Enjoy “Clog Free Gutters” For The Life Of Your Home With Gutter Guards
The main purpose of a rain gutter is to protect a building’s foundation by channeling water away from its base. They also help to reduce erosion, prevent leaks in basements and crawlspaces, protect painted surfaces by reducing exposure to water, and provide a means to collect rainwater for later use.
Gutters Gutter Guards and Surface Tension
Surface tension is measured as the energy required to increase the surface area of a liquid by a unit of area. The surface tension of a liquid results from an imbalance of intermolecular attractive forces, the cohesive forces between molecules:
- A molecule in the bulk liquid experiences cohesive forces with other molecules in all directions.
- A molecule at the surface of a liquid experiences only net inward cohesive forces.
A microscopic view of water illustrates the difference between molecules at the surface of a liquid and water molecules within a liquid.
Pic 1 The molecules at the surface of this sample of liquid water are not surrounded by other water molecules. The molecules inside the sample are surrounded by other molecules.
Pic 2 The unbalanced attraction of molecules at the surface of a liquid tends to pull the molecules back into the bulk liquid leaving the minimum number of molecules on the surface. It required energy to increase the surface area of a liquid because a larger surface area contains more molecules in the unbalanced situation.
Adhesive Forces
Forces of attraction between a liquid and a solid surface are called adhesive forces. The difference in strength between cohesive forces and adhesive forces determine the behavior of a liquid in contact with a solid surface.
- Water does not wet waxed surfaces because the cohesive forces within the drops are stronger than the adhesive forces between the drops and the wax.
- Water wets glass and spreads out on it because the adhesive forces between the liquid and the glass are stronger than the cohesive forces within the water.
Formation of a Meniscus
Pic 1 When liquid water is confined in a tube, its surface (meniscus) has a concave shape because water wets the surface and creeps up the side.
Pic 2 Mercury does not wet glass – the cohesive forces within the drops are stronger than the adhesive forces between the drops and glass. When liquid mercury is confined in a tube, its surface (meniscus) has a convex shape because the cohesive forces in liquid mercury tend to draw it into a drop.
Capillary Action
Capillary action is the rise of a liquid that wets a tube up the inside of a small diameter tube (i.e., a capillary) immersed in the liquid.
- The liquid creeps up the inside of the tube (as a result of adhesive forces between the liquid and the inner walls of the tube) until the adhesive and cohesive forces of the liquid are balanced by the weight of the liquid.
- The smaller the diameter of the tube, the higher the liquid rises.
The Surface Tension Guttering System is a new guttering system that uses the surface tension properties of water to provide a separation, keeping the water in and the leaves out. The Surface Tension Guttering System is a new guttering system, not just an add-on like mesh or grating.
No More Clogged Gutters…Ever!
Clogged gutters don’t allow rain water to drain properly and add stress to your Minnesota home and overflowing gutters cause water damage to your home and foundation. Water spills onto the ground which soaks, weakens, and cracks your foundation.
When your gutters are clogged, rainwater will be forced over, not through your gutters,and can cause:
- Damage to your fascia and soffit
- Mold development
- Ground erosion
- Cracks in the foundation
- And even basement flooding
Finally There Is An Alternative To Gutter Cleaning
Yes, it is possible for you to enjoy “clog free gutters” for the life of your home.
With this guttering system:
• There is no more cleaning gutters
• No leaves = no rust, longer gutter life
• Reduction in the risk of fire
• Reduction in the amount of organic matter that would flow into rainwater tanks
• Mosquito lava cannot develop in the pools of water in the gutter as the gutters are clear and free flowing and not blocked with leaves
• In snowy areas the snow will slide over the gutter and in the summer months the gutter will function in the normal way
If your home has gutters, you are all too aware of the problem of clogged gutters. Every spring, it’s time to set up the ladder and make the journey up to your gutters to remove soggy leaves and debris. And if you live in an area with lots of trees, you may even have to clean those gutters a couple of times a year. Otherwise, your home is susceptible to expensive damage such as water rot, insect infestations and mold. Unfortunately, climbing up on a ladder and cleaning gutters yourself is not only dangerous but sometimes impossible on two or three story houses.
Many people have been injured or have even fallen to their death from the roof of the family home or from ladders while cleaning the gutters. This gutter system has a real potential to save lives.
When you’re choosing a gutter system, make sure that you know what your options are and which will be best for your needs – and make sure that you’ve got the right Minnesota Gutter Company installing them.
