Case History 40629: Gutters - Demo - Columbus, Ohio 29-JUNE-2004
Precision Adjusting Gutters on Limberlost Court
The following is an example of “Fine Tuning” or “Precision Adjusting” a residential Gutter where the cost for the adjustment is a mere
fraction of the cost for removal and replacement of the entire gutter system. Even if the Gutter were completely re-poured, the slope for
this particular residential street was so slight as to make it likely that the problem would continue to exist even with a newly poured
Gutter.
Although this was not our first choice for a Demo-Site for the city of Columbus, OH, we welcomed the challenge. We pre-viewed the
existing problem areas and determined what special equipment would be required. Of course, mops and sponges were needed to
clean up the sitting water prior to actually surface grinding the high points on the concrete. The key tool for planning the job was a 36”
long Level and several permanent ink markers to mark and prepare the surface for grinding. The object of the exercise was to help
eliminate the puddles and resulting algae which were accumulating in the gutters as a result of a combination of the neighbor’s sump
pump and the high spots in the gutter. An additional level in the 48” or 60” length would have been helpful if this type of operation is
likely to be performed on a regular basis, due to the very minor overall slope of the gutter.
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The overall view of the home on Limberlost (After
Grinding) shows that this is certainly not a problem with
an older decaying neighborhood. No indeed, this was
clearly a problem of ponding in the gutters as caused by
the irregularities in the “as poured” surface of the relatively
new concrete gutters.
The Following pictures show the gutters prior to grinding.
The Ponding is due to unevenly poured concrete.
THE PROBLEM: The particular problem in front of this
residence might seem to be of little significance to a
casual observer, but there is really no need to tolerate
such annoyances when we have such a wide array of
Diamond Grinding and Sawing tools available for “fine
Tuning” the existing concrete products. A typical
operator or D-I-Y home-owner could make the required
repairs in less than 3 hours.
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Ponding in Gutters due to uneven Concrete.
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PRE-TREATMENT & MEASUREMENT:
Prior to the actual Demonstration, it was necessary to build a
temporary Dam on the gutter to allow the site to be cleaned and
dried . The Level and Markers were then used to identify and mark
the high spots along the length of the Gutter so that grinding could
proceed smoothly once the demonstration started.
The TOOLS:
The Tools included a Jepson 7” Grinder equipped with a single row
Diamond Cup for higher removal rates, a 4.5” Jepson Grinder
equipped with a single row diamond cup for fine tuning the edges,
and a third grinder which was equipped with a Crack Sealer Wheel
that would eventually come in handy for grinding a V-notch in the
Iron Sewer to permit proper drainage. Each Grinder was
equipped with a Dust Muzzle to collect the dust at the point of origin
and feed it through a hose to a Loveless-Ash Fine Particle Vacuum
System.
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The Diamond Cups as
well as the flexible dust
containment system, the
Dust Muzzle, are shown
in the adjacent
photographs.
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AFTER GRINDING:
The results following the Grinding operations are shown
below:
The High section at the right edge of the property has been
ground down to eliminate the ponding as is seen in the
adjacent photograph where the water flow has been
reduced to a uniform stream.
The Main Length of the gutter shows the series of Bumps
which have been smoothed as well as the adjustments to
the gutter/curb junction to eliminate the water ponds. The
resultant surface is as strong or stronger than the original
surface since the grinder can easily grind through the stone
aggregate where necessary. This particular characteristic
of the stone aggregate is best seen later in this report where
the actual Sidewalk Grinding was done for the home owner
who had been so nice as to allow us to use her house for
our Demonstration.
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The overall appearance of the home and the neighborhood was enhanced by the relatively simple concrete grinding process, using
tools and equipment that is well within the reach of the typical homeowner or can be rented from the local hardware stores.
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As mentioned earlier, the Ground Aggregate can be
seen in the following picture where a ½” surface
offset was ground to a 1:2 ratio as prescribed in the
Access Board for compliance with the Americans
With Disabilities Act. The entire Sidewalk can be
power washed following the grinding operation in
order to match the color of the freshly ground
surfaces, although many people find this step to be
unnecessary.
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Sidewalk Savers™
Just like the Sidewalk Savers’ Solutions, the Gutter Fine Tuning process represents a simple, low cost option for repairing rather than
replacing concrete blocks on sidewalks, driveways, gutters, as well as patios, porches, and even basement or garage floors. The
cost savings for this operation would typically be as much as 80% to 90% of the cost of replacement, well worth the home owner’s
serious consideration.
Now, when homeowners see that they need to repair or replace their Sidewalks at a cost of $200.00-$250.00/block or perhaps are
contemplating spending $300.00-$360.00 for a Driveway Apron Block, they will know that there may very well be a lower cost solution.
Training Classes and Operation Manuals are available for both Operators and also for Entrepreneurs who are interested in expanding
this service into a small business, creating jobs within the communities wherever sidewalks need to be properly repaired and
maintained.
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