EDITORIAL NOTE 2015100745 There are four pages of description only.
Sub-Floor Ventilated Ground Cover - Patent - Description Description: 1. Title: Sub-Floor Ventilated Ground Cover 2. Field of Innovation. 2.1.To control moisture that occurs naturally under buildings with suspended floor details. The innovation controls the moisture so that natural occurring moisture content is still retained in soils without it impacting on the building envelope built over the ground/soils. 2.2.Provision of a hardened impervious barrier with a ventilated drainage layer over the ground/soil, within a sub-floor (crawl space) area of a building. 3. Background of Innovation. 3.1.The problem that currently exists to buildings that are constructed in a manner where foundations have been built over exposed ground, where a void exists between the exposed ground and the underside of the suspended flooring, commonly referred to as a sub-floor (crawl space) area. Is that these areas are moist and ventilation is generally inadequate to cope with moisture that naturally transpires from the ground. 3.2.1f an increased source of moisture exists then the property often has a significant moisture problem that impacts on the habitable areas of a a building and buildings fabric. 3.3.The innovation arises from the need to contain the moisture at the soil level without moisture transpiring into the envelope of the building. 3.4.Current common practice is to increase drainage and/or increase sub floor ventilation, neither are ideal. 3.4.1.lncreased drainage in an inappropriate manner can cause excessive drying of the soils that inturn can cause foundation movement, can contribute to cracking or unnecessary stress to structure. 3.4.2.Increased ventilation only masks an underlying moisture problem, it sweeps off humidity to a degree that is suspended in the air within the sub floor (crawl space) of a building, it does not reduce the source of the moisture. Through the natural water cycle, water evaporating from the soils naturally will still transpire through building elements contributing to damp even in a well ventilated sub-floor. 3.5.The innovation controls moisture by trapping moisture under the impervious hardened surface that is placed over the ground. The ventilated void under this impervious barrier enables moisture migration in ground to continue naturally without impacting on a structure with suspended flooring built over the exposed ground/soils.
3.6.Buildings built over sand with a shallow water table would in particular benefit from this innovation as in this case moist is invisible as ground appears to be dry on the surface. 3.7.Buildings with excavated face that suffer from natural water seepage would in particular benefit from this innovation, natural seepage can not be effectively stopped, needs to be drained in an appropriate manner, surface water normally exists to this type of detail. 3.8.Concrete that does not have a vapour membrane to underside of the concrete or impervious seal over the concrete, is porous and typically allows natural transfer of vapours through the concrete. 4. Brief of Innovation 4.1.The provision of a hardened impervious barrier with a ventilated drainage layer between the exposed ground and the underfloor within a sub-floor (crawl space) area of a building. 4.2.The hardened impervious barrier or physical barrier eliminates, any form of moisture*, from rising and/or penetrating and/or transpiring, vaporising etc' from the exposed soil areas within a sub-floor area into the buildings envelope. 4.3.Any form of moisture such as vapour, humidity, condensation, run off water, seepage, moisture migration, steam etc'. 4.4.Through elimination of exposure to moist conditions of the ground, the building would be protected from exposure to fungi that naturally grows over or within the soils or ground matter that supports the foundations of a building. 4.5.Also reduces conditions for mould growth to the concealed or exposed areas within the buildings envelope by reducing moisture levels needed to promote growth of fungi or mould. 4.6.Note:- Fungi within the sub-floor areas commonly creates unhealthy conditions that contributes to musty odours and/or the smell of damp within the building. 5. Summary of Innovation. 5.1.The hardened impervious seal over the ground surfaces within a sub-floor area is intended to eliminate any form of moisture transpiring through the building fabric from the sub-floor environment that inturn contributes to the deterioration or limited durability of building materials or elements used in the construction of the building.
5.2.The elimination of moisture from a sub-floor environment significantly reduces a source of moisture to the interior of the building that commonly contributes to the conditions for mould growth within the envelope of a building. 5.3.The hardened impervious seal that is installed over a drainage matting system that is ventilated by means of vents, some vents are extended to the exterior of the building, this venting system is made up of individual vents that are black in colour, fitted to the buildings exterior most exposed to direct sunlight, preferably to either the northern of western side walls of the dwelling. 5.4.The reason these pipes need to be black in colour is that they will warm when exposed to direct sunlight increasing the draw of humid air from within the layer of drainage matting located under the hardened barrier within the sub floor (crawl space) area of the building. Additional vents as intake vents may or may not be necessary depending on the type of stormwater dispersal system installed to the given property. 5.5.Currently the recommended method to control moisture within the sub-floor is to increase overall cross flow ventilation to the sub-floor, although any ventilation is good ventilation in general terms, the fact is that this ventilation in a large part simply masks an underlying problem and does not solve the source of the problem which is the moisture arising from the exposed ground. 5.6.Moisture migration through ground matter is a natural occurrence, the natural water cycle causes moisture to naturally rise from the ground, this moisture needs to be controlled effectively, currently the practice is to improve drainage and increase ventilation, although this reduces moisture in some cases it does not provide an impervious barrier. 5.7.This method encapsulates the moisture in a layer over the ground, this layer is properly drained and ventilated. It is important to keep this area ventilated to maintain a balanced moisture content to the ground supporting foundations of the building. 5.8.If the drainage layer were not appropriately ventilated then increased moisture would occur to masonry foundations, contributing to excessive efflorescence, also the increased moisture to the soils could cause excessive swelling of highly reactive clay soils. 5.9.The method of sub-floor reconditioning - moisture encapsulation can be applied to existing sub-floor areas with difficult or limited access. 5.10.The innovation consists of a combination of a hardened surface material placed over a drainage layer that is ventilated, the actual drainage layer is ventilated to the exterior of the building.
5.11.The ventilation system is ducted from the drainage layer to the exterior of the building, where possible utilises the heat of the sun to create a draw of humidity from within that thin drainage layer to the exterior of the buildings envelope through the installation of black pipes to the exterior. 6. Installation of the system. 6.1.Preparation works - Ground surfaces within the sub-floor are prepared/ scarified/cleaned in an appropriate manner, sub-soil drainage installed/ improved in an appropriate manner. 6.2.The System (innovation) - Drainage/fabric cells installed over soils. Parging of impervious flashing to drainage cells/fabric and foundation walls/piers etc'. 6.3.Placement of impervious hardened material over the layer of drainage.fabric and flashing to provide a durable impervious seal over exposed soil surfaces. 6.4.Installation of passive ventilation to create ventilation to narrow void between the soil and underside of the hardened surface.