OT: Rain gutters on a grain bin

Garwood · Jul 14, 2021

I'm preparing to erect several 4000 bushel bins on a property to configure as studio apartments/ Air B&B setups. This is a quality build. Not looking for cheap.

I would like to install gutters with the roof on the ground. This portion of the project is coming up soon.

My bins are 18' diameter. The lower edge of each roof segment is about 24" wide. The gutter would either need to be a continuous curve or made in 2 foot segments. I don't think I can bend gutter material- Or could I?

I think plain zinc half round gutters would match the bins well, but how would I couple the ends of the gutter segments at an angle?

Or would it be possible to crimp the inside/backside of the gutters to induce a curvature?

kustomizer · Jul 14, 2021

Interesting project, there must be a place like this closer to you

Manufacturers of Radius Rain Gutter

Garwood · Jul 14, 2021

kustomizer said:
Interesting project, there must be a place like this closer to you

Manufacturers of Radius Rain Gutter

I feel like the plastic/fiberglass gutters wouldn't look right in person. I think I'd choose no gutters over plastic, but thanks for the link.

I did find another outfit that makes half round gutters from any metal in the curvature you want for about $500 per 10' section plus crating/ shipping.

I can't spend $9000 on gutters for this project.

Scruffy887 · Jul 14, 2021

Grain bin B&B? Provide tenants with ear plugs if the area is subject to hail. Just me but having a hard time thinking about the 18' diameter.
Just take the grain elevator to the second floor. Oh, toasted wheat for breakfast.

Garwood · Jul 14, 2021

Scruffy887 said:
Grain bin B&B? Provide tenants with ear plugs if the area is subject to hail. Just me but having a hard time thinking about the 18' diameter.
Just take the grain elevator to the second floor. Oh, toasted wheat for breakfast.

It's a long story as to how/why, but it's happening.

My wife and I have stayed in several converted silo B&B's to see if/how it works and it works good with the right approach.

Just think of it as a round house where the siding happens to be structural and you have to build it backwards- Outside-in.

The hard part is windows and doors while retaining the grain bin look. You can't just slap a white vinyl window in a round gray bin. Looks all kinds of funky.

6" of closed cell spray foam in the roof and the hail won't be loud. Heat pump and radiant floor heat. The cool thing about building a 600 sq/ft house is you can build pretty fancy when it's small without spending a fortune.

D Bronson · Jul 14, 2021

Garwood:

I would think you could fab these yourself. Have a shop make up the 4" half round gutter without a hem or return on the inside edge. Then using sheet metal crimping pliers shorten up that inside edge to create a bend. You only need to reduce the edge ~ 0.035"/inch - 7/16" per foot to get an 18' diameter. Obviously, a test piece would need to done to check feasibility.

Regards,

DB

NB: Watch out for carpal tunnel injury.

magneticanomaly · Jul 14, 2021

Shrinking inside edge sounds good. Have to experiment to see what it does to the profile Here is a tool Error | DNS Resolution | Northern Tool + Equipment
Eastwood had what looks like same tool for half-again the money, and a video that makes the tool look pretty shaky...But it might work

jtaylor · Jul 14, 2021

Radius Gutters - K-Style, Half-Round, Box, Curved - Copper, Aluminum These guys seem to make galvi radius gutters

52 Ford · Jul 15, 2021

I'd like to see some pictures when you get farther along with the project. Sounds pretty neat. Spray insulation aught to work pretty well deadening the sound. Have you considered a french drain as opposed to a gutter system?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

thermite · Jul 15, 2021

Garwood said:
I feel like the plastic/fiberglass gutters wouldn't look right in person. I think I'd choose no gutters over plastic, but thanks for the link.

I did find another outfit that makes half round gutters from any metal in the curvature you want for about $500 per 10' section plus crating/ shipping.

I can't spend $9000 on gutters for this project.

So do not.

A) Bugger-a-buncha hand crimpers. You have a machine shop. It isn't rocket science to form the metal. You can build or adapt machinery to do that. EG: fab your own on-site from ignorant coil stock.

That would also avoid the gnarly packaging and SHIPPING of awkward finished shapes deucedly difficult to protect from shipping damage. And you get to work at your own time and money pace..

B) Gutters at GROUND LEVEL also work in many parts of this planet to protect structure and foundations.- the primary purpose of a gutter system. Think Stone, concrete, tile, even wooden ones, with or without gravels or river stone. And you get to work at your own time and money pace..

They need to be kept clean, but "no ladder required", so it just isn't all that hard. And you get to work at your own time and money pace..

Main thing is that the concentrated / collected run-off from each roof has to be SENT AWAY ... the collector "style" isn't near as crucial as that it have decent drainage to see to that.

The span of gravel often seen adjacent to REALLY OLD structures - Europe, Asia, LATAM. - may have all it needs under it, and it JF works well for loooong ages.

52 Ford · Jul 15, 2021

thermite said:
So do not.

A) Bugger-a-buncha hand crimpers. You have a machine shop. It isn't rocket science to form the metal. You can build or adapt machinery to do that. EG: fab your own on-site from ignorant coil stock.

That would also avoid the gnarly packaging and SHIPPING of awkward finished shapes deucedly difficult to protect from shipping damage. And you get to work at your own time and money pace..

B) Gutters at GROUND LEVEL also work in many parts of this planet to protect structure and foundations.- the primary purpose of a gutter system. Think Stone, concrete, tile, even wooden ones, with or without gravels or river stone. And you get to work at your own time and money pace..

They need to be kept clean, but "no ladder required", so it just isn't all that hard. And you get to work at your own time and money pace..

Main thing is that the concentrated / collected run-off from each roof has to be SENT AWAY ... the collector "style" isn't near as crucial as that it have decent drainage to see to that.

The span of gravel often seen adjacent to REALLY OLD structures - Europe, Asia, LATAM. - may have all it needs under it, and it JF works well for loooong ages.

So.... literally what I just suggested. French drain.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

thermite · Jul 15, 2021

52 Ford said:
So.... literally what I just suggested. French drain.

Or Mayan, Aztec, Inca ..Hindu...... Babylonian, Persian, Roman, Scandihooligan...Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese... Scottish "wheel house"..

"etc"

Roof-eave gutters are actually nowhere NEAR as old as ground-level.

52 Ford · Jul 15, 2021

thermite said:
Or Mayan, Aztec, Inca ..Hindu...... Babylonian, Persian, Roman, Scandihooligan...Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese... Scottish "wheel house"..

"etc"

Roof-eave gutters are actually nowhere NEAR as old as ground-level.

I used to work on an estate. I did yard work, gardening, moved stuff around in the main house, whatever. Anyway, it was a really big house. They had no gutters, but a French (American?

) drain, instead. It worked really well. The house had been there a long time and never had an issue. I'd been under the main house. I doubt if it had every seen a drop of water since the house was built. I think properly designed "French" drains are the way to go.

neilho · Jul 15, 2021

Intriguing metal forming project.

If using the halfround gutter, it'll need to be shrunk (or corrugated or crimped, as you note) from the inside of the gutter all the way around the bottom to the outside bead. More towards the inside, tapering to the outside. (That's probably obvious...)

How I'd do it...If corrugating, a wood die fitting the outside of the gutter with the proper vee machined (chiselled prob good enough to start) into it could act as the die. A wood V-shaped punch, think cold chisel shape, or soft hammer can form the gutter into the vee. Lots of experimentation required.

Pushing on the gutter towards the end of the gutter section, both sides, while forming helps the forming along but requires 4 hands or springs. Or clamp or weight the gutter to the die, but not too much so the metal can move. More force required.

Or the same idea with soft tooling in a kick punch, press brake or arbor press. More work to build the tooling, less hammering, but both methods leave corrugations facing out, leaving places for water to collect.

Actual shrinking is doable and won't leave corrugations. Pullmax with custom thumbnail shrinker, power hammer, even hand hammering the tucks (corrugations) out while clamping in place works but the coating won't stay on.

There are sheetmetal sites that would be intrigued by this question, too. Allmetalshaping.com prob best (joining takes time) but there's prob someone there who's done it.

idacal · Jul 15, 2021

it looks like a fun building project besides the renting out part, but do your due diligence on renters law in oregon. its a good way to take something fun and turn it into hell. why do you think there is such a shortage of rentals over there? have you messed with renters in oregon lately? as a property owner you have almost no rights. tenant is considered always telling the truth, landlord always lying, even with documentation. and all the tenant legal requests go to salem so if there is a conflict and fair housing gets involved. you lose, the tenant gets a free months rent and the lawyer gets 8 to 9 thousand dollars out of you because of travel time.and it doesn't have to be something obviously illegal, and wrong in writing, she said, she said, you lose and pay. b and b may be different I don't know. if I could figure out where to put the money without paying a bunch of taxes we would get rid of ours.

Bill D · Jul 15, 2021

Make them from wood like they used to make gutters.. Short sections joined together. Or use some big poly pipe and slit it in half. That stuff wants to be in a curve already. Paint it silver or black before install.
PVC pipe is easy to smoothly bend with a hotbox
Bill D

nopoint · Jul 15, 2021

The poly pipe foment got me thinking about rolling pipe and then sawing it after the fact. I have seen people use 4” aluminum irrigation pipe sawn in half for gutters. Why not get some pipe rolled and then cut in half.

boslab · Jul 15, 2021

Get some mandrel bent round tube ( I got mine from a firm called caparo over here, split the tube, you get 2 gutters LH and a RH, thin wall ERW tube at 6 inch worked for me but stainless may be an option, or even copper, nice colour when it ages
Mark

gbent · Jul 15, 2021

Why do you think you need gutters all around the bin? You just need a gutter over the entry door. When making the concrete floor, slope the concrete away from the outside of the bin. To keep water out of the bin there should be an angle all the way around the bin at the bottom. Place this angle with foam between it and the concrete.

Will you be installing a second door? When used as a grain bin it is considered a confined space.

Garwood · Jul 15, 2021

gbent said:
Why do you think you need gutters all around the bin? You just need a gutter over the entry door. When making the concrete floor, slope the concrete away from the outside of the bin. To keep water out of the bin there should be an angle all the way around the bin at the bottom. Place this angle with foam between it and the concrete.

Will you be installing a second door? When used as a grain bin it is considered a confined space.

The soil is poor. It's mostly clay with silt/sand. Like concrete for most of the year then it reaches a moisture level where it just has no load carrying capacity at all. With good drainage it's fine.

At this point the plan for the slab is a sloped edge and a small 1.5" tall step inside the bin walls.

The second floor window will make it comply with egress codes. Needs one exit point on each level.

OT: Rain gutters on a grain bin

Diamond

Attachments

Diamond

Diamond

Titanium

Diamond

Aluminum

Titanium

Aluminum

Stainless

Diamond

Stainless

Diamond

Stainless

Titanium

Hot Rolled

Diamond

Aluminum

Titanium

Diamond

Diamond

Similar threads