Integral Roof Drainage System (RainVein)

Abstract

A roof drainage system designed to be in-line with the rain-screen-type exterior wall finish assembly to discharge run-off water to a drainage location, including a gutter assembly recessed into the roof edge structure connected to a downspout assembly that is recessed into the exterior finish material outboard of the rigid insulation and weather barrier that allows for ease of maintenance, clean out, and replacement; with a day-lit or sub-grade tie-in type outlet; that also visually blends into the faade.

Claims

1. A roof drainage gutter-downspout-outlet system installed integral to the roof assembly and in line/plane with a rain-screen-type wall finish assembly on a building structure.

2. An integral roof drainage gutter-downspout-outlet system according to claim 1 and characterized further by gutter assembly mounted on roof framing substructural blocking members recessed into the roof edge with the top flanges of the gutter walls in the same plane tucked under the roof finish flashing material.

3. An integral roof drainage gutter-downspout-outlet system according to claim 2 and characterized further by an alternative configuration of a roof scupper collector head (not shown) integral to the rain-screen assembly and sized for coursing dimensions in line with the rain-screen integral downspout assembly in the preferred embodiment.

4. An integral roof drainage gutter-downspout-outlet system according to claim 1 and characterized further by gutter assembly opening in the bottom portion of the gutter provided to be fitted with a downspout assembly having a closed two-piece bent aluminum sheeting configuration (as shown).

5. An integral roof drainage gutter-downspout-outlet system according to claim 4 and characterized further by alternative downspout configurations including an open extruded aluminum vertical channel configuration (not shown); an extruded aluminum vertical channel with a polycarbonate exterior cover configuration (not shown); or a closed extruded aluminum tube configuration (similar to as shown).

6. An integral roof drainage gutter-downspout-outlet system according to claim 1 and characterized further by the configuration of the rain-screen integrated downspout with mounting methods that allow removal for maintenance without removing a portion of the roof or exterior wall finish.

7. An integral roof drainage gutter-downspout-outlet system according to claim 1 and characterized further by the configuration of the recessed roof gutter to rain-screen integrated downspout to outlet assembly in various width and color options that provide a more aesthetically pleasing system than conventional surface-mounted systems.

8. An integral roof drainage gutter-downspout-outlet system according to claim 1 and characterized further by the configuration of the day-lit downspout outlet assembly of extruded aluminum in a one-piece configuration with a hinged lockable perforated aluminum cover to prevent rodent and bird access.

9. An integral roof drainage gutter-downspout-outlet system according to claim 8 and characterized further by alternative downspout outlet configurations for the day-lit downspout outlet including an open extruded aluminum channel configuration (not shown); an extruded aluminum channel with a polycarbonate top cover configuration (not shown). In addition, the downspout # may not be day-lit but rather tied into the subsurface drainage system below grade.

10. An integral roof drainage gutter-downspout-outlet system according to claim 1 and characterized further by providing a continuous, coursing-width, rain-screen integral system designed to match typical masonry dimensions to reduce the need to cut masonry as compared to current systems, which in turn reduces the likelihood of sealing/flashing installation error and subsequent building envelope water infiltration and also can be more easily camouflaged through the use of colored coatings that are typically available for extruded aluminum materials, either standard, premium, or custom color options.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention integrated into the roof and rain-screen-type exterior wall assembly with a day-lit type outlet;

[0011] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the gutter to downspout assembly in FIG. 1 taken along line 2 thereof;

[0012] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the top of the recessed roof gutter assembly incorporating one embodiment of a downspout structure according to the present invention;

[0013] FIG. 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the downspout structure of FIG. 2 taken along line 4 thereof;

[0014] FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of the downspout incorporating one embodiment of the outlet according to the present invention (second embodiment not pictured is sub-grade tie-in type outlet);

[0015] FIG. 6 is a vertical cross sectional view of the downspout structure in FIG. 4 taken along line 6 thereof;

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0016] Referring now to the accompanying drawings and initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, a roof drainage system according to the present invention is indicated generally at 10 as preferably installed integral to the roof assembly 19 and in line/plane with a rain screen-type wall finish assembly 22 on a building structure 20. The roof 19 is representative of a mid-slope type overhanging a vertical wall assembly incorporating masonry/rain-screen exterior system 22 (required air gap included/depicted), weather barrier and rigid insulation 21, over substructural wall backup assembly. The roof material is flashed by sheet material 16 overlapping the top flanges 11 of the integral gutter assembly 12 to seal the transition and prevent water infiltration into the roof substructure 19.

[0017] The gutter assembly 12 is formed from continuous length aluminum sheeting to have integral upright front and rear wall members 11 and a bottom portion extending parallel to the roof perimeter to define a collecting trough 11 having an open top. The gutter assembly 12 is mounted on roof framing substructural blocking members 19 recessed into the roof edge 17 with the top flanges of the gutter walls 12 in the same plane tucked under the roof finish flashing material 16. The opening in the bottom portion of the gutter 12 is provided to be fitted with a downspout assembly 13 having a closed two-piece bent aluminum sheeting configuration (as shown); an open extruded aluminum vertical channel configuration (not shown); an extruded aluminum vertical channel with a polycarbonate exterior cover configuration (not shown); or a closed extruded aluminum tube configuration (similar to as shown).

[0018] In the operation of a conventional internal roof drain system there is increased likelihood of water infiltration into the building envelope due to sealant/flashing failure; along with significant difficulty accessing the drain pipes for maintenance, cleaning, and replacement. The initial installation of the internal roof drain system has substantial drawbacks including necessitating additional interior square footage; and in some cases requiring sound attenuation of the drain pipe chases, further increasing construction difficulty and cost.

[0019] The configuration of the rain-screen integrated downspout 13 in the current invention resolves these problems by installing the system outboard of the wall cavity with mounting methods that allow removal for maintenance without removing a portion of the roof or exterior wall finish 22 by incorporating removable aluminum reglet trim (not shown for clarity) to seal and hide the accessible fastening brackets 15.

[0020] In the operation of a conventional surface mounted gutters and downspouts, while offering ease of maintenance and relatively low cost, the main disadvantage of visual dissonance of the surface mounted assemblies with the building faade necessitate a more aesthetic solution.

[0021] The configuration of the recessed roof gutter 12 to rain-screen integrated downspout assembly 13 resolves the disadvantage of surface-mounted systems by providing an integral system with width and color options that provide a more aesthetically pleasing system than conventional surface-mounted systems.

[0022] The day-lit downspout outlet assembly 14 is of extruded aluminum in a one-piece configuration (as shown) with a hinged lockable perforated aluminum cover (not shown) to prevent pest access. Alternative configurations for the day-lit downspout outlet 14 include an open extruded aluminum channel configuration (not shown); an extruded aluminum channel with polycarbonate top cover configuration (not shown). In addition, the downspout # may not be day-lit but rather tied into the subsurface drainage system below grade.

[0023] The conventional day-lit downspout outlet assembly of round shape requires that a round opening be created in the exterior rain-screen assembly. In addition to aesthetic dissonance, the creation of said round opening is difficult, leaving more likelihood of error and increased flashing/sealing difficulty.

[0024] The day-lit downspout outlet 14 from downspout assembly 13 of the present invention addresses those difficulties by providing a continuous, coursing-width, rain-screen integral system 10 is designed to match typical masonry dimensions to reduce the need to cut masonry as compared to current systems. Furthermore, because the width of the rain-screen integral system 10 is the same width as the width of masonry units, it can be more easily camouflaged through the use of colored coatings that are typically available for extruded aluminum materials, either standard, premium, or custom color options.