Louvered Roof System Gutters

Louvered roof system gutters

Since louvered roof systems are a combination of a lattice patio cover and a roof, many manufacturers recommend a built in gutter system.  In this article we will go over pros and cons of the gutter system for your louvered roof system.

Water drainage direction

The biggest benefit of having a gutter system for your louvered roof system, is also the most obvious one.  You can direct the water and make sure that you can drain it wherever you want.  You can the draining water to your garden or plants or wherever you want.

Some people think that a built in gutter system gives your louvered roof system a nicer look and the gutter system can be used as a design feature.

Directing the water drainage from your gutter system can be a huge factor if your louvered roof system is installed between 4 walls and water drainage can be very challenging. Draining the water from your gutter system can be used for a louvered roof system in a penthouse or second story houses when you want to control the water drainage to your neighbor’s porch, however if your louvered roof system is in your porch or ground level draining the water of your louvered roof system to your garden will happen regardless of having a gutter system or not.  The rain water will just naturally flow from the louvers to your garden with no obstacles so draining the water from the ground level with a gutter system is usually meaningless.

Many homeowners would like a gutter system so it will be a dryer transition from the garden to the house while it’s raining, however most of the people do not spend time in the garden if raining and you can always access your patio cover from each sides that is not draining the water.

Everyone that lives in a snowing area and has a gutter is familiar with that scenario.  When it gets warmer during the day, snow drops into the gutter and fill is up and when the night falls and the temperature drops, the melted snow will freeze and will clog the gutter up.  In some cases, this can cause leaking next to the gutter if the gutter is frozen.

Maintenance, Maintenance, Maintenance

Spending a large amount on your louvered roof system should give you some peace and quiet.  Buying an aluminum patio cover will be termite free and you will not need to paint it.  It’s one of the biggest benefits for most people, however adding a built in gutter system to your patio cover will add labor and maintenance to your seasonal routine.  You will have to get the right tools, climb up and clean the gutter and make sure it’s doing a good job to prevent leaking.

If your louvered roof system is not a rectangle or a square shape, adding gutters can be a design obstacle.  The patio cover installer will have to be very professional with the finishes and water drainage flow will be challenging and will not have a direct flow on corners.

Built in gutter systems will have an additional cost.  Some companies’ technology like Equinox louvered roof system will not allow you to purchase the Equinox louver system without a built in gutter.  Their system is designed this way so their motors, mechanisms and louver brackets are hidden in the built in gutter, so even if you insist on removing the built in gutter system, the Equinox louvered roof system’s sales representative will not do it since they have no choice, their technology is very limited.  All louvered roof systems with a built in gutter system will cost you more money than a louvered roof system without a gutter system!

To summarize, gutters will be a must have in some scenarios and you can’t do without if your louvered roof system is installed in a second story or higher.  With this gutter system it is definitely nice to have a dryer transition, controlling the water drainage, etc. however those benefits will come at a cost. Built in gutter louvered roof system will cost you more money and you will lose one of the biggest benefits of having a louvered roof system: peace and quiet and a maintenance free louvered roof system.  Gutter issues are well known and you can find hundreds of gadgets on the internet trying to resolve those issues.  We at Solara offer a louvered roof system with or without a gutter system.  Since our company has been selling louvered roof systems for over 25 years and all over the world, we had to come up with many solutions for all different scenarios.  Our gutter system is used very well in urban European cities on skyscrapers or above ground louvered roof systems.  In the US our bestselling product is a louvered roof system without the gutters.  Our designer recommends to purchase the more economic louvered system and try if for a couple of rainy seasons, then, after you’ve had experience with it you will have a better judgement on whether you want to spend the money on a gutter system that can always be added on later.