The present disclosure generally relates to hanger and strap systems for supporting and securing rain gutters. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to hanger and strap systems arranged to support and secure rain gutters with a gutter guard system installed with the rain gutter.
Rain gutter systems are commonly used for residential homes, building, and other structures to manage rainwater by collecting the rainwater and channeling that rainwater away from the structure. Such management of rainwater can be critical for the overall maintenance and condition of the structure by reducing or eliminating damage to the structure and its foundation that can be caused by uncontrolled rainwater. Rain gutters are typically secured to a structure at the bottom edge of the roofline by passing screws or nails through the back side of the rain gutters and into the fascia boards of the structure. When a structure has no fascia board, rain gutters can be attached directly to rafter tails extending to the edge of the roofline. As will be appreciated, rain gutters are durable products with long service lives and, once installed, it is anticipated that rain gutters will remain secured in place and functional for decades. While the preferred method is to secure rain gutters directly to fascia boards or rafter tails using screws or other fasteners, under certain conditions, relying simply on screws and nails to secure rain gutters to fascia boards or rafter tails can lead to rain gutters sagging and pulling away from the structure over time and ultimately failing to perform as designed. This is particularly the case when installing new gutters on an existing structure. It is fairly common for fascia boards or rafter tails to soften and deteriorate over time. Thus, when rain gutters are replaced on an existing structure, the wood of the fascia boards and rafter tails may no longer have the structural integrity to hold screws of other fasteners that secure the rain gutters to the home. Therefore, there are a number of techniques in the rain gutter industry for further securing rain gutters to structures that are designed to withstand weather and other environmental conditions and maintain the rain gutters in place and functional for long periods of time.
One common technique for installing rain gutters to promote a long service life is to use additional hardware to support and secure rain gutters to a structure. One typical hardware solution is to install a combination of a hanger and a strap at several points along the length of the rain gutters.
As illustrated in
Once rain gutters are installed on a structure, it is common to add additional functional components such as the addition of gutter guards. Gutter guards are components or systems that are typically attached to or incorporated into rain gutters to prevent leaves, pine needles, branches, soot, and other such debris from entering the rain gutter. Such debris can clog the rain gutters and reduce their effectiveness in channeling rainwater away from a residential home, building, or other structure. In addition, such debris can damage and shorten the service life of a rain gutter system by causing corrosion, pitting, or other deleterious effects on the rain gutter system. Unfortunately, prior art hanger and strap systems often interfere with the installation and use of gutter guards systems and either make it impossible to install a gutter guard system of make the gutter guard system less effective and efficient upon installation.
There is a need in the rain gutter industry for improved hanger and strap system that can both secure and support a rain gutter attached to a structure and accommodate gutter guard systems installed with the rain gutter. This disclosure provides such improved hanger and strap systems.
Disclosed herein are examples of hanger and strap systems for securing and supporting rain gutters, where the hanger and strap systems are arranged to accommodate the installation of a gutter guard system with the rain gutter. A hanger and strap system includes a hanger and a strap. The hanger includes a body, a hook portion located on one end of the body, a flat end portion located at a second and opposite end of the body, and a plurality of keyhole slots passing though the body. The strap includes a body, neck section, a head section, and a plurality of apertures passing through the body. The neck and head sections of the strap are arranged to engage with one of the plurality of keyhole slots of the hanger to both support the rain gutter and accommodate the installation of a gutter guard system with the rain gutter. In an alternative embodiment, the hanger includes a clipped portion on one end in place of the flat end portion.
In the accompanying drawings, structures are illustrated that, together with the detailed description provided below, describe example embodiments of the disclosed systems, methods, and apparatus. Where appropriate, like elements are identified with the same or similar reference numerals. Elements shown as a single component can be replaced with multiple components. Elements shown as multiple components can be replaced with a single component. The drawings may not be to scale. The proportion of certain elements may be exaggerated for the purpose of illustration.
The apparatus, systems, arrangements, and methods disclosed in this document are described in detail by way of examples and with reference to the figures. It will be appreciated that modifications to disclosed and described examples, arrangements, configurations, components, elements, apparatus, methods, materials, etc. can be made and may be desired for a specific application. In this disclosure, any identification of specific techniques, arrangements, method, etc. are either related to a specific example presented or are merely a general description of such a technique, arrangement, method, etc. Identifications of specific details or examples are not intended to be and should not be construed as mandatory or limiting unless specifically designated as such. Selected examples of hanger and strap systems are hereinafter disclosed and described in detail with reference made to
Disclosed herein are novel hanger and strap systems that secure rain gutters to the roofs of structures while accommodating the installation of gutter guards with the rain gutters.
The hanger 210 is arranged to be installed within a rain gutter. The hooked portion 250 is arranged to fit under the front lip of a rain gutter and engage with and capture the front lip of the rain gutter. As illustrated, the corners at the front edge of the hooked portion 250 are rounded to facilitate ease of installing the hanger 210, particularly the hook portion 250, into the rain gutter. While the hanger 210 can also be fabricated with ninety degree corners for the hooked portion 250, such an arrangement can on occasions during installation cause damage to the front of the rain gutter. The flat end section 260 is arranged to be positioned flush with the back of the rain gutter proximate to the back lip of the rain gutter and a screw or other fastener can be passed through the aperture 270 to secure the hanger 210 to the rain gutter and directly to the structure. As will be subsequently described, the plurality of slots (280, 290, 300) are arranged to engage with a strap. The body 220 includes a pair of flutes (310, 320) running the longitudinal length of the body 210 and upward along the hooked portion 250 and flat end 260. The flutes (310, 320) add rigidity and strength to the hanger 210, which not only provides for more support for the rain gutter but resists any deformation that could cause the hanger to disengage from the rain gutter over time. As will be appreciated, the weight of the rain gutter is borne by the strap, which transfers that force to the hanger at its point of engagement with the hanger. If the hanger does not have sufficient structural integrity, the hanger will bend or bow upward, which can result in the hanger disengaging from the rain gutter, and a failure of the hanger and strap system. The flutes prevent such upward bending of bowing of the hangers.
As previously noted, hangers can be “clipless” or “clipped.”
The hanger 500 is arranged to be installed within a rain gutter. The hooked portion 540 is arranged to fit under and capture the front lip of a rain gutter. As illustrated, the corners at the front edge of the hooked portion 540 are rounded to facilitate ease of installation into the rain gutter. The clipped portion 550 is arranged to capture the back lip of the rain gutter. The pair of apertures (580, 590) are arranged so that a screw or other fastener can be passed through the apertures (580, 590) to further secure the hanger 500 to the rain gutter and to directly secure the hanger 500 and rain gutter to the structure. As will be subsequently described, the plurality of slots (600, 610, 620) are arranged to engage with the strap. The body 510 includes a pair of flutes (630, 640) running the longitudinal length of the body 510 and upward along the hooked portion 540 and clipped portion 550. The flutes (630, 640) add rigidity and strength to the hanger 500 to support the rain gutter and resist any deformation over time.
The location of the keyhole slots can be selected to align with openings in the body of a particular gutter guard system. Therefore, embodiments of hangers can be arranged to facilitate installation of various other gutter guard systems.
The hangers can be arranged so that each of the plurality of keyhole slots addresses a specific function of the hanger and strap system. For example, in one embodiment, when installing or maintaining rain gutters, at the initiation of the installation or maintenance service for a rain gutter (i.e., the first location where a hanger and strap system is used for that rain gutter), the installer will use the keyhole slot located closest to the hook portion of the hanger, which is also closest to the front lip of the rain gutter. At the conclusion of the installation or maintenance service of the rain gutter (i.e., the last location where a hanger and strap system is used for that rain gutter), the installer will use the keyhole slot located farthest from the hook portion of the hanger, which is the keyhole slot closest to the back lip of the rain gutter. For all the locations between the first and last installation points, the middle keyhole slot is used. In such an arrangement, first and last locations prevent the rain gutter from twisting away from the roofline and ensures proper positioning of the rain gutters relative to the structure. The use of the middle keyhole slot for the remainder of the locations provides for the rain gutters to be balanced and easily moved into position and makes the rain gutters easier to handle and manage for the installer.
The hanger can be arranged so that it supports a gutter guard system in a position where the gutter guard system is most effective. For example, as illustrated in
The foregoing description of examples has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or limiting to the forms described. Numerous modifications are possible in light of the above teachings. Some of those modifications have been discussed, and others will be understood by those skilled in the art. The examples were chosen and described in order to best illustrate principles of various examples as are suited to particular uses contemplated. The scope is, of course, not limited to the examples set forth herein, but can be employed in any number of applications and equivalent devices by those of ordinary skill in the art.