What material to choose gutters for draining water from the roof and how to mount them?

The implementation of the removal of atmospheric water flowing from the roof from the foundation of the house is one of the main tasks to prevent basement flooding. This problem can be solved in several ways, but the most popular and easy to do is the installation of a drainage system.

It is recommended to install at the stage of roofing works or immediately after their completion. Such systems have a simple design and are easy to install with your own hands. At the same time, gutter systems are a reliable and effective solution to the issue of rain and melt water drainage.

Types of drainage systems

In modern practice, two types of organized drainage are used:

1. Internal drainage system. It is used most often in houses with a flat roof. It has two types: gravitational and siphon-vacuum. The gravity type of internal stormwater drainage is easier to install. The vacuum system is characterized by greater productivity (capacity) with a smaller pipe diameter.
2. Outdoor drain. A fairly simple system, consisting of several basic elements: funnels and drainpipes. In practice, it is used not only for pitched roofs of private houses, but quite often buildings with a flat roof are equipped with such storm sewers, since this method has a simpler installation.

This article is devoted to the external organized systems for the removal of atmospheric water from the roof.

Structural elements of an external drain

The outdoor drainage system consists of a fairly large number of elements:

• brackets (fastening) of gutters;
• water intake funnels;
• gutters;
• drainpipes;
• connecting elbows with an angle of 45 and 90 °;
• fixing clamps (downpipe holder).

Any system also includes several additional accessories used for a gutter system with a complex (multi-pitched) roof:

• gutters with an internal or external corner;
• end gutter plugs;
• drain outlet.

Advice! Most modern systems use a special gutter connector, which provides a tight, reliable and durable connection.

Materials used

As already noted, the main structural elements of any drainage system are gutters, funnels, connecting elbows and downpipes. It is according to the material of manufacture of these products that storm sewers differ. Consider the basic materials.

Steel structures

The classic option is a gutter system made of galvanized steel. With the development of new technologies, more reliable and durable options have appeared: gutters and pipes made of steel coated with a protective polymer layer. Storm sewers made of such materials have the following advantages:

• High mechanical strength.
• Ability to withstand sudden temperature fluctuations.
• Metal does not crack in the cold.
• High resistance to corrosion due to polymer protective layer.
• Large selection of colors, can be matched to any roof covering material.

It is worth noting that when installing metal gutters to drain water from the roof, all stormwater elements should be fastened with reinforced brackets, since such a system has a significant weight.

PVC gutters

Recently, plastic gutters for the drainage system are gaining more and more popularity. Such structures for the removal of rainwater have the following positive characteristics:

• A special coating of technical acrylic significantly increases the resistance of plastic gutters and pipes to UV radiation and protects against the aggressive effects of rainwater.
• Plastic storm sewer does not have significant weight, which simplifies installation: fastening can be done on plastic brackets.
• The elasticity and rigidity of the material determines good mechanical strength. For regions with a high level of precipitation (snow), gutters with additional stiffeners are produced.

• When assembling a plastic drainage system, a special connector (coupling) with rubber gaskets is used.

Advice! Sometimes, instead of a coupling, an adhesive version of the assembly of plastic elements is used. This method has a significant drawback: the design becomes non-separable, which makes it impossible to replace the damaged part.

Alternatives

Recently, it has become fashionable to make systems for draining rainwater from the roof on special order. In this case, most often the gutters and other parts of the storm drain are made of the following materials:

• Copper. Excellent, strong and durable material for stormwater. The gutters are connected to each other by means of a seam or by soldering. Experts recommend mounting this design on copper brackets or using a stainless steel holder. Unfortunately, the copper drain oxidizes rather quickly and loses its exclusive appearance.
• Aluminum. The light weight of this material greatly simplifies the installation of such gutters. In order not to spoil the look, it is recommended to use an aluminum mount, as other materials do not mix well and can damage this soft metal.
• Zinc-titanium alloy - gutters made of this material are durable, reliable, have an exclusive appearance that is retained throughout the entire service life.

Advice! Gutter systems made from these materials are expensive and require constant maintenance. Therefore, they are not widely used, and their installation is recommended mainly for roofs covered with natural roofing material.

Gutter installation technology

Let's look at how one of the main elements of storm sewers is fastened - gutters. Despite the variety of manufacturing materials, the installation of a rainwater drainage system from the roof is approximately the same:

• First of all, a frontal board is installed: it is fastened directly to the facade of the house under the roof overhang.
• In a pre-selected place, the installation of water intake funnels is carried out.
• After that, the installation of brackets begins. They are mounted on the frontal board with a step of no more than 50 cm.
• Then the gutters are installed in the brackets. Their reliable fastening is made by special clamps.

Advice! An important nuance of the performance of the rainwater drainage system is the correct fastening of the gutters relative to the roof overhang. The edge of the roof should be approximately in the center of the gutter. Also, we must not forget about the need for a slight bias towards the funnel.

After the gutter system is assembled, you can begin the installation of downpipes. For this, connecting elbows with an angle of 45 ° are used. Pipes are attached to the facade of the house with special clamps.

Quite often, special treatment facilities are installed in a suburban area, in which atmospheric water undergoes the necessary filtration. After that, such water can be used for watering the garden or vegetable garden, as well as other household needs.