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In place of rain gutters, run a pipe just below the roof edge and along its entire length. The pipe is connected to an air compressor, and has multiple holes to direct a high pressure stream of air away from tne house. An automatic system (probably an optical sensor detecting rainwater run-off) turns
the system on and off.
If the air pressure is constant, most of the run-off will hit the ground a specific distance away and parallel to the roof line. This could be used to create or replenish a moat, hence my category selection.
However, if you don't want a moat (there's no understanding some people, is there?) the pressure should be varied while the system is working, to distribute run-off over a wider area. If the pipe and holes are shaped properly and fitted with valves, they could also play musical notes, and pressure variations could be arranged to play a melody.
I recommend Handel's Water Music.
Gutter Snipe
Gutter_20snipe
Found while checking for prior art, different suggestion for air pressure and musical gutter cleaning [a1, Jan 27 2024]
//Handel//
https://www.youtube...nnel=SERIOSOSERIOSO
Here's a candidate moatet, but I'm not sure how we'll reconcile "silete venti" with the air pressure mechanism. [pertinax, Jan 28 2024]
[link]
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Every eave’s a Vegas dancing fountain display on your block. Please rain! |
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I foresee careful tuning of the system to spit the runoff a further or lesser distance with the objective of annoying this or that neighbour by dumping it on their porch or playing a tune on their bedroom or living room window. Should provide new content for neighbours from hell ;) |
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// spit the runoff a further or lesser distance with the objective of annoying this or that neighbour // |
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[Skewed], you and my wife think alike. She suggested squirting at salesmen or other undesirables walking towards our house. Not a bad idea, but would require another water source. Those folks are out and about even when it's not raining, that's why we have a moat. |
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But your addition, playing tunes even when it's not raining? Yes, that could work. |
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I was actually just referencing the natural 'tune' of rainwater beating on a surface but an actual tune would be easy enough, little piano like "keys" over the holes to plug or open them on a whim that you can play (yourself from a keyboard, we recommend a church style organ and dressing as the phantom of the opera while performing, or automated) perhaps. |
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Tell your wife that landmines are more effective. |
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Even with constant pressure, the water landing position is going to be significantly variable. While the flow coming out of an air knife type system is laminar, that doesn't last very long. You can probably set a certain minimum distance, but it will be a bell curve beyond that. |
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[MechE], thanks. I did reckon the range would vary but still in a narrow-ish band. Altering the air pressure would spread it out. |
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And though I may lose some goodwill or buns for admitting it - this idea did start out as a simple (and maybe even practical) replacement for rain gutters. The moat thing was just writing practice. |
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This would take a whole lot of compressed air and power. |
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I think it would do the trick, although obviously if your airspeed is less than countervailing wind speed, some rain would still blow back. |
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The cheapest implementation is probably using the door air curtains you see in stores and such. At about $250 for 3ft, you're looking at $4000 for material. Plus installation. And those draw ~200 w, call it 2.8kW. Maybe $3500/year for continuous operation. More if you want higher pressure air with a better rejection rate. |
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Of course the ideal would be to have laminar flow down the roof of the house sufficiently powerful and thick that the rain never even touches the house. |
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// Maybe $3500/year for continuous operation // |
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Don't need continuous operation, just when it's raining hard. And as I'm not really making a moat, I don't even need to blow out all of it or even very far - just enough to divert it a short way from the house, to prevent it from pooling around the foundation. |
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