Gutters, do I need them?

[lcrabtree]

I have a 30x50 pole barn that was built in 05. It's finished and insulated on the inside. They put gutters on when they build the building. We got 2 inches of ice a week or so ago and no thaw until today. I was out there working today and it sounded like thunder on the roof. Went outside and found a long piece of gutter ripped off by ice sheets sliding down. It looks like more pieces of gutter have been torn loose and may come down. My question is, do I need gutters, or would I be just as well without them?

Made a trip to town this afternoon and noticed that some pole barns have gutters and some don't.

Lester

 

[jkwilson]

Water will pour off the roof and shower you if you go in or out while it is raining if you don't have gutters

 

[Sureshot]

Water will pour off the roof and shower you if you go in or out while it is raining if you don't have gutters

Depends where your doors are. You can also put some over the doors. I have them on one side but not the other. How's is that for no real answer.

 

[Krodad]

You'll end up with a washed out trench along the building and dirty sides from splashback.

If you're willing to layout about 4" of rock out far enough you can get away with it.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

 

[Ray916MN]

Depends a bit on the drainage around your building and your doorway access/climate.

If your building is built on a hillside and the roof pitch drains towards the uphill side, gutters are a good idea to keep the roof from draining water onto the uphill side where it might get trapped or end up running into the building. The better the grading around the building the less you need to worry about this.

If you have entrances which face north, and you get snow, you may want to have gutters to roof melt during the winter and stop dripping water from forming an ice berm in front of your entrances.

If you do gutter and you get snow and you have a decent roof pitch or heat an uninsulated building, you will want to put up snow bars or guards to prevent slides from ripping off your gutters. You may also want to put up snow bars or guards if your roof pitches over entrances to reduce the potential for injury or damage from ice/snow slides to people or machinery entering the building.

In Arkansas I would be surprised if snow bars or guards are warranted, but as you've observed, when the conditions are right, sliding snow and ice can be damaging.

 

[Gary S]

Around here, you don't want gutters on any building with a metal roof. When the snow avalanches off the roof, the gutters get removed and it happens regularly. If you want gutters, put up a roof with asphalt shingles or something not slippery.

 

[theoldwizard1]

You'll end up with a washed out trench along the building and dirty sides from splashback.

If you're willing to layout about 4" of rock out far enough you can get away with it.

+1 !

I would go deeper, about 12" and install drainage pipe.

 

[lcrabtree]

Thanks for all the input. The doors are on the end and not the guttered sides. I thought about placing concrete out to about 2 feet away from the building and sloping it off to help the water run off.

Lester

 

[theoldwizard1]

Thanks for all the input. The doors are on the end and not the guttered sides. I thought about placing concrete out to about 2 feet away from the building and sloping it off to help the water run off.

Lester

Better off with a ditch, drainage pipe and gravel. Less splash on to the building. Besides, it is cheaper.

It is also difficult to keep the seam between the new concrete and the old perfectly sealed. If it is not, water will get in and possible freeze causing the new concrete to lift. If enough water gets in, is will wash away the dirt underneath and the new concrete will fall, which is even worse.

 

[rieferman]

I prefer gutters to put the water where I want it. Snow jax installed on a metal roof are cheap and effective way to stop snow slides. Also snow is a nice free roof insulator.

 

[WQ59B]

I have a gutter across the door side of my metal-roofed 24x48', but it's on hangers that keep it below the plane of the roof. When ice slides off, it overshoots the gutter; 20 winters and the original gutter is still there.

 

[willymakeit]

Put snow ice guards on the roof. They will help with the snow/ice sliding off in sheets.

 

[DIC]

Put me down for no gutters.. Too many trees and leaves

 

[Diesel Dan]

Yes on gutters, no on trees and bushes too close to buildings.