Rain gutters have been in use for thousands of years in different forms. As far back as between 3000 BC and 1500 BC in the Indus valley, archeologists have found them made from bricks and clay. Then the Romans improved them when they brought the technology to Britain around 47 AD. Did you know that the gargoyles you see on those classic building from those days were part of the gutter system? Now that is a downspout.
No matter what civilization used gutters, at any period of time, they all had to have the same problem. Rain gutters will collect debris and become clogged if not regularly cleaned. We don’t know exactly when the first person had the idea to make rain gutter covers to keep the debris out, but we do know that the first ones were probably just screen types, as this is the simplest solution. These were first commercially used in the early part of the 1900’s and became popular with those who were tired of cleaning out their gutters constantly.
As with anything there is a demand for, competition ensues and people try to build a better mouse trap. However, this wasn’t just a case of reinventing the wheel. Improvements needed to be made. Screens are fine at first, but debris will start to accumulate on the screen, dry out and then hinder water flow or become pulverized when it rains hard and drain down into the gutter.
Enter Solid Top Gutter Covers
Along came the solid top gutter covers in the mid 1900’s. These were an improvement over the screen type, but still had some problems as debris would still accumulate on the top and find its way in to the system eventually.
In the early 1960s, Bob Demartini, an alumnus of MIT, sought to improve this type of design and developed the solid top/meshless gutter cover system now known as Gutter Helmet. Through years of experimenting and development he finally patented his famous “Nose Forward Design” that lets water flow effortlessly into the gutter while causing the debris that drops on top to fall harmlessly to the ground. Mr. Demartini officially launched Gutter Helmet in the fall of 1981 and because of its resounding success, was acquired by Southeastern Metals Mfg. in 2005.
If you are interested in rain gutter covers in Little Rock AK, or the local area, contact P.I. Roofing and Home Solutions, and let us install this excellent gutter protection system on your home today.
