in the hanging gutters of commercial and residential buildings. The gutter insert allows rain water to drain into the gutters, yet it prevents debris from entering the channel and clogging the gutter pathway. The foam insert includes antimicrobial and/or UV stabilizer additives to improve the useful life of the foam insert.

Description

The present invention relates to rain gutters, and particularly to inserts for preventing the blockage of open trough portions of rain gutters.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Rain gutters and water channeling devices are an integral part of almost every residential and most commercial buildings. These man-made water paths serve to collect rain water from the roof of said buildings and redirect that water stream away from the building and discharge it in some way through downspouts on the building. These channeling systems not only prevent water runoff from damaging the property around the building, but they also carry the water to locations not likely to endanger the structure of the building through water seepage or freeze/thaw circumstances.
Since many homes and buildings are in some way surrounded by trees and other naturally occurring shrubs, it is critical to insure that the debris from these trees does not enter the water channeling system of the home or building. Should there be a collection of leaves, pine cones, pine needles and the like along with expected roof particle runoff in the gutter channels, it is very likely that the channel will become clogged and certainly will be less efficient in the redirection of rain water. This gutter clogging and reduced water flow can only lead to structural damage to the building over time as water levels continue to rise and overflow the channeling system. In severe freeze/thaw conditions, the damage caused by high water levels in these gutters becomes more complicated and poses an even greater risk to the building's structure. In short, unless these gutter systems are kept free flowing and open to the redirection of rainwater, they may become an ongoing problem and maintenance issue for the homeowner or building manager.
As a result of the foregoing, there are a number of cleaning procedures that need to be undertaken to keep these gutters free of debris. In most cases, the homeowner will try to “free the gutters” in a number of ways and may take risks that are unnecessary to insure that these water channels are free flowing and open. At a considerable expense, some building owners will hire outside contractors to simply come to the building site and “clear the gutters” in any way possible, so as to protect the long term integrity of the building.
Existing efforts to solve the foregoing problems include various screens or similar gutter guards. Prior products also include foam liners and filler elements. Potential issues with these prior foam products include degradation and shrinkage of the foam over time as a result of UV rays from the sun and microbial action on the structure of the foam itself.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the foregoing drawbacks and provide a gutter protection system that includes a reticulated foam having an antimicrobial and/or UV protectant additive.
In one example, a gutter protection system comprises a reticulated foam insert adapted to fit within a gutter. The insert has at least substantially the same width as the gutter, and the foam insert comprises an antimicrobial additive. The antimicrobial additive may be incorporated in the reticulated foam or it may be coated onto the reticulated foam. The foam insert may further comprise a UV stabilizer additive that may be incorporated in the reticulated foam or coated onto the reticulated foam.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This invention relates to a gutter filter foam matrix which can be installed in the hanging gutters of commercial and residential buildings. In particular, the invention relates to a gutter filter device that is fitted to a variety of commercial gutter channels in such a way as to allow rain water to drain into the gutters yet prevent debris such as leaves, pine cones, pine needles, twigs, loose roofing particles and the like from entering the channel and clogging the gutter pathway. Importantly, the foam includes antimicrobial and/or UV stabilizer additives to improve the useful life of the foam insert.
In one example, a material that is low density (about 0.5 to 3.0 lbs./cu. ft.), thermally reticulated, polyether urethane foam matrix, with a pore size of 10 to 75 pores per inch, can act as an extremely effective rain gutter anti-clog system for residential and commercial buildings.
The thermal reticulation process allows the foam matrix to rapidly drain water through the material and allows for maximum air circulation for a fast drying, gutter filling medium. The physical properties of the urethane matrix such as tensile, tear and elongation factors are also enhanced by the “thermal reticulation” process and allow for a multitude of fabrication or cutting techniques that are common to the urethane foam industry.
The foam gutter insert is a product that is easily fabricated from standard bun stock into any number of specific shapes and geometric configurations to fit the geometry of the gutter space or element to be protected. After fabrication into a given geometry, the urethane foam material will retain its resiliency and shape.
The foam by its composition is a “non-nutrient” media and therefore will not rapidly be ingested by most microbial organisms. However, the foam can be manufactured with antimicrobial chemical additives in an in situ basis that are fungicidal and/or bactericidal to further enhance the resistance of the foam to a number of attacks by naturally occurring bacteria, fungus, mold and mildew.
The high strength and durability that is an inherent function of the reticulation process, along with the additive enhancement possibilities, will allow for long-term exposure to both inclement weather and high water conditions. In situ antimicrobial additives that may be used are available from suppliers like Troy Corporation (MERGAL and Polyphase), Mayzo, Inc. (BNX), Morton International, Inc. (BioPruf), and U.S. Borax, Inc. (Borogard Zb).
Effective antimicrobial amounts can range from 0.1 parts per hundred parts resin to 10 parts per hundred parts resin, on an in-situ basis. The additive level to be used would be determined by the strength and kill radius of the given biocide chosen.
In addition to antimicrobial additives, the fabricated foam parts can be in situ treated and/or post-cure coated in such a way to enhance the overall UV stability of the material. Under normal conditions a UV-stabilizer additive can be made part of the foam matrix (in situ) during the foaming process. But, an external coating on the exposed surfaces of the gutter filling material may protect the foam material over a longer period of time and in more weather challenging conditions where high Ultraviolet exposure is apparent. In-situ UV stablizer packages include Aceto Chemical Co. (BEHB), Burlington Biomedical and Scientific Corp. (BurlOX), Great Lakes Chemical (Lowlite), Mayzon, Inc. (Benefos, BLS and BNX), and Uniroyal Chemical Co. (BLE).
Post cure UV stabilization can be achieved from EPDM rubber coatings, water based latex applications like SBR based materials and similar products from suppliers like Kelstar International, Miller—Stephenson Company and Rad-Cure Corporation.
Effective UV-stabilizers (in-situ) amounts can range from 0.1 parts per hundred parts resin to 10 parts per hundred parts resin. As in the biocide case, the in-situ load level would be a function of the stabilizer selected and the pre-determined length of protection required.
Post cure coatings can be applied to a any predetermined depth on the exposed surfaces of the foam. The coating depth can be from ⅛ inch to as much as 3.0 inches depending on the viscosity and coating efficiency of the material being applied.
In addition to the additives described in detail above, additional types of additives may be beneficial. These include, but are not limited to, fire retardant additives and color additives. Fire retardant additives impart important safety characteristics to the foam. They may be used to make the foam part of a fire safety system for a building. In any event, fire retardant additives can be used to at least prevent the foam from being a fire hazard. Suitable flame retardants are available from the same manufacturers identified earlier herein relating to other additives. Color additives can be useful for a manufacturer and/or installer. They may even be used and preferred by an end-user. The use of a specific color in the foaming process may be used to differentiate specific size or shape or other type of foam products. This improves handling by the manufacturer. It may also make installation easier for a contractor. For instance, different widths or different shapes may be formed in different colors. An installer will know which color is required for a particular job. An end-user may desire a specific color in order to make the insert less visible to anyone who might otherwise view the inside of a gutter.
It can be seen from the attached drawings, and specifically FIGS. 2-4, that a urethane foam material is easily fabricated to fit any geometry that a water channeling system for commercial and residential buildings might take. FIGS. 2-4 illustrate exemplary cross sections of foam inserts that may be used in K-style (FIGS. 2 and 4) and half-round (FIG. 3) gutters. The key to the entire gutter filling system is the open porosity of the “thermally reticulated” urethane foam matrix and its ability to allow water passage as a function of its 97-98% void configuration. The nature of the “open windows” of virtually every urethane cell in the foam matrix allows the rainwater to pass easily through the foam and find its way to the bottom of the channel where it can flow quickly and easily through the system. This water flow channel can be produced by the specific configuration to which the foam is fabricated before it is placed inside the body of the channel. The foamed material can be cut on site, pre-fabricated or cut to order for specific board foot or linear foot requirements for each and every installation.
The formulation enhancements like UV-stabilizers, biocides, fungicides etc. and color choices can be pre-determined and made part of the urethane foam matrix to be used for the installation before the foam ever arrives at the specific job site. If at a given job site a high level of Ultraviolet protection is needed, the foam to be used can be post-cure coated with an extremely effective UV protective coating for all exposed surfaces. The nature of the material allows for a multitude of very specific product enhancement features that are either in situ chemical additives or post cure secondary treatments to the exposed foam surfaces as required. Whether the channels are half-round, K-Style, U-Shaped or Fascia materials, this flexible urethane reticulated foam can be fabricated in a manner to accommodate any of these intricate channel systems. In each case or geometric choice, the bulk of the foam will be used to permit water passage from the roof, yet prevent debris from entering the water channel. As the water passes through the reticulated foam matrix, it will fall to the bottom of the channel that has been kept clean of all debris and has a reduced foam mass for rapid movement of the water through the channeling system. With this design, the bottom of the channel is always open to the flow of rain water and the top of the channel is protected from any leaves, pine needles, roof runoff aggregate and the like from entering the flow path in the channel and clogging the entire system.
FIG. 1 is a cross sectional perspective view of a gutter pin having an insert 20 mounted in it. Gutter 10 is mounted under a roof 12 and includes a down spout 15 for drainage of the water away from the house or building. The insert 20 is made from reticulated polyurethane foam. The particular geometry of the foam insert 20 is as shown in FIG. 2. The geometry of the insert 20 allows for an open channel 25 to be formed under the insert 20. The channel 25 is open to handle any increased flow in water that may result during heavy rain. The resilient and flexible nature of the foam insert 20 allows for the insert to fill the width of the open trough of the gutter 10. It is important for the insert to have at least substantially the same width as the gutter 10 in order to block any foreign material from clogging the gutter.
The installation of the material can be done as a retrofit for existing gutter channels or as a new installation for new residential or commercial buildings. When properly installed, the reticulated foam matrix material is invisible to the observer of the building, yet it provides a protection for the water drainage system that is easy to install, and protects against clogged systems and improves the long term life of the water channeling system.
While the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be understood that numerous variations, modifications and additional embodiments are possible, and all such variations, modifications, and embodiments are to be regarded as being within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A gutter protection system comprising

a reticulated foam insert adapted to fit within a gutter and further having at least substantially the same width as the gutter, and the foam insert comprising an antimicrobial additive.

2. A gutter protection system as described in claim 1, wherein the antimicrobial additive is incorporated in the reticulated foam.

3. A gutter protection system as described in claim 1, wherein the antimicrobial additive is coated onto the reticulated foam.

4. A gutter protection system as described in claim 1, wherein the antimicrobial additive comprises a bactericide and a fungicide.

5. A gutter protection system as described in claim 1, the foam insert further comprising a UV stabilizer additive.

6. A gutter protection system as described in claim 5, wherein the UV stabilizer additive is incorporated in the reticulated foam.

7. A gutter protection system as described in claim 6, wherein the UV stabilizer additive is coated onto the reticulated foam.

8. A gutter protection system as described in claim 1, wherein the reticulated foam comprises reticulated polyurethane foam.

9. A gutter protection system as described in claim 1, the foam insert further comprising a fire retardant additive.

10. A gutter protection system as described in claim 5, the foam insert further comprising a fire retardant additive.

11. A gutter protection system as described in claim 1, the foam insert further comprising a color additive.

12. A gutter protection system as described in claim 5, the foam insert further comprising a color additive.

13. A gutter protection system comprising;

a reticulated foam insert adapted to fit within a gutter and further having at least substantially the same width as the gutter, and

the foam insert comprising a UV stabilizer additive.

14. A gutter protection system as described in claim 13, wherein the UV stabilizer additive is incorporated in the reticulated foam.

15. A gutter protection system as described in claim 14, wherein the UV stabilizer additive is coated onto the reticulated foam.