U.S. patent application number 11/283082 was filed with the patent office on 2007-05-24 for house wrap with integral furring strips.
Invention is credited to Mark F. Williams.
Application Number | 20070113499 11/283082 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38052106 |
Filed Date | 2007-05-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070113499 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Williams; Mark F. |
May 24, 2007 |
House wrap with integral furring strips
Abstract
There is disclosed a furring strip system wherein furring strips
are pre-attached to at least one side of a water resistive barrier
(WRB--sometimes referred to as "Housewrap") to promote drainage and
drying between the exterior siding or cladding and the underlying
wall construction. The furring strips themselves may be ventilated
vertically through a series of abutting internal cavities extending
across its width or vertical ridges. The furring strip system is
installed on a structure simultaneously with the WRB, and before
the exterior cladding or siding is installed to enhance drainage
and drying of that area thus helping to eliminate the problems
associated with water accumulation, such as deterioration of the
underlying components, microbial growth, mold and related problems
to the structure and its inhabitants.
Inventors: |
Williams; Mark F.; (Maple
Glen, PA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Cornelius J. Husar, Esq.
12901 Pinecrest Road
Herndon
VA
20171
US
|
Family ID: |
38052106 |
Appl. No.: |
11/283082 |
Filed: |
November 21, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
52/302.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04B 1/625 20130101;
E04B 1/7069 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
052/302.1 |
International
Class: |
E04B 1/70 20060101
E04B001/70 |
Claims
1: An improved water resistive barrier (WRB) for use in frame
construction wherein said WRB includes means for ensuring drainage
and drying of unwanted water between the underlying structure and
exterior siding of a building; said WRB comprising: flexible water
resistive barrier sheet material; said flexible water resistive
barrier sheet material having a plurality of previously attached
spaced furring strips on at least one side thereof; said flexible
water resistive barrier sheet material providing drainage and
drying in the gap formed between the exterior facing surface of
said underlying structure and said inward facing surface of said
siding when said flexible water resistive barrier sheet material
and said plurality of furring strips thereon is installed
therebetween.
2: An improved WRB for use in frame construction as defined in
claim 1 wherein said WRB and attached furring strips are presented
in continuous roll form.
3: An improved WRB for use in frame construction as defined in
claim 1 wherein said furring strips are provided on both sides of
said flexible water resistive barrier sheet material.
4: An improved WRB for use in frame construction as defined in
claim 2 wherein said furring strips are provided on both sides of
said continuous roll.
5: An improved WRB for use in frame construction as defined in
claim 1 wherein said furring strips include ventilation means
formed by longitudinal passageways within the strip and extending
along the length thereof.
6: An improved WRB for use in frame construction as defined in
claim 5 wherein said ventilation means are formed as grooves in
said furring strips.
7: An improved WRB for use in frame construction as defined in
claim 6 wherein said furring strips abutting said sheathing of said
house are narrower than the furring strips on the opposite
side.
8: An improved WRB for use in frame construction as defined in
claim 7 wherein said furring strips are disposed in opposition to
each other with their vertical centerlines directly opposite each
other.
9: An improved WRB for use in frame construction as defined in
claim 3 wherein said furring strips are attached by ultrasonic
welding.
10: An improved WRB for use in frame construction as defined in
claim 3 wherein said furring strips are adhesively attached to said
WRB.
11: An improved WRB for use in frame construction as defined in
claim 3 wherein said furring strips are mechanically to attached to
said WRB.
12: An improved WRB for use in frame construction as defined in
claim 4 wherein said furring strips are attached by ultrasonic
welding.
13: An improved WRB for use in frame construction as defined in
claim 4 wherein said furring strips are adhesively attached to said
WRB.
14: An improved WRB for use in flame construction as defined in
claim 4 wherein said furring strips are mechanically attached to
said WRB.
15: An improved WRB for use in frame construction as defined in
claim 1 wherein said plurality of spaced furring strips are free of
ventilating passageways.
16: An improved water resistive barrier (WRB) for use in frame
construction wherein said WRB includes means for ensuring drainage
and drying of unwanted water between the underlying structure and
exterior siding of a building; said WRB comprising: flexible water
resistive barrier sheet material; said flexible water resistive
barrier sheet material having a plurality of previously attached
spaced furring strips on at least one side thereof; said flexible
water resistive sheet material having a first flap portion at the
beginning of said sheet with additional flap portions located
oppositely at the top and bottom portions of said WRB sheet; said
flexible water resistive barrier sheet material providing drainage
and drying in the gap formed between the exterior facing surface of
said underlying structure and said inward facing surface of said
siding when said flexible water resistive barrier sheet material
and said plurality of furring strips thereon is installed
therebetween.
17: A method of draining and drying the underlying structure
between the sheathing and exterior siding of a frame construction
building said method comprising the following steps: a. providing a
roll of flexible water resistive barrier sheet material with
furring strips attached to both sides thereof with a flap portion
on opposite sides of said water resistive barrier sheet material
due to staggered placement of said furring strips; b. applying a
first row of said roll of flexible water resistive barrier sheet
material with attached furring strips by starting at a corner of
said building with the bottom of said furring strips aligned with
the frame structure of said building leaving a top flap portion of
said flexible water resistive barrier sheet material exposed; c.
after installing said first row of flexible water resistive barrier
sheet material, begin installing a second row of said roll of
flexible water resistive barrier sheet material by overlapping said
top flap portion in step (b); d. after installing said roll of
flexible water resistive barrier sheet material, repeat the
procedure followed in step(c) followed by successive repeats until
one face of said building is completed followed by successive
repeats of steps (a) through (d) on each of the remaining sides of
the building until completed.
18: An improved water resistive barrier for use in frame
construction wherein said WRB includes means for ensuring drainage
and drying of unwanted water between the underlying structure and
exterior siding of said building; said WRB comprising: a roll of
flexible water resistive barrier sheet material having a first and
second side and a top and bottom portion; said roll of flexible
water resistive sheet material having a plurality of spaced furring
strips attached to opposite sides of said flexible water resistive
sheet material; said furring strips on said first side of said
water resistive barrier sheet material having a first end aligned
with said bottom of said water resistive barrier sheet material and
a second opposite end of said furring strip terminating short of
said top of said water resistive barrier sheet material leaving a
top flap portion unsupported by said furring strip; and said
furring strips on said second side of said water resistive barrier
sheet material having a first aligned with said top of said water
resistive barrier sheet material and terminating short of said
bottom of said water resistive barrier sheet material leaving a
bottom flap portion unsupported by said second furring strip; said
first and second furring strips arranged in overlapping, staggered
fashion and each successive row allows said offset furring strips
to become aligned and continuous.
19: An improved water resistive barrier for use in frame
construction wherein said WRB includes means for ensuring drainage
and drying of unwanted water between the underlying structure and
exterior siding of said building; said WRB comprising: a flexible
water resistive barrier sheet material having a first and second
side and a top and bottom portion; said flexible water resistive
sheet material having a plurality of spaced furring strips attached
to opposite sides of said flexible water resistive sheet material;
said furring strips on said first side of said water resistive
barrier sheet material having a first end aligned with said bottom
of said water resistive barrier sheet material and a second
opposite end of said furring strip terminating short of said top of
said water resistive barrier sheet material leaving a top flap
portion unsupported by said furring strip; and said furring strips
on said second side of said water resistive barrier sheet material
having a first end aligned with said top of said water resistive
barrier sheet material and terminating short of said bottom of said
water resistive barrier sheet material leaving a bottom flap
portion unsupported by said second furring strip; said first and
second furring strips arranged in overlapping, staggered fashion
and each row allows said offset furring strips to become aligned
and continuous.
20: An improved WRB for use in frame construction wherein said WRB
includes means for ensuring drainage and drying of unwanted water
between the underlying structure and exterior siding of a building;
said WRB comprising: flexible water resistive barrier sheet
material; said flexible water resistive barrier sheet material
having a plurality of previously attached spaced furring strips on
at least one side thereof; said flexible resistive barrier sheet
material providing drainage and drying in the gap formed between
the exterior facing surface of said underlying structure and said
inward facing surface of said siding when said flexible water
resistive barrier sheet material and said plurality of furring
strips there on is installed therebetween; and said furring strips
including ventilation means formed within the strips and continuing
along the length thereof.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to exterior walls of building
structures, primarily residential structures, wherein specific
measures have been taken to ensure that the wall area between the
exterior siding and the sheathing therebeneath can be dry and free
of water buildup.
[0002] We are all aware of the damage that water penetration can
cause including structural rotting, mildew formation, mold or mold
spores may penetrate into the interior of a structure and can cause
adverse health consequences for the occupants.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for
ensuring that water entrapped between a structure's sheathing and
its exterior cladding or siding is eliminated by means of drainage
and drying of the area therebetween. This is accomplished through
the use of a conventional water resistive barrier (WRB--also
sometimes referred to as "Housewrap") with furring strips attached
to at least one side of the WRB. By using a furring strip on each
side of the WRB, the distance between the sheathing and the siding
or cladding is doubled to approximately 6-8 mm. The furring strips
are placed approximately eight inches apart with the passages
extending parallel to their vertical orientation, thus promoting
draining and drying which helps prevent the accumulation of water
between the sheathing and cladding.
DISCUSSION OF KNOWN PRIOR ART
[0004] A recent search of the Patent Office files in the
appropriate Class and subclasses revealed the following prior art:
[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 6,938,383--issued to Richard J. Morris et al
on Sep. 6, 2005--discloses a vented furring strip that is used to
ventilate the area between the sheathing of a residence and the
exterior siding or cladding and eliminate any moisture or water
from therebetween. The elongate furring strips are installed as
separate pieces on the first layer of a wall and covered with an
exterior siding. The furring strips space the siding apart from the
sheathing, forming a plurality of enclosed cavities or air spaces.
The cavities are in fluid communication with each other through air
passages in the furring strips that extend transversely to a
longitudinal axis of the furring strip, i.e. these passages through
the furring strips are horizontally disposed and serve to connect
the cavities that are formed between adjacent furring strips thus
providing ventilation of the entire area. By allowing air to enter
the cavities between adjacent furring strips, there is a total or
complete ventilation of the area between the sheathing and the
exterior siding, thus the problems associated with water and
moisture such mildew, rotting, mold and mold spores becomes moot.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 6,357,193--issued to Richard J. Morris on Mar.
19, 2002--discloses a roof batten for use in spacing tiles or
similar exterior roofing members from a roof overlayment. This
"batten" is structurally the same as the "furring strips" referred
to in Morris, '383 immediately above. [0007] U.S. Pat. No.
6,267,668--issued to Richard J. Morris on Jul. 31, 2001--discloses
a roof vent formed by utilizing a pair of spaced ventilation
devices 50 that are advantageously disposed between installed
sheets 20 and ridge cap 22 to insure that air exchange proximate
peak 14 between the interior and exterior of roof will occur within
vent 50.
[0008] Although these three references discloses ventilated furring
strips, batten strips, and ridge vent spacer strips they each rely
on cavities that are within the strips that are transverse to the
longitudinal axis of the various strips. Further, these three
patents are all directed to the use of furring strips installed
individually in the field whereas the subject matter of the instant
invention provides a series of furring strips that are pre-attached
to at least one side of conventional water resistive barrier (WRB)
in the factory and automatically spaced and installed when the WRB
is installed in the field. Additionally, the instant invention
provides air passages or ridges that extend along the longitudinal
axis, vertically disposed, which helps to promote drainage and
drying longitudinally and prevents water from migrating laterally
between the furring strips.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0009] An object of the invention is to provide a water resistive
barrier (WRB) with furring strips for draining and drying the area
between the exterior sheathing and the exterior cladding or
siding.
[0010] Another object of the invention is to provide a WRB with
furring strips that have been previously attached to the WRB, which
facilitates placement and spacing of the furring strips at the same
time the WRB is installed.
[0011] A further object of the invention is to attach the furring
strips to any type of WRB, such as commercially available
housewraps, regardless of the material composition of the WRB or
furring strip.
[0012] Yet another object of the invention is to provide a house
wrap that includes furring strips that will help ensure that water
will not accumulate between the structure's sheathing and the WRB
or the WRB and the exterior cladding.
[0013] A further object of the invention is to provide vertical
passageways or ridges to help promote drainage and drying
longitudinally in the wall assembly.
[0014] These and other objects of the invention will become more
apparent hereinafter. The instant invention will now be described
with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference
characters designate the corresponding parts throughout the several
views.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 is an illustration of a house wherein the furring
strips have been attached to the water resistive barrier (WRB)
prior to installation of the WRB on the house.
[0016] FIG. 2 is a view of a roll of WRB with the furring strips
attached to both sides thereof prior to installation on the
building.
[0017] FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the plane 3-3 of FIG.
2 illustrating the furring strips and their placement on the inner
and outer surfaces of the WRB material.
[0018] FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the plane 44 of FIG.
1 illustrating the passages within a pair of furring strips on
opposite sides of the WRB.
[0019] FIG. 5 is a detail illustration of the area enclosed by the
oval in FIG. 4, illustrating the vertical passage in the furring
strips.
[0020] FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the plane 6-6 of FIG.
4, illustrating the relationship of the furring strips relative to
the WRB and the exterior siding.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a house with an
attached garage 51. As illustrated, house 50 is wrapped with a
water resistive barrier 60, which will be referred to as WRB
hereinafter, that includes a plurality of furring strips 61
attached to both sides of WRB 60. However, only the outer side is
shown in this view with the furring strips 61 aligned as successive
rows of WRB 60 are applied to the house 50. As noted in FIG. 1, the
lowermost horizontal row of WRB 60 begins at the lowermost
right-hand side of house 50 with furring strip 61 aligned with the
right end of the exterior sheathing and flap portion 60RF extending
around the house on the right side thereof. Additionally, the lower
end 61B of furring strips 61 are aligned with the bottom of the
exterior sheathing, not shown. The next horizontal row of WRB 60 is
installed by overlapping the bottom of the roll 60BF over the top
flap 60TF of the roll and unwrapping the WRB from the roll 60, thus
any water from the upper row of WRB 60 is discharged onto the top
flap 60TF of the previous roll for easy run-off down the building
side.
[0022] Turning now to FIG. 2, there is shown a roll of WRB 60 with
furring strips 61 attached to both sides thereof. As shown, roll 60
is partially unwrapped showing a right flap portion 60RF at the
rightmost end of roll 60, the opposite end is provided with a left
flap portion 60LF, not shown. Furring strips 61 are positioned on
both sides of the WRB with the sides offset vertically from each
other, leaving a top flap portion 60TF and a bottom flap portion
60BF on the respective sides thereof. This feature facilitates
proper overlapping of rolls 61 as shown in FIG. 1. Although
emphasis has been placed on the use of the WRB in "roll form", it
has been found to be equally useful when presented in "folded sheet
form".
[0023] Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a sectional view
taken along the plane 3-3 of FIG. 2. This sectional view
illustrates the relationship between the furring strips 61W and
61N. As shown, the larger strip 61W is approximately 1 and 3/4
inches wide while the other, narrower strip 61N is approximately
11/4 inch in width. The narrower strip 61N is placed against the
sheathing of the home with the wider strip 61W in abutting relation
to the siding. Narrow strip 61N is approximately 11/4 inch in
width, centered on the wider strip 61W with approximately 1/4
overlap on each side thereof. As shown, WRB 60 is sandwiched
between the two furring strips 61W and 61N. The WRB 61 is installed
with the narrower furring strip 61N against the sheathing. The
reason for installing the furring strips in this manner is to
minimize surface contact and thereby reduce the potential for water
retention against the underlying structure.
[0024] Turning now to FIG. 3, there is shown the wider furring
strip 61W on one side of WRB 60 with narrower furring strip 61N
centrally located on the opposite side of WRB 60. As shown, furring
strips 61 include an upper wall and a lower wall with partitioning
elements 61P interconnecting upper and lower walls, 61UW and 61LW,
forming passageways 61P to promote drainage and drying
therethrough. The illustrated furring strip 61 is but one example
of many types that could be utilized. Additional types of furring
strips include but are not limited to extruded expanded
polystyrene, molded expanded polystyrene, polyurethane or
polyethylene closed cell foam, or other non-absorptive spacer
materials. The WRB sheets include but are not limited to polymeric,
paper and felt type products. The type of WRB 60 may be changed as
well as the manner of attaching the furring strips 61 to the WRB.
As an alternative to furring strips with passageways, the furring
strips may have exterior grooves therein that serve as passageways
for air, moisture and water. Although reference is made to the
passage of air, moisture and water through passageways, 61P, this
is not the primary path for drainage and drying. The primary area
for drainage and drying is the space or areas between adjacent
furring strips 61, the underlying components and exterior
cladding.
[0025] Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown a vertical sectional
view taken along the plane 4-4 of FIG. 1. This is a sectional view
through the wall of the garage illustrating the relationship of the
sheetrock 75, insulation 73 WRB 60, sheathing 70, and siding 80.
Positioned at the bottom of the air ventilation passageway is a
screening 65 that serves to limit the entrance of common insects
into vertical passageways.
[0026] Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown an enlarged view of
the area within the oval marked FIG. 5. As shown, narrower furring
strip 61N is placed against sheathing 70 with wider strip 61W
immediately beneath siding 80.
[0027] Referring now to FIG. 6, there is shown a sectional view
taken along the plane 6-6 of FIG. 4, illustrating an enlarged
showing of the structure found in FIG. 4. It is to be kept in mind
that not only is there drainage and drying through passageways 61P
of furring strips 61W and 61N (found in FIG. 3), there is more
substantial areas for drainage and drying between adjacent furring
strips 61W and 61N thus ensuring that water between WRB 60 and
sheathing 70 and between WRB 60 and siding 80, will be contained
and eliminated due to drainage and drying therebetween.
[0028] While the invention has been described in its preferred
embodiment, it is to be understood that the words which have been
used are words of description rather than words of limitation and
that changes may be made within the purview of the appended claims
without departing from the full scope or spirit of the invention.
Accordingly, the present invention is to be limited only by the
appended claims, and not by the foregoing specification.
* * * * *