JPH0425468Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to an antifreeze device for rain gutters and the like installed in various structures (houses, other structures, etc.).

<Conventional technology> In rain gutters in cold regions, from winter to early spring,
It is known that water from snowmelt occurs during the day, and this water freezes at night when temperatures drop sharply.

This freeze may remain during the day without completely thawing, and if this situation is repeated, the inside of the gutter will eventually become completely clogged with frozen ice, and the volume expansion of this ice will cause the gutter to become completely clogged. This results in the destruction of the gutter.

For this reason, in the past, complete freezing has been prevented by wiring an electric heater such as a nichrome wire in the length direction of the gutter.

<Problems to be solved by the invention> However, the method using an electric heater such as a nichrome wire as described above had the following drawbacks.

Since the current conducting part and the heat generating part are the same, both ends of the heater must be connected as a conductive path when wiring to the rain gutter. This required connection processing, and the work was complicated.

In addition, since there are naturally two wiring systems, one for the outbound route and one for the return route, the amount of work increases significantly when installing the cable in long rain gutters, etc., and depending on the part where the cable is installed, the amount of heat generated may be wasted. Something happened.

Furthermore, because the length of a ready-made product is specified to a certain extent due to the relationship between the applied current and the amount of heat generated, there are cases where it is not possible to cut the product to a desired length. This results in the inability to adequately accommodate the shape and length of rain gutters and the like.

In addition, a temperature control device such as a thermostat is required to control the temperature, but if the installation of rain gutters etc. is complicated, multiple temperature control devices are required, which not only increases costs but also poses safety issues. There are many.

Furthermore, in the method using an electric heater, since the conductor serves as both a conductive part and a heat generating part as mentioned above, it cannot be made too thick, and depending on the location, disconnection may occur, and the wire There is also significant deterioration.

For this reason, attempts have recently been made to use a self-temperature-controlled heater, that is, a heater in which two conductors are embedded in conductive plastic.

The present applicant has already proposed a freeze prevention device for gutters using this self-temperature-controlled heater (Utility Application No. 59-189706, Utility Application No. 60-169568, Utility Application No. 60-169568,
60-169570, etc.), and the present invention is a further improvement of this.

<Means for solving the problems> The present invention uses the above-mentioned self-temperature control type heater as a gutter antifreeze device, but as a result of various studies on the gutter freezing mechanism, the main problems were found. For downspouts installed vertically, freezing occurs most often at the top and bottom openings (more precisely, at the top of the gutter).
Occurs in a part of about 50cm and about 1.5m below the gutter),
We discovered that if we could prevent freezing in this area, we could prevent the entire gutter from freezing, and from this perspective, we
It is complete.

That is, the present invention installs self-temperature-controlled heaters on the upper and lower ends of a cylindrical downspout installed in a desired structure, with a portion thereof protruding slightly outside the gutter, into the upper and lower openings of the cylindrical downspout. The system is basically a gutter anti-freeze system in which a power line is wired to each self-temperature-controlled heater. A further preferred embodiment is that a layer of heat insulating material (heat insulating layer) made of foamed plastic or the like of at least about 5 mm is provided inside the gutter.

<Function> In this antifreeze device, self-temperature control type heaters are installed in the upper and lower openings of the gutter where freezing is most likely to occur, so freezing is effectively prevented.

<Example> FIG. 1 shows an example of a gutter antifreeze device according to the present invention.

1 and 2 are self-temperature control type heaters installed in the upper and lower openings inside the cylindrical downspout 3 installed in the vertical direction, and the details thereof are shown in Fig. 2.
For example, two conductors 5, 5 are embedded in a conductive composition 4 made of rubber or plastic with conductive powder (carbon black, metal powder, etc.) added thereto, and an insulating coating layer 6 for protection and a shielding layer are placed on the outer periphery of the conductor 5. 7, and if necessary, a protective layer made of fluororesin or the like is provided thereon.

The self-temperature control type heater 1 on the upper end side installed in the upper opening of the gutter 3 has a structure 8 as in this example.
If the roof is a flat roof, extend the area around the gutter opening (30 to 50 cm in diameter) and install it approximately 50 cm into the gutter.

In addition, in the case of the self-temperature control type heater 2 on the lower end side installed in the lower opening of the gutter 3, the amount of 1.2 to 1.5
Insert about 50cm into the drainage ditch 9 and install it with about 50cm exposed.

And each of these self-temperature control type heaters 1,
The two comrades and an external power source are connected through power lines 10, 10. Furthermore, the anti-freeze device itself can be fixed to the gutter 3 using guide wires 11, 11 attached to the device, for example.
This is done by tying it to the roof 8 or drainage ditch 9.

Also, the lower end 2a of the self-temperature control type heater 2 and the joint portion 1 between each heater 1, 2 and the power line 10
A and 2b are insulated using resin molding, insulating sealing tape, plastic caps, heat shrink tubes, etc.

Furthermore, in the antifreeze device of the present invention, in order to operate the heaters 1 and 2 efficiently, a layer 12 of a heat insulating material is provided on the inner wall surface of the gutter 3 if necessary. This alleviates external cooling. The insulation material is polyethylene made of closed cells,
Foams such as polystyrene and polyurethane are preferred.
A thickness of about 5 to 20 mm is desirable from the viewpoint of heat insulation effect and securing drainage channel space.

Incidentally, when we installed a gutter antifreeze device with this structure as a gutter of a general house with a length of about 7 m, and compared it with a conventional heater using nichrome wire, we found that the electricity bill was reduced by about 40 to 45%. It has been found that savings can be made and substantial practical benefits have been obtained.

<Effects of the Invention> As is clear from the above description, the gutter antifreeze device according to the invention uses a self-temperature control type heater, so that the following effects can be obtained.

Because the current conducting part and the heat generating part are different,
The lower end of the heater on the lower end side installed in the gutter may simply be cut and terminal treated. This requires fewer connection points and reduces connection work.

Since the wiring does not require an outward path and a return path, it can be treated as just one heater.

Since it is not necessary to control the temperature using a thermostat or the like as in the conventional case, the cost of the entire device can be reduced and high safety can be achieved.

Furthermore, since the self-temperature control type heater is not installed along the entire length of the gutter, it is installed only in the upper and lower openings of the gutter, which are areas that are prone to freezing, which reduces the cost of the device itself and significantly reduces electricity consumption. Savings in consumption can also be achieved.

Furthermore, if a heat insulating layer is formed inside the rain gutter,
The thermal efficiency of the heater can be further improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of the gutter antifreeze device according to the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an end showing an example of a self-temperature-controlled heater used in this antifreeze device. It is a diagram. In the figure, 1, 2... self-temperature control type heater, 3...
...Gutter, 8...Roof, 9...Drainage ditch, 10...Power line, 11...Guide wire.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] (1) Self-temperature control on the upper end of a cylindrical downspout installed in a desired structure, with the upper end of the downspout slightly protruding outside the gutter and approximately 0.5m inside the gutter opening. At the same time, a self-temperature control type heater was installed at the lower end of the cylindrical downspout, which protruded slightly outside the gutter and was inserted about 1.2 to 1.5 m into the gutter opening, and A gutter characterized in that a power line from the outside is connected to the side self-temperature control type heater, and a power line is connected to the lower end side self-temperature control type heater from the lower end of the upper side self-temperature control type heater. antifreeze equipment. (2) The gutter antifreeze device according to claim 1, wherein the gutter is provided with a heat insulating layer on its inner wall surface.