U.S. patent application number 14/831089 was filed with the patent office on 2016-02-25 for hip and ridge vent.
This patent application is currently assigned to Martin J. Rotter. The applicant listed for this patent is Martin J. Rotter. Invention is credited to Wadous Cunningham, Martin J. Rotter, James Smith, Randy Smith.
Application Number | 20160053493 14/831089 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 55347829 |
Filed Date | 2016-02-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160053493 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Rotter; Martin J. ; et
al. |
February 25, 2016 |
HIP AND RIDGE VENT
Abstract
A roof ridge and hip ridge vent system for contoured roofs which
include a vent slot located through the roof structure along at
least one of a roof ridge or hip ridge. A contoured roofing
material having upwardly directed projections and valleys between
the projections forms the roof surface. A vent strip is provided on
the roof surface and extends on each side of the vent slot. The
vent strip is comprised of synthetic fibers that are randomly
aligned into an open web by an air flow and then joined by a
phenolic or latex binder that is heat cured to form an air
permeable mesh material having a generally uniform thickness, a
density of about 0.08 to 0.1 grams per cubic centimeter (1.3 to 1.6
grams per cubic inch), and a crush recovery of at least 80%.
Inventors: |
Rotter; Martin J.;
(Glenside, PA) ; Smith; Randy; (Wrens, GA)
; Smith; James; (Dearing, GA) ; Cunningham;
Wadous; (Louisville, GA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Rotter; Martin J. |
Glenside |
PA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Rotter; Martin J.
Glenside
PA
|
Family ID: |
55347829 |
Appl. No.: |
14/831089 |
Filed: |
August 20, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62039468 |
Aug 20, 2014 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
52/198 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04D 13/174 20130101;
E04D 2001/309 20130101 |
International
Class: |
E04D 13/17 20060101
E04D013/17; E04D 1/30 20060101 E04D001/30 |
Claims
1. A roof ridge and hip ridge vent system for contoured roofs,
comprising: a vent slot located through a roof structure along at
least one of a roof ridge or hip ridge; a contoured roofing
material having upwardly directed projections that forms a roof
surface; at least one vent strip on the roof surface that extends
on each side of the vent slot, the vent strip is comprised of
synthetic fibers that are randomly aligned into an open web by an
air flow and then joined by a phenolic or latex binder that is heat
cured to form an air permeable mesh material having a generally
uniform thickness, a density of about 0.08 to 0.1 grams per cubic
centimeter (1.3 to 1.6 grams per cubic inch), and a crush recovery
of at least 80%, the vent strip is resiliently compressible such
that a space between the projections in the contoured roofing
material is filled with the vent strip, and a portion of the strip
is compressed into contact with and extends over the projections;
and a cap overlying the slot and the vent strip.
2. The roof ridge and hip ridge vent system for contoured roofs of
claim 1, wherein a thickness of the at least one vent strip is in a
range of 1.1 to 1.5 inches.
3. The roof ridge and hip ridge vent system for contoured roofs of
claim 1, wherein the at least one vent strip comprises two separate
vent strips, with one being located on each side of the vent
slot.
4. The roof ridge and hip ridge vent system for contoured roofs of
claim 1, wherein the roof and hip ridge vent system provides at
least 28 square inches of net free area per lineal foot of ridge.
Description
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
[0001] The following documents are incorporated herein by reference
as if fully set forth: U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/039,468,
filed Aug. 20, 2014.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a roof ridge and hip ridge
vent for use on contoured metal roof panels.
BACKGROUND
[0003] In general, roof ridge vents work in conjunction with soffit
vents in order to allow air to flow beneath the roof to provide
passive ventilation. As hot stale air is withdrawn from the ridge
slot vent by convection and/or wind suction, it is replaced by
fresh ambient air through the soffit vents. This equalization
inhibits moisture from condensing on insulation and wood roofing
materials which causes mildew and rot, prevents build-up of ice
dams which could buckle shingles and gutters, and reduces
air-conditioning costs when hot attic air is replaced by cooler
ambient air.
[0004] It has been known to ventilate attics under gable roofs made
of contoured metal panels by running a vent along the roof ridge
that is in communication with a slot or ridge opening that connects
to the attic or under-roof space. A highly successful one of such
vents which is manufactured and sold under the name "PROFILEVENT"
is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,561,953, which is incorporated by
reference herein as if fully set forth, in which the contour of the
metal roofing panel is cut into a non-woven strip of vent material.
The vent material in this product is required to be stiff enough to
hold its shape and resist crushing when the ridge cap is installed
by nailing through the ridge cap and the vent material so that the
net free area of the vent material is not diminished. The material
is fire retardant, and the configuration is such that it prevents
the ingress of wind driven-rain within the limits of the applicable
building standards, and also prevents the ingress of debris and
insects. To the extent that moisture penetrates into the non-woven
material, it is freely draining so that it does not trap moisture
against the metal roof panels which can occur with some of the
known open cell foam vent products, which causes corrosion of the
roof panels themselves, requiring costly repair or replacement.
Further, this known product is UV stable and does not break down
due to sunlight or environmental factors, such as hot and cold
temperature exposure, which is an issue with some other ridge vent
products made of open cell foam.
[0005] However, a drawback of the known "PROFILEVENT material is
that the profile is matched to the contoured roof panel in a
direction parallel to the ridge, i.e., generally perpendicular to a
direction that the contours or ribs of the roof panels extend. This
does not allow the product to be used with a hip ridge vent, due to
the angle it makes relative to the contoured roof panels, which can
vary depending on the roof pitch, direction of the hip ridge, etc.
This can result in insufficient ridge length being available for
venting. Additionally, even with gable ridge vents, there is a
higher cost involved with having to create vent material with the
correct profile to match the known panel contours, as well as
having to carry an inventory of vent material specific for each of
such panel types.
SUMMARY
[0006] Briefly stated, the present invention provides a roof ridge
and hip ridge vent system for contoured roofs which include a vent
slot located through the roof structure along at least one of a
roof ridge or hip ridge. A contoured roofing material having
upwardly directed projections and valleys between the projections
forms the roof surface. The projections preferably have a height of
about 0.8 inches or less. A vent strip is provided on the roof
surface and extends on each side of the vent slot. The vent strip
is comprised of synthetic fibers that are randomly aligned into an
open web by an air flow and then joined by a phenolic or latex
binder that is heat cured to form an air permeable mesh material
having a generally uniform thickness, preferably in the range of
0.9 to 1.2 inches for a roofing sheet with 0.75 inch high ribs or
projections, a density of about 0.08 to 0.1 grams per cubic
centimeter (1.3 to 1.6 grams per cubic inch), and a crush recovery
of at least 80%. The vent strip is resiliently compressible such
that a space between the projections in the contoured roofing
material is filled with the vent strip, and a portion of the strip
is compressed into contact with and extends over the projections. A
cap overlies the slot and the vent strip.
[0007] Preferably, the vent strip comprises two separate strips,
with one being located on each side of the vent slot.
[0008] Preferably, the roof and hip ridge vent system provides at
least 28 square inches of net free area per lineal foot of
ridge.
[0009] The vent strip can be provided in stick or roll form.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The present invention will be explained in more detail in
connection with the drawings in which presently preferred
embodiments are shown.
[0011] In the drawings:
[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a roof ridge
showing the installation of an embodiment of the roof ridge vent
with an air-permeable resilient strip mounted on a metal roof.
[0013] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the roof ridge vent
illustrated in FIG. 1 and taken along line 2-2.
[0014] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the roof
ridge of FIG. 1, showing an embodiment of the roof ridge vent
installed thereon. The left-hand side of the figure shows an
alternative positioning of the vent strip relative to the edge of
the metal roof.
[0015] FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the air permeable
and resilient strip on the metal roof showing the compression of
the material at the rib or projection locations of the roof
panel.
[0016] FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the air permeable
and resilient strip positioned as a hip ridge vent on a corrugated
metal roof shown with the same projections or ribs as in the ridge
vent installation in FIGS. 1-4 with the vent strip being arranged
at an angle relative to the ribs.
[0017] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the vent
strip.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0018] Certain terminology is used in the following description for
convenience only and is not considered limiting. Words such as
"front", "back", "top" and "bottom" designate directions in the
drawings to which reference is made. This terminology includes the
words specifically noted above, derivatives thereof and words of
similar import. Additionally, the terms "a" and "one" are defined
as including one or more of the referenced item unless specifically
noted.
[0019] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be
described with reference to the drawing figures wherein like
numerals represent like elements throughout.
[0020] FIGS. 1-4 illustrates an embodiment of a roof venting system
designated generally as 10. The roof venting system 10 is described
in relation to a sloped roof 12 which may include rafters 15 that
support decking 14 or purlins (not shown) that support a roofing
material, such as a corrugated roofing sheet 16 formed by a
plurality of metal or composite roofing panels 18. The roof 12
comes to a ridge 22 at a slope defined by its rafters 24.
[0021] The roofing panels 18 extend up to a vent slot 20 located at
the ridge 22. A strip of venting material is installed either in
one piece over the slot 20 such that it extends over the upper ends
of the roofing panels 18 adjacent to the slot 20, or two separate
strips 40 are installed, with one strip 40 being located over the
upper ends of the roofing panels on each side of the slot 20. The
roofing panels 18, the venting material strip(s) 40 and the vent
slot 20 are covered with a ridge cap 26, usually made of similar
material as the panels 18 and installed in sections running along
the ridge 22.
[0022] The roofing panels 18 each have a plurality of projections
28 that project upwardly. As known to those in the art and shown in
FIGS. 2 and 4, adjacent roofing panels 18 are joined together to
form the sheet 16 by overlying a pair of lateral ends 38 from
adjacent panels 18. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the
projections 28 of the roofing panels 18 are both a larger
stiffening rib 48 and a smaller squared stiffening rib 46. The
larger stiffening ribs 48 in proximity to the lateral edges 38 are
used to overlap the adjacent panel. However, other panel
configurations can be used in conjunction with the vent strips
40.
[0023] Still with reference to FIGS. 1-4, the vent strip 40 is
comprised of synthetic fibers that are randomly aligned into an
open web by an air flow and then joined by a phenolic or latex
binder that is heat cured to form an air permeable mesh material
having a generally uniform thickness t, preferably in the range of
0.9 to 1.2 inches for a roofing sheet with 0.75 inch ribs, a
density of about 0.08 to 0.1 grams per cubic centimeter (1.3 to 1.6
grams per cubic inch), and a crush recovery of at least 80%.
Preferred fibers include 180 denier polyester, although other
materials and deniers could be used. The fibers are preferably
chopped to a length between 1 and 5 inches, and more preferably
1.5-2 inches. A preferred binder is a latex binder, such as those
available from DOW Chemical, Rohm and Haas, and others. The depth d
is preferably about 3 inches, although other depths could be used.
The vent strip 40 is resiliently compressible such that a space
between the projections in the contoured roofing material is filled
with the vent strip 40, and a portion of the strip 40 is compressed
into contact with and extends over the projections 28 upon
installation of the ridge cap 26. The vent material may be heat
treated so that it "lofts" or expands, and then calendared down to
a specific thickness to allow the completed vent strips to expand
and conform to uneven surfaces when solar energy raises the roof
temperature. Preferably the system 10 provides at least 28 square
inches of net free area per lineal foot of ridge.
[0024] The vent strip 40 has at least a portion that is air
permeable to allow the passage of air to ventilate the roof. The
strip 40 completely fills the space between the panels 18 and the
ridge cap 26 to prevent water, such as wind driven rain, from
entering in accordance with building standards, but allows the
passage of air. Preferably, the entire strip 40 is made from the
air permeable and resilient material. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and
4, due to the compression of the air permeable mesh material over
the larger stiffening ribs 48, the net free area is reduced as the
fibers are pressed closer together. However, these areas are
localized and only slightly reduce the overall net free area
provided for venting.
[0025] As seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the relative position of the strip
40 to the upper edge 34 of the roofing panels 18 can vary and still
meet the objective of this invention. The right-hand side of FIGS.
3 and 4 show the strip 40 extending beyond the upper edge 34 of the
metal panels 18. As seen in FIG. 3, the strip 40 overlaps slightly
the vent slot 20 in the ridge 22. The left-hand side of FIGS. 3 and
4 show the strip 40 located slightly below or downward from the
upper edge 34' of the metal panels 18.
[0026] In contrast to U.S. Pat. No. 5,561,953 where the vent strip
has a lower surface that is shaped by cutting to match the contours
of the roofing panels, and specifically includes recesses that are
complementary to the projections in the roofing sheet, the vent
strip 40 is not profiled or cut, and rather is formed with a higher
resiliency and a greater net free area than the prior known
non-woven mesh vent strips so that it can be compressed in the area
of the projections 28 and is able to conform to the roof panels 18
and fill the spaces between the projections 28. The vent strip 40
meets all present building requirements for preventing wind driven
rain entry through the ridge vent system 10, and also generally
prevents the entry of debris and insects.
[0027] Preferably, the vent strip 40 is secured in proximity to an
upper edge of the roofing panels 18 and overlies the projections
28, and is secured to the roofing panels 18 by an adhesive. The
ridge cap 26 is secured to the roofing panels 18 by a series of
fasteners 36, such as screws, preferably into one of the larger
stiffening ribs 48 as seen in FIG. 3.
[0028] This provides all of the benefits of the prior known
non-woven mesh vent strip, such as preventing moisture from being
captured and held against the roofing panel 18, which occurs with
some open cell foam ridge vent materials, without the cost and
expenses associated with having to cut or otherwise form matching
contours in the vent strip 40 as was previously required.
[0029] Referring to FIG. 5, a further benefit of the present vent
strip 40 is that it can be used in connection with a hip ridge vent
system 10' since it can conform to the angle of the projections in
the roofing panel 18 at the roof hip, which by definition would not
be at 90.degree. . This addresses a need that the vent strip of
U.S. Pat No. 5,561,953 could not meet in that the length of the
vent strip 40 between the projections, illustrated as X' in FIG. 5
changes depending on the angle of the roof hip from the nominal
distance X at 90.degree. . Further, the path of the projections
through the vent strip 40 is at an angle, meaning that it would not
be economically feasible to attempt to form the vent strips with
complementary recesses in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 5,561,953
for all of the various hip ridge configurations that are
possible.
[0030] As shown in FIG. 5, the vent strip 40 can conform to the
projections 28 of the roofing panel 18 along the path of the hip
ridge 44 since it is resiliently compressible, and accordingly
allows improved venting for a building structure with a hip
roof.
[0031] One preferred version of the vent strip 40 prior to
installation is shown in FIG. 6. Here, it can be seen that the
material is generally uniform, in comparison to the compression of
the air permeable mesh material over the larger stiffening ribs 48,
as shown in FIG. 5.
[0032] An additional advantage is that the same vent strip 40 can
be used to vent a roof ridge and a hip ridge, and further can be
used as a universal vent strip for corrugated roofing panels or
roofing panels with projections falling within a certain size
range--for example, the preferred embodiment described above can be
used in connection with roofing panels having projections of 1 inch
or less. The thickness of the vent strip 40 could be modified to
accommodate other size ranges of roofing panel ribs or projections,
for example, the thickness could be increased to 2.2 to 2.5 inches
for roofing panels with projections having a depth of 2 inches.
Similar adjustments can be made for other height ribs or
projections.
[0033] While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been
described in detail, the invention is not limited to these specific
embodiments described above which should be considered as merely
exemplary. Further modifications and extensions of the present
invention may be developed and all such modifications are deemed to
be within the scope of the present invention as defined by the
appended claims.
* * * * *