The Importance of Water Control and Gutters on Commercial Properties

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) recently approved the new ANSI SPRI GT-1 test standard for commercial gutters

By Heather Davis, Metal-Era, Inc.

Gutters provide protection for buildings and their roofs from wind and rain events that can be destructive to property. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) recently approved the new ANSI SPRI GT-1 test standard for commercial gutters, which assists designers in ensuring gutters are tested to meet uplift requirements consistent with perimeter pressures witnessed in wind events. Metal-Era, Inc. a leading provider of gutter systems recently released a gutter calculator that helps determine gutter size, downspout size and spacing. It can be accessed here.

Water control is an investment not only to protect a facility but it’s also a socially responsible commitment as the earth experiences global warming, population growth and no substantial projected increase in drinkable freshwater.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations water usage has been growing at more than twice the rate of population increase over the last century. The group estimates that by 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living in countries with water scarcity, and two–thirds of the world’s population could be facing water-stressed conditions.

Aquifers are the world’s main source of drinking water and are often in need of recharging. It’s more important than ever to control and reuse water runoff through treatment and reuse. So how impactful is water control on a 100,000 square foot facility? A 1” rainfall will produce 60,000 gallons of water run-off on a commercial building that is 100,000 square feet. Since the average human should drink a little under a gallon of water per day for optimal health, returning the entire 1” rainfall to an aquifer could provide enough water to properly hydrate 164 people for 365 days. The less it is contaminated, the easier in the future it will be for treatment systems to return and recharge our natural aquifers.

For more information on gutter standard GT-1, download the file from Metal Era’s website.

Heather Davis is the marketing manager at Metal-Era, Inc.