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How To Protect Your House From An Ember Attack

How To Protect Your House From An Ember Attack

by | Jun 28, 2021 | Ember Guard

How To Protect Your House From An Ember Attack

How To Protect Your House From An Ember Attack | King Group
Across Australia, bushfires have become a grave threat. However, the surprising fact is that the bushfire is not a direct threat to your house.

More than 85% of houses that become victims of bushfires do not directly come in contact with the fire but the embers that are windborne. This ember attack can burn your house down to debris, as it can not only set fire to other fuel sources near you but also cause an internal house fire due to the infiltration of embers through gaps that are as small as 3mm.

To prevent this, you need to be prepared for protection against an ember attack.

An Ember Attack
Ember attack is caused when there is flameless combustion. The burning remains of a fire scatter around outside or inside the house which then causes a fire. This debris can set alight various external sources, such as leaves in the gutters, or it can cause fire internally.

This is the reason why the Australian Standard (AS3959–2009) in construction that deals with bushfires have incorporated measures to handle ember attacks as well.

An Ember Guard
Ember guards are perforated or mesh sheets with a hole size/aperture of not more than 2mm. These sheets should be made from materials that are non-combustible to further qualify as ember guards. Your BAL (Bushfire Attack Level) tells you the level of risk you are at and the materials you should use. Gutter Guard King’s 2mm aluminum gutter mesh is a good option for an ember guard compliant mesh.

Gutter Guards
The problem at hand is that even though ember guards can help protect your house against ember attacks, they don’t really discuss the threat of external fires as a result of an ember attack. This is why an alternative at hand is using gutter guard-compliant gutter mesh. This not only prevents issues such as leaves clogging in the gutters but also decreases the number of sources through which external fires can ignite.

You are recommended to use an ember guard which complies with gutter mesh because it protects your gutters from embers and decreases the risk of external fires. You should use a gutter mesh that is non-combustible. This will ensure that it is a good pick for areas with a higher risk of bushfires.

Defense For Bushfire-Prone Areas
Even though no requirement guarantees that your house will withstand an ember attack, the mentioned measures do prepare your house for such an instance. The Australian Standard is applicable for new houses in bushfire-prone areas, but can also be used for old houses in such areas.

Everything You Need To Know About Ember Guards

Everything You Need To Know About Ember Guards

by | Jun 28, 2021 | Ember Guard

Everything You Need To Know About Ember Guards

In order to make sure that your house is in a better position to handle the bushfire attack and its effects, there are multiple requirements for construction as per the standard, which depends on the level of bushfire risk in the area. The more your area is at the risk of a bushfire attack, the direr it is that you meet these requirements. One thing that is common to all lists of requirements in bushfire-prone areas is installing an ember mesh guard.

An ember guard is known as “a cover inserted in or over an opening or cavity to prevent the entry of burning embers” as defined by AS3959–2009.

Composition of an Ember Guard
Ember guards should have a hole size no bigger than 2mm and made up of a perforated or a mesh. In addition to this, they should be made from materials that are non-combustible. Your BAL (Bushfire Attack Level) tells you the level of risk you’re at, and hence the materials you should use.
If the BAL of your residential area is 12.5, 19, or 29, you can get ember guards made up of bronze, aluminum, or corrosion-resistant steel. However, you will be required to make an ember guard of bronze or corrosion-resistant steel with a BAL of 40 or FZ.

Importance of Ember Guards
More than eighty-five percent of houses that become victims of bushfires do not catch fire by coming into contact with the bushfire directly, but due to the embers that are windborne. This attack caused by the embers can be fatal to your house, as it can not only set fire to other fuel sources near you but also cause an internal house fire via embers that get through the house by gaps that are 3mm small.

This threat of burning your house due to such embers can be easily prevented by installing ember guards.

The Need For Ember Guards
You might need to place ember guards in different places of your house depending upon what your BAL rating is. Here are those places mentioned along with information on whether a mesh guard is required there or not (as per AS3959-2009):

Openings in Roof Ventilation: From BAL 12.5-FZ, all houses are required to have amber guards in the openings
3mm+ Gaps in Sheet Roofs: From BAL 12.5-40, all houses are required to get an ember guard on the wall line as well as the hips, valleys, and ridges of the sheet roof. For BAL FZ however, such gaps must be filled and sealed properly with other materials.

Roof ventilator, vent pipe, and vented roof light openings: An ember guard is required for BAL 12.5-40 areas while the openings need to be properly sealed with other materials in BAL FZ areas.

Evaporative cooling units: Ember guards required in BAL 12.5-29 areas and not applicable in BAL 40 and FZ areas.
3mm+ openings in eaves ventilation: Ember guards required in BAL 12.5-40 areas while proper sealants to be used in BAL FZ areas.

Roof light glazing pitch < 18 degrees to horizontal: BAL 12.5 and 19 areas do not require ember guards here. However, BAL 29 and 40 do. As far as BAL FZ areas are concerned, the roof lights do not need ember guards but are required to comply with other conditions.

Gutter Guard King Ember Guard Gutter Mesh
Gutter Guard King’s 2mm gutter mesh in aluminum is compliant with the ember guard standards. It can conveniently be installed as ember guards in order to meet the AS3959-2009 requirement when building new homes in areas rated BAL (12.5 – FZ).

Gutter Mesh – Preventing Damages From Floods And Clogged Gutters

Gutter Mesh – Preventing Damages From Floods And Clogged Gutters

by | Jun 28, 2021 | Gutter Mesh, Roof Safety

Gutter Mesh – Preventing Damages From Floods And Clogged Gutters

Gutter Mesh – Preventing Damages From Floods And Clogged Gutters | King Group
Evidently, we all know the purpose of gutters is to prevent houses from water damages like flooding, by carrying the rainwater away from roofs and buildings. Such transportation is necessary during any rainy season; however, its importance is particularly more emphasized when Australia is going through the storm season; massive downpours overwhelm downpipes and gutters that lose their capabilities and hence, clog up. Although normally functioning gutters effectively safeguard your home, ones that are overflowing cause water to travel inside amid a rainstorm, and as a result, your walls, floors, and ceilings may get completely damaged – exhausting you financially as well as physically. Along with having to pay heavy repair bills, you may also have to take time off work to clean up.

Why Gutters Overflow
Gutters overflow because they may be of poor quality or there are errors in their installation method. While these issues remain significant, it can be said that in the majority of cases, clogged gutters are the main cause. Debris such as leaves, gum nuts, feathers, and even sticks can cause your gutter to clog up, preventing water from flowing smoothly. Thus, when the rainwater is unable to travel through downpipes and gutters, it escapes to other places – leaking through your roof and overflowing your basement, causing intense flood damage.

Ways To Prevent Flooding
Since clogged gutters are the main reason why overflowing occurs, preventing them from clogging up is the most suitable solution to the problem. In order to impede clogging, be sure to keep debris such as leaves and sticks away from your gutters. A common assumption is that regularly getting your gutters cleaned can prevent clogging. However, while this may appear to be the most effective method, its daily financial cost adds up, while that of DIY cleaning remains hidden – which can be even more serious. Hence, it is better that you install appropriately fitting gutter mesh on your gutters.

Gutter Cleaning – An Alternative
A gutter mesh over your gutters is specifically designed to decrease flooding risks caused by clogged gutters. This is done by creating a ski-slope effect on top, which then allows rainwater to travel in while keeping debris out. Since installing gutter mesh is a long-term solution with little maintenance, it acts as an effective alternative to the traditional gutter cleaning system. Adopting this method will protect you from the dangers of DIY gutter cleaning and also save you a hefty bill.

Selection Is Key
It is imperative that you select the most appropriate gutter mesh as there is a wide variety available to choose from – there is no ‘fixed size’ option. Having said that, leaf size is important to keep in mind when selecting a gutter mesh for your house. A mesh that has an aperture of 3.5mm is most appropriate, for example, to prevent large leaves such as magnolia or brush box from entering your gutters. In conclusion, the right selection today will save you from the damaging threats of flooding in the future!

Enjoy A Leaf-Free Rain Harvesting System By Getting Gutter Mesh

Enjoy A Leaf-Free Rain Harvesting System By Getting Gutter Mesh

by | Jun 28, 2021 | Gutter Mesh

Enjoy A Leaf-Free Rain Harvesting System By Getting Gutter Mesh

Enjoy A Leaf-Free Rain Harvesting System By Getting Gutter Mesh | King Group
Rain harvesting aims to provide a stream of clean rainwater that can be great to use in your house. However, if leaves end up stuck in the gutters, it can result in poor quality rainwater in less quantity. In short, leaves result in compromising the rain harvesting system.

Suffice it to say, keeping the rain harvest system leaf-free is critical for you to acquire the highest possible amount of fit-to-use water in your tanks.

How Do Leaves Make Any Difference? 

Leaves raise a variety of issues to optimal rain harvesting. First and foremost, leaves will provide hindrance for the rainwater to enter the rainwater system, greatly decreasing the amount of water that you receive. This would then leave you exposed to inconsistencies brought about by droughts and lack of rainfall, in turn limiting you to use the rainwater as per your needs.

Besides the aforementioned issue, the rainwater’s opacity, color, and odor can be compromised by the new and composted leaves that find their way into the gutter. This results in the water being unfit for its intended use, which in turn can threaten your well-being and generate excessive wastage and shortage of water supply.

Insects and larger pests are also attracted by the accumulation of leaves inside the gutters. These pests can become the cause of additional clogging and uncleanness, further negatively impacting the amount and grade of your rainwater.

Keeping Gutters Leaf Free

Installing Gutter Guard King’ mesh with an acceptable aperture (hole size) is one solution that is very effective and operational for keeping gutters and the harvesting system free of leaves and associated pests.

Gutter Guard King mesh creates a physical barricade above the gutters. This barricade is intended to allow rainwater to pass through while keeping the leaves and other rubble out, utilizing the ski-slope effect. By preventing leaves from entering the primary entry point into the rain harvest system, it assists in avoiding the clogging of gutters and contamination of the rainwater supply.

The installation of the mesh over the gutter at a specific angle with respect to the roof provides extra protection. This becomes possible because of the creation of an uninterrupted ski-slope effect which allows the leaves and debris to fly over the mesh conveniently. This usually results in the leaves staying off the mesh for a long period of time which is enough for it to decompose, and further eliminates contamination prospects.

Choosing Suitable Gutter Mesh 

The most important thing when it comes to selecting a gutter mesh is the aperture (hole size) that is most suitable for the environment. For the gutter mesh to be perfect for keeping your gutters and rainwater catchment free of leaves, you need to select one with the hole size that complements the size of leaves of plants and trees in the area.

Neither the gutter mesh nor the leaves belong to a one-size-fits-all category.

In general, you may use a gutter mesh having a wider hole size like our 3.5 mm gutter mesh made out of Aluminium in case your house is located in an area with wider leaf plants/trees. Though, if your house is in an area that has smaller leaf plants/trees, you may need a gutter mesh with a comparatively smaller aperture so that the gutters and harvesting system is clear.

Our Mesh Calculator tool offers additional peace for your mind and confidence by assisting you to choose the most accurate gutter mesh that would surely keep gutters and the harvesting system completely free of leaves.

To make your mesh shopping more convenient, our calculator is a seamless tool. It will ask the appropriate questions quickly and simply so that it can suggest you the most ideal recommendation.

Save on Cleaning & Maintenance Expenses with Gutter Mesh

Save on Cleaning & Maintenance Expenses with Gutter Mesh

by | Jun 28, 2021 | Gutter Mesh

Save on Cleaning & Maintenance Expenses with Gutter Mesh

Save on Cleaning & Maintenance Expenses with Gutter Mesh
Gutters are normally considered as one of the least important features of any building when in reality, they act as vital heroes for your home’s safety. Gutters that function properly make sure the rainwater swamped up on your roof does not leak into your building, protecting it against flooding and other risks. 

On the contrary, damaged gutters can cause an increase in flooding risks as well as other threats including a bushfire or pest invasion. An important thing to note is that the majority of these problems arise as a result of fallen leaves clogging up your gutter. Hence gutter replacement, repair, and maintenance are imperative expenses in order to keep leaves out and prevent further damage from taking place.

An effective option to consider is Gutter Guard King’ aluminum gutter mesh, which in comparison to gutter cleaning, is much more cost-effective and will also keep your home safe from severe threats. 

Gutter Cleaning Expenses 
Debris such as leaves and sticks often form clusters in gutters, which causes them to clog up. If you’re lucky, this might only slow down the water flow from your roof. Though most of the time, it leads to costly damages. Hence it is important that you get your gutters cleaned on the regular to avoid such expensive threats. Homes that are situated in areas with a lot of trees are required to have their gutters cleaned after every three months. However, this can get quite expensive considering each clean-up costs approximately $250. 

An alternative to this could be DIY gutter cleaning, which is financially less draining though could result in more complications from fatal risks involving ladder-related falls – leading to severe injuries or death. Thus, DIY cleaning is not exactly a cost-effective method. 

Rust Replacement Expenses 
Having rusted gutters replaced is an essential expense since rust will damage your gutters into ineffectiveness. Rust prevention will also save you on long-term replacement expenses in the future. Although all gutters made out of metal will rust to some extent, environmental factors largely contribute to the time it takes to happen. Particularly, the amount of water present in your gutter speeds up the process of rusting and corrosion. 

One of the most effective ways to slow its process is by minimizing the amount of time water is present in gutters. Clogging from leaves or other debris may affect the functionality of your drainage system and even cause a pool of water to settle inside. Such problems increase the probability of your gutter rusting away faster than it normally should. 

Reduce And Minimize Costs
Before anything else, keeping debris and leaves out of gutters will significantly lessen the need to get your gutters cleaned and also save them from rusting off. Essentially, this will save you on hefty repair bills relating to gutter damages such as floods and pests. In other words, the lesser the damage, the fewer repair and replacement bills you will have to pay!  

The most suitable solution to this is actually the simplest – install an appropriate gutter mesh over your gutters, and that alone will save you from a million headaches.

Gutter Mesh – How It Reduces Your Expenses 
A gutter mesh over your gutters forms a shield against the entrance of debris such as leaves and sticks, which significantly reduces the risk of gutters clogging up – saving you on regular maintenance bills as well as prevent rapid rusting. However, it should be kept in mind that all methods require maintenance to some degree, no treatment is entirely perfect. Similarly, metal gutters cannot remain free of rust forever. However, you can significantly reduce the number of times your gutters require cleaning with the use of gutter mesh and avoid hefty bills along with other physical exhaustion. 

Choose A Proper Gutter Mesh
It is of utmost importance to select a gutter mesh that matches the size of leaves in your area since they’re the main culprits behind clogged gutters. A gutter mesh that has a large aperture will keep out larger leaves and debris from entering, though don’t work the same with smaller leaves. Hence, make sure you consider leaf sizes when selecting a gutter mesh to maximize its effectiveness. 

Gutter Guard King helps you select the most appropriate gutter mesh by considering all external factors of your property including leaf size, roof material, potential bushfire threats, and much more.

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