Patent Application
20060101726
This invention relates in general to prohibiting weather-related moisture from entering a building and, in particular, to a sill pan and threshold flashing unit for window and door openings in a building.
In recent years, many attempts have been made to find a solution to the ever present problem of unwanted water and air intrusion into buildings. Historically, flashing is the term used to identify the means or components utilized to prevent water intrusion. In this invention, the flashing can be used to control water intrusion and/or air intrusion. Controlling water and air intrusion is a very serious concern which may result in exterior and interior damage if not prevented or corrected in a timely manner. Recent studies have shown that the extent of such damage, on an annual basis, has run into millions of dollars. In addition, heat loses through air leakage around window, door and louver openings have taken on new significance due to today's high energy costs. It has become imperative that a more serious approach be taken to control water and air intrusion to reduce heating costs.
In the past, one method for dealing with the potential for water intrusion at a door or window frame opening in an exterior building wall was to provide a pre-formed sill pan to collect and control the water. This objective was accomplished with preformed plastic or metal pieces mounted along the sill of the opening in the wall construction, to protect the underlying material from damage. However, such sill pans have proven to be too expensive for all building applications. The high cost of manufacture and wide variety of sizes required for a vast array of door and window opening sizes has limited the desirability of this type of device for more widespread application.
Alternatively, a surface sealed approach has been used. Putty-like components are used to caulk around openings between the window and door frames in an attempt to seal the gaps and prevent inward seepage of water and air into the building. However, after a period of time, the putty-like compounds had a tendency to dry up, shrink and produce gaps or openings. This provides a passageway for water and air to penetrate the building enclosure ultimately resulting in deterioration beneath the window and door frames at the sheathing or structural components adjacent thereto.
Tar is another option that has been used. The application of a wad of tar at strategic locations surrounding the window or door opening may be economical, but it is seldom effective over the long term. Moreover, it is very messy and difficult to efficiently apply.
In an effort to overcome the inadequacies inherent with caulking and tar, advances in the chemical field have produced new sealant materials which are better equipped to withstand the sun, temperature variations and exposure to the elements for a longer period of time. Nevertheless, these improved sealants eventually break down or are not initially installed properly resulting in water and air intrusion. Something more than caulking, tar and sealants is desirable and new flashing materials and techniques are needed to provide long-term and economical protection against water and air intrusion.
Known prior art attempts to provide flashing devices for the sills of window and door openings are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 993,861; 1,677,130; 4,555,882; 5,899,026; 6,401,401; and 6,401,402, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference entirely.
All known approaches suffer from significant problems, including limited long-term effectiveness, inability to economically accommodate a variety of opening sizes, substantial expense, limited operating temperature ranges, labor intensive construction and installation procedures, and unreliable moisture penetration prevention.
In view of the above described conditions and consequences of prior art solutions, a need exists for a weatherproofing solution for window and door opening sills or thresholds that is not subject to these shortcomings and installation errors and lasts the life of the building structure.
These and other problems in the prior art have been overcome by this invention which in one embodiment includes a number of flexible membrane flashing components utilized in combination as a uniquely formed termination accessory for providing sill or threshold and end dam corner protection at the sill or threshold areas of a roughed-in window door or other opening. The flashing of this invention seals the sill or threshold of the opening with or without the use of pre-formed or molded termination accessory units in the lower left and right corners of the opening.
As a result of unique components and their associated installation and folding sequence, a sill or threshold flashing is created to form the required closure at the corner areas thus eliminating the need for a termination accessory unit of the type previously utilized. The uniquely folded and assembled flashing components of this invention are creased and folded and formable in a variety of sizes which can then be cut in-situ by the installer to the required dimensions of a particular job. It has been found that a typical window sill rough opening can be completely flashed by utilizing a single section of the flashing membrane by installing it in a particular sequence with associated components to form a pair of folded end dams.
In one embodiment of this invention, the flashing system for preventing intrusion of water and air through the sill or threshold areas of an opening in a wall for a window, a door, and other through wall penetrations includes a sill pan membrane having a top face and a bottom face. A first portion of the sill pan membrane is adapted to be positioned on the sill or threshold and an adjacent portion of a jamb of the wall opening. A second portion of the sill pan membrane is adapted to extend rearwardly from the sill or threshold and jambs of the wall opening. The second portion is adapted to be formed into a sill rear dam adjacent the sill or threshold and jambs of the wall opening. The sill pan membrane includes a first adhesive layer on the bottom face of the first portion of the sill pan membrane and a second adhesive layer on the top face of the second portion. The adhesive layers each may include a pressure sensitive self adhesive applied generally uniformly and continuously over the respective faces of the associated portions of the sill pan membrane.
The flashing system also includes in one embodiment a pair of sill end dams formed by folds in the sill pan membrane. Each sill end dam is adapted to be juxtaposed to a juncture of the sill or threshold and one jamb of the wall opening. A pair of juncture sealing strips are each adapted to be applied at one of the junctures of the sill and one of the jambs and over the sill pan membrane when installed in the wall opening. A front downwardly depending flange formed in the sill pan membrane is adapted to be juxtaposed to the wall opening subjacent to the sill and jambs thereof. A pair of gusset folds in the sill pan membrane are each adapted to be positioned proximate a juncture between the sill and one jamb of the wall opening. Further, a pair of termination membranes are each adapted to at least partially overlap one another and be applied adjacent the juncture of the sill or threshold and one of the jambs over the sill pan membrane when installed in the wall opening. One of the termination membranes is adapted to be applied on the sill or threshold of the wall opening and extend forwardly and outwardly therefrom toward the adjacent jamb and the other termination membrane is adapted to be applied on the jamb of the wall opening and extend forwardly and downwardly therefrom.
The objectives and features of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
Referring to
One component of an embodiment of the sill pan flashing kit 1o according to this invention is a flexible sill pan membrane 24 shown particularly in
Advantageously, the sill pan membrane 24 includes two distinct portions 44, 46. A first adhesive layer 48 is on the bottom face 28 of the first portion 44 of the sill pan membrane 24 as shown in
The sill pan membrane 24 also includes an angular fold line 54 in each outward lateral corner area 56 of the second portion 46 as shown in
Additional components of the flashing kit 10 according to one embodiment of this invention include a pair of juncture sealing strips 58, each adapted to be applied at one of the junctures of the sill 12 and one of the jambs 14 of the rough opening 16. The juncture sealing strips 58 are intended primarily to block exposed corners 60 formed in the sill pan membrane 24 when it is initially installed in the rough opening 16 as shown in
The flashing kit 10 according to one embodiment of this invention also includes a pair of termination membranes 62, 64 (
The other termination membrane 62 of
The installation of the components of the flashing kit 10 according to this invention is shown sequentially in
The sill 12 of the rough opening 16 is covered by the sill region 34 and sill pan membrane 24 as shown in
Next, the juncture sealing strips 58 are installed at the juncture between each jamb 14 and the sill 12 as shown in
Next, the termination membrane 62 is installed along the lower portion of the jamb 14 adjacent the sill 12 to cover the exposed portion of the juncture sealing strip 58 and the jamb portions 42 of the sealing membrane 24. Likewise, the angular projecting portion 72 of the termination membrane 64 is also covered by the downwardly projecting portion 78 of the termination membrane 62. Once the sill membrane 24, juncture strips 58 and termination membranes 62, 64 are installed as shown and described in
A sill rear dam 82 is then formed in the second portion 46 of the sill pan membrane 24 as shown in
After the components of the flashing kit lo are assembled and installed as described and shown herein, the window frame 20, door frame or the like may be inserted into the rough opening 16 as shown in
Advantageously, the membrane 24 can be cut and sized to flash the sill 12 of an opening 16 of any size in the wall 18 on-site thereby providing an efficient and economical solution to inhibit water and moisture from entering the building structure through the opening 16.
The various components of the flashing kit 10 according to this invention may be made of any of a variety of known materials suitable for flashing a rough opening 16 in a wall 18. Presently preferred materials for the membrane are uncured rubber, cured rubber and cross-laminated polyethylene. Another material for the flashing member 24 according to this invention is Flexwrap™ commercially available from Tyvek®. Generally, the Flexwrap™ product is a butyl compound containing melamine, cyanurate and aluminum hydroxide as fire retardants. The adhesive 32 may be a pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) or butyl adhesive containing a non-halogen fire retardant additive and is covered with a release liner or peel strip as is well known. Other materials which may be suitable for one or more of the components of the flashing kit 1o of this invention may be sheet metal, with or without adhesive for mounting to the opening 16 in the wall 18.
Preferably, the membrane 24 is available in roll form and can be cut to the approximate dimensions. The membrane 24 is provided with the peel strips 48a, 50a and a pressure sensitive adhesive 48, 50 on opposite sides. Finger pressure is applied to insure good contact and removal of any air bubbles which may reside thereunder. Again, as with the silicone rubber adhesive sealant, this product readily bonds and adheres to the itself and the surface on which it is applied.
As can be seen from the foregoing drawings and their descriptions, there has been set forth several embodiments and options available to a builder to prevent water and air intrusion around windows and door openings. This system provides an economical, less time consuming, effective procedure for solving a very serious problem in the construction industry.
From the above disclosure of the general principles of this invention and the preceding detailed description of at least one preferred embodiment, those skilled in the art will readily comprehend the various modifications to which this invention is susceptible. Therefore, I desire to be limited only by the scope of the following claims and equivalents thereof.
This claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/628,327, filed Nov. 16, 2004 and hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60628327 | Nov 2004 | US |
