A Continuous Metal Piece Levels, Lowers or Pitches Any Standard Gutter or Screen Along the Roof’s Edge

Today’s roofing contractors have more product choices than ever before. Design innovations, high-quality materials and extended life expectancy are the norm. Most manufacturers have developed coordinated packages that include accessories, which not only results in better installations, but also provides enhanced solutions to present to any homeowner.

Following in my father’s footsteps, I have been a roofing contractor for 36 years. As my company grew, the challenge of organizing employees and providing systems to make the company more profitable became essential. One of my frustrations was waiting for gutter subcontractors to show up before we could start shingling. This was especially aggravating during winter when every roof is required to be watertight by the end of the day.

The High Back Adapter was designed to be installed with any manufacturer’s roofing package, regardless of what roof or gutter and accessories your contracting firm prefers to use.

The High Back Adapter was designed to be installed with any manufacturer’s roofing package, regardless of what roof or gutter and accessories your contracting firm prefers to use.

Consequently, I invented the High Back Adapter, which gives any roofer the flexibility to start the roofing application any time and gives the gutter installer the freedom to show up at any point in the roofing process. The High Back Adapter was designed to be installed with any manufacturer’s roofing package, regardless of what roof or gutter and accessories your contracting firm prefers to use.

The Solution

The High Back Adapter’s continuous one-piece design provides your company with enclosed insert pockets to independently level, lower or pitch any standard gutter or screen along the roof’s edge. It is available in steel, aluminum or copper in standard colors of white, brown and gray and is compatible with most metal, tile and all composite roof types. The product is designed to pitch gutters toward downspouts. It also allows gutter or screens to be installed any time in the future without breaking the manufacturer’s sealed edge you provided.

You may ask how this is possible. The gutter and screen slots provided in the High Back Adapter gave me the confidence that any manufactured seal would not be disturbed no matter when the gutter or screen was applied in the future. As a bonus, we found as the roofing materials got older, any replacement of these items can be done quickly without ever opening the edges.

Fortunately, the High Back Adapter’s gutter slot provides a way to level the gutter independently of the roof edge or structure, and all water is directed off the roof, into the gutter and to the ground.

Fortunately, the High Back Adapter’s gutter slot provides a way to level the gutter independently of the roof edge or structure, and all water is directed off the roof, into the gutter and to the ground.

Benefits of Lowering the Gutter

Typically, the gutter screen tucks under the first row of roofing material and screws into the gutter’s front lip. My crew and I noticed the screen’s final position lay relatively flat, producing a virtual shelf for any debris coming down the slope to settle. This debris would sit level with the wood substrate and roof edge, allowing any water flowing down the roof to literally dam up, eventually backing under the roofing material and wicking water back over the felt and into the wood substrate. This caused leaks, dry rot and felt deterioration in just a few years.

Fortunately, the High Back Adapter’s gutter slot provides a way to level the gutter independently of the roof edge or structure, and all water is directed off the roof, into the gutter and to the ground. Now installers can provide positive forward slope while preventing a virtual shelf.

The product provides standard 3 inches of protection on the roof and more than 2 inches in the gutter. Additionally, it gave us a way to level the roof deck on any existing home where dips or wavy edges were present. With the High Back Adapter, the roof has the appearance of a level edge even if the structure is not.

The notion of a gutter being limited by how level the building perimeter was or the inability to pitch the gutter in one or both directions is no longer an issue. The High Back Adapter’s enclosed slots give installers a way of pitching or lowering any standard gutter in one or both directions. Downspouts are no longer required to be placed in the lowest spots; gutters now can be pitched toward the best downspout location instead of the most convenient one.

The High Back Adapter has been our way of dealing with some common problems in about 75 percent of our roofing and gutter projects. We offer it as a benefit to our customer base and it is selling extremely well once a homeowner sees it. My hope is you will see your own opportunities and potential as you work in your respective fields. When you come up with the next best thing, don’t be afraid to implement it.

About the Author

Chris Vargas
Chris Vargas is a third-generation roofing contractor who invented the High Back Adapter, a continuous metal piece designed to independently level, lower or pitch any standard gutter or screen along the roof’s edge. He was propelled to invent the product to solve a challenge within his own business.

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