Tubular Metal Building with Gutters and Downspouts
When planning for your tubular metal building, you’ll normally focus on the big decisions such as the building size, type of insulation, concrete, custom accessories, and the interior layout.
But gutters and downspouts are often an afterthought and sometimes overlooked just because they may not seem to be as important as the other features of the building.
However, there’s one important question you should also consider when planning your project: How will rainwater be managed once it runs off the roof?
Today, we’ll take a closer look at why gutters and downspouts are an important part of your tubular metal building, why proper installation matters, and how WolfSteel makes sure they are built to serve their purpose and last for years, just like your building.
What Happens When Rainwater Isn’t Properly Managed?
Before starting your metal building project rainwater management should also be part of the planning process.
Every time it rains, water runs down the roof and reaches the edges of the building.
Without gutters and downspouts, rainwater falls directly from the roof along the perimeter of your building. During heavy rain, concentrated runoff can erode the soil, create muddy areas, which may cause water to collect around the foundation, and leave water falling directly in front of doors and walkways.
Water runoff can leave more than just a muddy mess. Without a controlled drainage path, water can splash against the building panels, leaving visible staining while saturating the soil around the building.
Over time, poor water management can create unnecessary problems around your building. Thus, adding a gutter and downspout system can address these issues.
How Do Gutters and Downspouts Work?
- When it rains, water flows down the roof toward the edges of the building.
- Instead of allowing water to fall directly from the roof edge, the gutter catches and collects the runoff.
- The gutter provides a controlled path for collected water to move toward the downspout.
- The downspout moves the water from the gutter to the ground or to the designated location away from the building.
Why are Gutters and Downspouts Important to your Tubular Metal Building?
Gutters and downspouts do more than simply move rainwater off your roof. They help control where that water goes after it leaves the roof, which can help protect your foundation, the area around your building, and its overall appearance.
Here are three key reasons why gutters and downspouts are an important part of your building:
1. Helps in Water Management
Your foundation is one of the most important parts of your metal building. If rainwater repeatedly falls directly beside it, the surrounding soil can become saturated or eroded.
Over time, uncontrolled runoff can contribute to drainage problems around the foundation.
Gutters collect rainwater that falls on the roof and direct it away from the foundation of the building preventing water from pooling around the foundation, which can lead to erosion, basement flooding, and structural damage.
2. Protects the Area Around Your Building
Without gutters, rainwater can splash against the building and the ground below. This can leave mud and water stains along the lower portion of your wall panels and create wet or muddy areas around entrances.
If you have landscaping around your building, uncontrolled runoff can also wash away mulch or decorative stones, potentially creating additional maintenance and replacement costs.
By directing water through gutters and downspouts, you have more control over where that runoff is discharged.
3. Enhance Curb Appeal
A well-maintained gutter and downspout system can help enhance your building’s curb appeal by preventing water running down the sides of the building that can strip away paint and finish which can lead to frequent repainting.
Gutters and downspouts can also help minimize moisture buildup around the building, which may create conditions where mold and mildew can grow.
By providing a controlled path for rainwater, gutters and downspouts help direct water away from your building instead of allowing it to collect around the walls and foundation. After all, the last thing you want is a muddy pool of standing water surrounding your building every time it rains.
Why Gutters and Downspouts Should Be Part of Your Tubular Metal Building Design?
While gutters and downspouts can provide important benefits for your tubular metal building, adding them requires an important consideration that many customers may not realize.
Unlike a typical house, where gutters are often attached to a solid fascia or other prepared structural surface, tubular metal buildings may not have a solid surface along the eaves specifically designed for a residential-style gutter system.
So, what happens if you decide to add the gutters and downspouts after the building is complete?
The installer may need to attach or strap the gutter system directly to the metal panels. While this may seem like a simple solution, the gutter is supporting more than its own weight. It can also hold rainwater, leaves, and other debris, adding more weight and stress to the attachment points.
Over time, relying on the metal panels as the primary attachment point can place unnecessary stress on the panels, potentially causing panel deformation, loosening at the attachment points, or damage to the panels.
How We Prepare Our Tubular Buildings for Gutters and Downspouts?
We understand that installing gutters and downspouts on a tubular metal building is different from installing them on a traditional house.
At WolfSteel we don’t consider adding it after the building is completed. Instead we make sure we prepare the tubular building to receive the gutter system as part of the construction process.
For our tubular metal buildings, we use a residential-style gutter and downspout system. Our standard system includes a 6-inch K-style gutter with a 3-inch × 4-inch downspout, providing a controlled path for collecting and directing roof runoff.
Proper Downspout Placement Matters
The placement and quantity of downspouts are specifically engineered to manage the water load the gutters collect and to prevent overflow.
Length of the Building | Number of Downspouts Per Side |
|---|---|
0′ – 40′ Long | 2 |
45′ – 75′ Long | 3 |
80′ – 100′ Long | 4 |
If you prefer to have fewer downspouts, this can be accommodated; however, doing so will void the gutter system warranty. Fewer downspouts can increase the risk of gutter overflow and uncontrolled water runoff, potentially causing water damage that would fall outside of warranty coverage.
Gutter Bracing for a More Secure Gutter Attachment
When we say we plan the tubular metal building to receive gutters, we mean incorporating a gutter bracing or what we call a U-channel that will be installed along the eaves.
This U-channel is fabricated from 18g material and serves as a dedicated structural frame member for fastening the gutters. Rather than attaching the gutters directly to the thin sheet metal trim behind them, the gutters are fastened and strapped to the U-channel, providing a stronger and more secure attachment point.
If you decide to add gutters after the building has already been completed, the U-channel will first need to be installed before the gutters can be properly attached. This means an additional trip to the building site and an additional service charge on top of the cost of the gutter system itself.
This is why we recommend planning for your gutter system from the beginning. By incorporating the U-channel during the initial building installation, the necessary bracing is already in place when it’s time to install the gutters.
Keep in mind that this preparation may slightly affect the overall building cost due to the additional material and labor involved. However, planning for the gutter system from the start can help provide better control of roof runoff and potentially help you avoid more costly water-related issues down the road.
Adjusting the Panel Overhang
Another detail that can easily be overlooked is the amount of panel extending past the fascia or trim.
For a standard tubular building without gutters, we typically leave approximately 3–4 inches of panel overhang beyond the trim or fascia. However, when we’re preparing the building for this type of residential gutter system, we adjust that to approximately 1 to 2 inches.
That smaller overhang helps accommodate the gutter system and allows the building to be properly prepared for the installation.
Color Matching
There’s also an important detail to keep in mind when it comes to color matching. Our gutters and downspouts are made from aluminum, while the building panels are made from steel. Because these materials use different paint systems and have different finishes, the gutter color may vary from the color of your wall panels.
However, we’ll select the closest available color match to your building to help maintain a cohesive and consistent look.
What does WolfSteel think?
When you’re planning for your tubular metal building, don’t treat the gutters and downspouts as an afterthought.
By planning for the gutter system during the building process, we can account for the attachment points, panel overhang, downspout placement, and other details needed for a proper installation.
At the end of the day, a good gutter system isn’t just about what you see on the outside. It’s also about how the building is prepared to support it.
Installing your gutter system is only the first step. To help keep it working properly over time, regular maintenance is still important. We recommend considering leaf guards, which help keep leaves and other debris out of the gutters and can reduce the frequency of routine gutter cleaning.
If you’re planning a tubular metal building and aren’t sure whether gutters and downspouts make sense for your project, talk to us so we can help you plan and design your building right from the start.
Call us 844-941-0999
Or email us anytime at quotes@wolfsteelbuildings.com