U.S. patent application number 11/647752 was filed with the patent office on 2008-07-03 for weep screed.
Invention is credited to Donald W. Ferguson, David C. Hines, David H. Wolf.
Application Number | 20080155920 11/647752 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39580551 |
Filed Date | 2008-07-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080155920 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wolf; David H. ; et
al. |
July 3, 2008 |
Weep screed
Abstract
A weep screed includes a mounting flange, a moisture collector
carried by the mounting flange and a moisture dissipation element
carried on the moisture collector. The weep screed is characterized
by the moisture collector being recessed relative to the moisture
dissipation element so as to provide a space adjacent the moisture
dissipation element for receiving exterior wall construction
materials overlying an exterior wall construction material backing
portion of the moisture collector.
Inventors: |
Wolf; David H.; (Newark,
OH) ; Hines; David C.; (Swanton, OH) ;
Ferguson; Donald W.; (Napa, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
OWENS CORNING
2790 COLUMBUS ROAD
GRANVILLE
OH
43023
US
|
Family ID: |
39580551 |
Appl. No.: |
11/647752 |
Filed: |
December 29, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
52/376 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04B 1/70 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
52/376 |
International
Class: |
E04F 19/04 20060101
E04F019/04 |
Claims
1. A weep screed for dissipating moisture from an exterior wall
finish made from an exterior wall construction material,
comprising: a mounting flange; a moisture collector carried by said
mounting flange; and a moisture dissipation element carried on said
moisture collector; said weep screed being characterized by said
moisture collector being recessed relative to said moisture
dissipation element so as to provide a space adjacent said moisture
dissipation element for receiving exterior wall construction
material overlying an exterior wall construction material backing
portion of said moisture collector.
2. The weep screed of claim 1 wherein said moisture dissipation
element is a projecting tab on said moisture collector.
3. The weep screed of claim 2 wherein said moisture collector and
said projecting tab include a liner made from a moisture wicking
material.
4. The weep screed of claim 3 wherein said mounting flange and said
moisture collector define an included angle of between about 30 and
about 150 degrees.
5. The weep screed of claim 3, wherein said mounting flange and
said moisture collector define an included angle of about 90
degrees.
6. The weep screed of claim 1, wherein said moisture collector
comprises an open top trough.
7. The weep screed of claim 6, wherein said trough includes a
bottom wall and a drain hole.
8. The weep screed of claim 7, wherein said moisture dissipation
element is received and held in said drain hole.
9. The weep screed of claim 8, wherein said moisture dissipation
element is a weep rope.
10. The weep screed of claim 9, further including a mortar stop
closing said open top of said trough, said mortar stop being made
from a water pervious material.
11. A weep screed, comprising: a mounting flange; a continuous,
recessed moisture collector carried by said mounting flange; and a
discontinuous moisture dissipation element projecting outwardly
from said moisture collector.
12. The weep screed of claim 12 wherein said moisture collector
includes an exterior wall construction material backing
portion.
13. A weep screed for dissipating moisture from an exterior wall
finish made from an exterior wall construction material having at
least two vertical courses of such material with a seam there
between, the weep screed comprising: a mounting flange; a moisture
collector carried by said mounting flange; and a moisture
dissipation element carried on said moisture collector, said
moisture dissipation element projecting within the seam between the
at least two courses of wall construction material.
14. The weep screed of claim 13, wherein said moisture dissipation
element is made from a moisture wicking material.
15. The weep screed of claim 14, wherein the mounting flange is
made from a material selected from the group consisting of
aluminum, galvanized steel and copper, polymers and composite
materials
16. The weep screed of claim 15, wherein the moisture collector is
made from a material selected from the group consisting of
aluminum, galvanized steel and copper, polymers and composite
materials
17. The weep screed of claim 16, wherein said moisture dissipation
element is made from a moisture wicking material.
18. The weep screed of claim 17, wherein said mounting flange and
moisture collector define an included angle of between about
30.degree. and about 150.degree.
19. The weep screed of claim 18, wherein said mounting flange and
moisture collector define an included angle of about 90.degree.
20. A method of enhancing the appearance of an exterior wall by
eliminating a continuous horizontal penetration characteristic of
prior art weep screeds, comprising: providing a weep screed with a
recessed moisture collector and spaced, projecting moisture
dissipation elements wherein said recessed moisture collector is
covered by exterior wall construction materials between said
spaced, projecting moisture dissipation elements.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD AND INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to the building
construction field and, more particularly, to a weep screed that is
attached along the base of a building structure to allow for the
drainage of moisture that may be trapped within the exterior wall
finish. It may also include a flashing flange that will prevent
moisture from entering between the structure and a foundation
underlying the structure.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Exterior wall finishes of buildings constructed from
materials such as stucco, brick, manufactured stone and the like
are typically porous and allow water to permeate through the
exterior surface to an underlying moisture barrier such as tar
paper or moisture-impermeable building paper. Weep screeds are
attached near the bottom of the exterior wall so as to provide a
moisture barrier between the exterior surface material and the
foundation underlying the structure. More particularly, moisture
that permeates the exterior wall is drawn downwardly by gravity
where it collects on a protruding portion of the weep screed. The
weep screed projects through the exterior wall above the finished
grade so as to allow this moisture to be dissipated.
[0003] U.S. Pat. No. 6,385,932 to Melchiori discloses a weep screed
including a mounting or attachment flange and an outwardly
projecting water dissipation flange. When properly installed, the
water dissipation flange projects outwardly beyond the exterior
wall construction material. Another prior art weep screed is
disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2006/0254169
A1 to McFadden. This weep screed includes a substantially v-shaped
debridge. When properly mounted the debridge projects outwardly
through the exterior wall construction material and is exposed to
allow dissipation of moisture.
[0004] It should be appreciated that weep screeds of the prior art
such as disclosed in the Melchiori and McFadden references produce
a continuous horizontal penetration P that creates a visual break
in the exterior wall of the building (see FIG. 5). Such a visual
break is particularly unnatural and undesirable when the exterior
wall finish construction material comprises a non-courseable stone
such as round stone that is laid in a random pattern. The present
invention relates to a weep screed that eliminates the continuous
horizontal penetration to provide a more aesthetically pleasing
appearance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] In accordance with the purposes of the present invention as
described herein, a weep screed is provided for dissipating
moisture behind an exterior wall finish made from construction
material. The weep screed comprises a mounting flange, a moisture
collector carried by the mounting flange and a moisture dissipation
element carried on the moisture collector. The weep screed is
characterized by the moisture collector being recessed relative to
the moisture dissipation element so as to provide a space adjacent
the moisture dissipation element for receiving exterior wall
construction material overlying and backed by at least a portion of
the moisture collector.
[0006] In one possible embodiment the moisture dissipation element
of the weep screed is a projecting tab on the moisture collector.
The moisture collector and the projecting tab may include both a
moisture impervious layer and a moisture wicking layer. The
mounting flange and moisture collector define an included angle of
between about 30.degree. and about 150.degree. and more typically
about 90.degree..
[0007] In another embodiment the moisture collector comprises an
open top trough. That trough includes a bottom wall and a drain
hole. The moisture dissipation element is received and held in the
drain hole. The weep screed may further include a mortar stop
closing the open top of the trough. The mortar stop is made from a
water pervious material.
[0008] In accordance with an additional aspect of the present
invention the weep screed may be defined as comprising a mounting
flange, a continuous, recessed moisture collector carried by the
mounting flange and a discontinuous moisture dissipation element
projecting outwardly from the moisture collector.
[0009] In accordance with yet another aspect of the present
invention a method is provided for enhancing the appearance of an
exterior wall by eliminating a continuous horizontal penetration
characteristic of prior art weep screeds. The method comprises the
step of providing a weep screed with a recessed moisture collector
and spaced, projecting moisture dissipation elements wherein the
recessed moisture collector is covered by the exterior wall
construction materials between the spaced, projecting moisture
dissipation elements.
[0010] In the following description there is shown and described
several different embodiments in the invention, simply by way of
illustration of some of the modes best suited to carry out the
invention. As it will be realized, the invention is capable of
other different embodiments and its several details are capable of
modification in various, obvious aspects all without departing from
the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions will be
regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part
of this specification, illustrate several aspects of the present
invention, and together with the description serve to explain
certain principles of the invention. In the drawings:
[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a first embodiment
of the weep screed of the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a schematical cross sectional view illustrating an
exterior wall construction incorporating the weep screed
illustrated in FIG. 1;
[0014] FIG. 2a is a schematical detailed top plan view illustrating
a non-courseable stone in the space between the two projecting tabs
of the weep screed as illustrated in FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the
weep screed of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a schematical cross sectional view illustrating an
exterior wall construction incorporating the second embodiment of
the weep screed illustrated in FIG. 3;
[0017] FIG. 5 is a side elevational view illustrating an exterior
wall constructed with a weep screed of prior art design that
produces a continuous horizontal penetration or break;
[0018] FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of an exterior wall
incorporating the weep screed of the present invention which
eliminates the unsightly continuous horizontal penetration or break
characteristic of exterior walls constructed utilizing weep screeds
of the prior art; and
[0019] FIG. 7 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a wall
illustrating two rows of courseable brick with a mortar seam there
between and moisture dissipation elements of a weep screed
periodically exposed along that seam.
[0020] Reference will now be made in detail to the present
preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE
INVENTION
[0021] Reference is now made to FIG. 1 illustrating a first
embodiment of the weep screed 10 of the present invention. As
illustrated, the weep screed 10 includes a mounting or attachment
flange 12 and a moisture collector 14. Moisture dissipation
elements in the form of projecting tabs 16 are provided at spaced
locations along the moisture collector 14.
[0022] As illustrated, the moisture collector 14 between the
moisture dissipating elements or projecting tabs 16 is recessed.
Accordingly a space is provided adjacent and between the moisture
dissipation elements 16 for receiving an exterior wall construction
material overlying at least a portion of the moisture collector 14
(note non-courseable stone 36 in mortar bed 38 illustrated in FIG.
2a). That portion 17 of the moisture collector 14 forms a backer
for the exterior wall construction material. The aesthetic
significance of this construction will be discussed in greater
detail below.
[0023] The weep screed 10 may be constructed from any appropriate
material including metal such as aluminum, galvanized steel and
copper, polymers such as ABS, polyvinylchloride, polyolefins and
polyesters as well as composite materials; that is combinations of
a reinforcing material such as glass fibers and a matrix binder.
The mounting flange 12 and moisture collector 14 define an included
angle of between about 30.degree. and about 150.degree. and more
typically about 90.degree.. In one possible embodiment, the
moisture collector 14 and the moisture dissipating elements or
projecting tabs 16 are lined with a moisture wicking material. Such
a moisture wicking material may be made, for example, from woven or
nonwoven polyester, polypropylene, polypropylene nylon or
polyethylene. The moisture wicking material liner is illustrated by
reference numeral 18 in the drawing figure.
[0024] An exterior wall construction incorporating the weep screed
10 of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 2. As
illustrated, the exterior wall construction includes a bottom plate
20 mounted by anchor bolt and cooperating fastener 22 to the poured
concrete foundation 24. Insulation 26 is provided between the
interior wall covering 28 and the exterior sheathing 30. The weep
screed 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 is then secured to this sheathing
30. This may be accomplished by driving nails through the mounting
flange 12 into the sheathing 30. The weep screed 10 is typically
placed a minimum of 4 inches above the earth grade G or 2 inches
above a paved area.
[0025] A water impervious wrap or liner 32 is then provided over
the sheathing 30 and secured in position by staples or other
appropriate means. The liner 32 also laps the mounting flange 12 of
the weep screed 10. Next a screen or lath 34 is secured to the
sheathing 30 over the liner 32 again by staples or other
appropriate fasteners. Manufactured stone 36 is then secured in
position on a bed of mortar 38 provided over the lath 34 and over
the backing portion or face 17 of the moisture collector 14.
[0026] A second embodiment of weep screed 40 is illustrated in
FIGS. 3 and 4. As illustrated, the weep screed 40 includes a
mounting flange 42 and a moisture collector 44 comprising an open
top trough. The trough 44 includes a bottom wall 46 incorporating a
drain hole 48. A moisture dissipation element such as a weep rope
50, made, for example, from a cotton sash cord or from cotton lamp
wick material, is received and held in the drain hole. The open top
of the trough 44 is closed by a mortar stop 52 made from a water
pervious material such as geocomposite filter fabrics (a nonwoven,
needle punched polypropylene filter fabric) or geogrid (a
twisted-wire plastic mesh) faced with filter fabric. The face 47 of
the collector or trough 44 serves as a backer for the overlying
exterior wall construction material.
[0027] A building construction incorporating the weep screed 40 is
illustrated in FIG. 4. The exterior wall 60 includes a base plate
62 fastened by a cooperating anchor bolt and fastener 64 to a
poured concrete foundation 66. Insulation 68 is provided between an
interior wall covering 70 and exterior sheathing 72.
[0028] The weep screed 40 is secured to the exterior sheathing 72
by driving nails or other appropriate fasteners through the
mounting flange 42 into the sheathing. A water impervious wrap or
liner 74 is provided over this sheathing 72 with the bottom thereof
overlapping the mounting flange 42 of the weep screed 40. A lath 76
is secured to the sheathing 72 over the liner 74. Manufactured
stone 78 is then secured on the sheathing 72 in a bed of mortar
80.
[0029] It should be appreciated that the weep screed 10 illustrated
in FIGS. 1 and 2 provides a continuous moisture collector 14 while
the second weep screed embodiment 40 illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4
provides a continuous moisture collector/trough 44. These
continuous moisture collectors 14, 44 collect by gravity any
moisture which permeates the exterior wall construction material.
The exterior wall construction material is illustrated as
manufactured stone 36, 78 in the drawing figures but could also be
brick, natural stone, stucco, tile or the like. The moisture
collected in the moisture collector 14 is then wicked by the
moisture wicking liner 18 to the moisture dissipating elements 16
which project through the manufactured stone 36 at spaced locations
(See FIGS. 2 and 6). Similarly, moisture from the moisture
collector 44 is drawn through the drain hole 48 to the weep rope
50. The weep rope 50 is exposed at spaced locations through the
manufactured stone 78 (see FIGS. 4 and 6) to dissipate this
moisture.
[0030] Advantageously, the weep screeds 10, 40 both provide for
efficient and effective moisture dissipation without requiring the
presence of a continuous horizontal penetration or break line
(compare FIGS. 5 and 6). More specifically, the weep screed 10 of
the first embodiment includes a moisture collector 14 that is
recessed relative to the moisture dissipation elements 16 thus
providing a space adjacent the moisture dissipation element for
receiving an exterior wall construction material that overlies and
is backed by a portion 17 of the moisture collector. Similarly, the
weep screed 40 allows for the placement of manufactured stone 78
between the spaced weep ropes 50. Accordingly, both of the weep
screeds embodiments 10, 40 of the present invention eliminate the
continuous horizontal penetration or break of the prior art
illustrated in FIG. 5 and thereby provide a more aesthetically
pleasing and natural look.
[0031] It should also be appreciated that the weep screeds of the
present invention may also be used to advantage with a courseable
exterior wall construction material such as actual or simulated
bricks B (see FIG. 7). Two courses of brick B are illustrated in
that figure with a seam S provided between them. The moisture
dissipation elements or weep ropes 50 of the weep screeds 40 of the
present invention may project through the wall at the seam S in
order to dissipate water from behind the wall.
[0032] The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of
the present invention have been presented for purposes of
illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive
or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Obvious
modifications or variations are possible in light of the above
teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described to provide the
best illustration of the principles of the invention and its
practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in
the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with
various modifications as are suited to the particular use
contemplated. All such modifications and variations are within the
scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when
interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are
fairly, legally and equitably entitled. The drawings and preferred
embodiments do not and are not intended to limit the ordinary
meaning of the claims in their fair and broad interpretation in any
way.
* * * * *