Patent Application
20050166470
This invention relates to the installation of windows or other building members and, more particularly, relates to a flashing for directing water and preventing leakage of the water at a window or other portal.
During a typical installation of a window in a building, a rough opening is first prepared in a wall of the building for receiving the window. The rough opening is defined by two jambs that extend vertically from a head at the top of the rough opening to a sill at the bottom of the opening. A weather resistant barrier material, such as a thin sheet of waterproof paper or plastic can be disposed over the outer surface of the wall, and the barrier material is cut at the rough opening and folded into the opening. The barrier material forms a moisture barrier extending over the outer surface, but due to the cuts in the barrier material does not normally provide a waterproof barrier on the inner surfaces of the rough opening. In particular, the barrier typically defines openings at the intersection of the jambs and the sill. A sill flashing is often installed across the sill. The sill flashing extends outward from the sill onto a portion of the outer surface of the wall and upward from the sill onto a portion of each jamb. Thus, the sill flashing, which is formed of a flexible sheet of material, is cut and bent to correspond to the sill, jambs, and outer wall surface. Typically, two cuts are made in the sill flashing, each cut extending from a respective corner of the sill and the jambs through the portion of the sill flashing that is disposed on the outer surface of the wall. Similarly, flashing can be installed on each of the jambs and the head of the rough opening before the window is secured in the opening.
The window can be structured to prevent rain or other water contacting the outer surface of the window from flowing to the sill of the rough opening. However, in some cases, the window can leak water to the sill. Water flowing to the sill of the rough opening can sometimes penetrate both the barrier material and the flashing, e.g., through the cuts that are made in the barrier material and the flashing during installation. Thus, the water can flow into the wall, i.e., between the inner and outer surfaces of the wall, causing damage to the wall.
Thus, there exists a need for a device and method for use in a window installation for preventing the flow of water to the rough opening in the wall and to the inside of the wall. The device should be compatible with conventional windows and installation methods. Preferably, the device should be relatively easy to install and economical to manufacture.
The present invention provides a corner flashing and method for use in installing a portal, such as a window, in an opening in a wall. The flashing defines channels for directing water outward of the wall, thereby restricting the passage of water inward through the wall around the portal.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the wall is defined by a sill and jambs extending therefrom. The flashing includes a base member with first and second portions. The second portion is disposed at an angle relative to the first portion, such as a right angle, so that an outer surface of the first portion can be disposed against the sill of the opening and an outer surface of the second portion can be disposed against one of the jambs of the opening. The flashing also includes a front face plate that extends generally perpendicularly from the first and second portions of the base member. The first and second portions of the base member define the channels for directing water toward and through the front face plate. For example, the channels can be tapered to define an increased depth at the front face plate. Inner surfaces of the first and second portions of the base member can also have ridges between the channels for defining a surface substantially parallel to the outer surfaces and structured to support the window or other portal. The outer surfaces of the portions opposite the channels can be substantially planar. According to one aspect of the invention, the flashing, which can be made of plastic, is a unitary member. Further, the flashing can be a universal device that is structured to be selectively installed in either of two corners of the opening, i.e., with the outer surface of the first portion of the base member disposed toward either the sill or one of the jambs of the opening.
The present invention also provides a window assembly in an opening of a wall. The window assembly includes a wall defining an outer surface and an opening therethrough having a sill and jambs with corners at the intersections of the jambs and the sill. Flashings are disposed at the corners of the wall opening, with the channels of the flashings disposed in the base members of the flashings. A window is disposed in the wall opening with corners of the window being received by the flashings so that the inner surfaces of the first and second portions of the base member of each flashing are disposed toward the window. Thus, the channels of the first portion of each flashing are structured to direct water toward the outer surface of the wall and through the front face plate. The flashings can be substantially similar so that each flashing is configured to be disposed at either of the wall corners.
Additionally, the present invention provides a method of installing a window in a wall opening. The method includes disposing first and second flashings at the corners of the wall opening and disposing a window in the opening. The window has first and second corners that are received by the flashings so that the inner surfaces of the base member of each flashing are disposed toward the window. Channels in the first portion of each flashing are structured to direct water toward the outer surface of the wall and through the front face plate. A laminar moisture barrier sheet can also be disposed against the outer surface of the wall, and each of the flashings can be disposed partially between the sheet and the wall and partially opposite the sheet from the wall.
The foregoing and other advantages and features of the invention, and the manner in which the same are accomplished, will become more readily apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred and exemplary embodiments, but which are not necessarily drawn to scale, wherein:
The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
Referring to the drawings and, in particular, to
As shown in
The inner surfaces 24, 34 of the base member 12 define channels 26, 36 that extend to the front face plate 14 so that water received on the inner surfaces 24, 34 is directed by the channels 26, 36 through the front face plate 14. As shown in
The channels 26, 36 are separated by ridges 28, 38 therebetween. The ridges 28, 38 of each portion 20, 30 of the base member 12 define a support surface, which can be substantially parallel to the outer surface 22, 32 of the respective portion of the base member 12. That is, the support surface formed by the ridges 28 of the first portion 20 can be substantially parallel to the outer surface 22 of the first portion 20, and the support surface formed by the ridges 38 of the second portion 30 can be substantially parallel to the outer surface 32 of the second portion 30. Thus, when the outer surfaces 22, 32 of the portions 20, 30 are disposed against the sill 54 and jamb 56 of the wall opening 50, the ridges 28, 38 define support surfaces that are parallel to the sill and jamb 54, 56, respectively.
As shown in
As is known in the art, the outer surface 58 of the wall 52 can be covered by a laminar sheet 40 of a moisture barrier material, and the sheet 40 can be folded into the opening 50 before the window 60 is installed. According to the present invention, the sheet 40 can be cut as indicated by reference numeral 42 in
Windows 60 having any of various configurations can be installed in the wall opening 50 according to the present invention. For example, as shown in
The frame 64, which can be formed of wood, wood composites, polymer coated wood, and the like, can be at least partially supported by the base members 12 of the flashings 10. For example, the sill member 66 of the frame 64 can be supported by the ridges 28 of the first portions 20 of the base members 12. The sill member 66 can also be disposed at an angle relative to the support surface defined by the ridges 28 so that water on the sill member 66 tends to drain outward toward the outer surface 58 of the wall 52. In any case, the channels 26 preferably are directed toward the outer surface 58 of the wall 52 and are not obstructed by the window 60 supported by the ridges 28 so that water received on the first portion 20 of the base member 12 of each flashing 10 is directed toward the outer surface 58 of the wall 52 by the channels 26. Thus, water is prevented from flowing onto the inner wall member 82, the framing members 86, or the outer wall member 84, e.g., through cuts in the barrier material sheet 40 at the corners of the wall opening 50.
Each flashing 10 can be formed with the channels 26 defined by only the first portion 20 of the base member 12, the second portion 30 of the base member 12 being devoid of the channels 36, i.e., so that the channels 26 are disposed under the window 60 when installed but not between the window 60 and the jambs 56 of the opening 50. Preferably, however, the channels 26, 36 are defined by both the first and second portions 20, 30 of the base member 12 of the flashing 10. Further, each flashing 10 is preferably formed as a universal device that can be disposed in either corner of the wall opening 50, i.e., with the first portion 20 of the base member 12 disposed adjacent the sill 54 of the wall opening 50 and the second portion 30 adjacent the jamb 56 of the opening 50, or with the first portion 20 adjacent the jamb 56 of the opening 50 and the second portion 30 adjacent the sill 54. Thus, the flashing 10 can be structured with a single configuration that can be used in either of the corners of the window assembly 80.
Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which this invention pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
