GB2279088A

GB2279088A - Supporting insulating block between joists

Info

Publication number: GB2279088A
Application number: GB9312489A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Derek Albert Lacey
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1993-06-17
Filing date: 1993-06-17
Publication date: 1994-12-21
Also published as: GB9312489D0

Abstract

A building aid 13 for supporting and retaining insulation in the form of blocks of expanded polystyrene or the like foamed insulating material, intended to be inserted between floor joists. The building aid may comprise a generally U-shaped support element 14, 15, 16 with its end portions 17, 18 extending in opposite directions from the free ends of the limbs of 14, 15 said element. The plane of the bridge part 16 of the element is generally parallel with the common plane passing through the end portions and is spaced from said common plane by a distance equal to, or greater than, the thickness of a block of insulating material to be supported. The device 13 may be plastics or metal flat strip, or metal wire coated with plastics; a sharpened end thereof may be hammered into the joist. <IMAGE>

Description

IMsaOVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO BUILDING AIDS This invention relates to building aids and, more particularly, to a building aid for supporting and retaining under floor insulation.

It is well known in the building art to provide under floor insulation, generally in the form of blocks of expanded polystyrene or the like foamed substantially rigid plastics materials, said blocks being inserted between the floor joists.

It is the general practise to support such blocks of insulation between the joists by nailing or stapling lengths of timber to the two facing surfaces of two parallel adjacent joists, a predetermined distance below the upper surfaces of the joists, and whereupon the blocks of insulating material can rest on said timbers so as to lie below the plane of the upper surfaces of the joists. Such timbers are expensive and the accurate fitting thereof is time taking. Further as the cutting of the blocks is relatively inaccurate such a side edge support for the blocks is unsatisfactory.

The present invention seeks to provide a cheap and accurate method for locating and supporting a block of insulating material between two adjacent joists.

According to the present invention there is provided a support element, for supporting a block of insulating material between two spaced apart, generally parallel floor joists, comprising a generally U-shaped element with end portions extending in opposite directions from the free ends of the limbs of said element, the plane of the bridge part of the element being generally parallel with the comnon plane passing through the end portions and being spaced from said common plane by a distance equal to, or greater than, the thickness of the block of insulating material to be supported and wherein, in use, the U-shaped element is insertable between the two joists until the end portions rest on the joists to present the bridge of the element extending between the joists and spaced from the top surface of the joists to receive the insulating material and support said material with its top surface at, or below, the plane of the top surfaces of the joists.

In one embodiment in accordance with the invention the elements may be formed from a metal or plastics material.

In one form the element comprises a wire element and, when the wire is a metal wire, the element may be coated with a plastics material.

In another form the element is of trough-like configuration, having a width greater than it's thickness in the direction of the joists, whereupon the element is of sheetlike material.

In one embodiment the end portions include end regions, at right angles to the plane of the end portions so as to lie generally parallel with the limbs of the U-shaped element, and the distance between each end part and the adjacent limb of the U-shaped element is such as to allow a joist to enter therebetween.

In another embodiment end regions of the end portions may define spiked elements, arranged to be hammered into the top surface of the joist to locate the support element in the length direction of the joists.

The invention will now be described further by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig 1 shows an end view of two adjacent joists with a support element applied thereto, Fig 2 shows a cross-section through the element on the line 22 in Fig 1, Fig 3 shows a prospective view of the support element shown in Figs 1 and 2, Fig 4 shows a prospective view of another embodiment for a support element, Fig 5 shows a cross-section through a joist, with a support element applied thereto, supporting a block of insulating material, and Fig 6 is a view, similar to Fig 5, showing another form of support element supporting a block of insulating material relative to a joist.

In the embodiment illustrated in Fig 1 two joist, 11 and 12, in spaced apart, parallel relationship have a support member, generally indicated by numeral 13, applied thereto.

The member 13, in end view, has the form of a Ushaped element defined by parallel limbs 14 and 15 with a bridge piece 16 extending therebetween. The limb 14 has an end portion 17, turned outwardly at right angles to the limb 14, and the limb 15 has an end portion 18, again turned outwardly to lie at right angles to the direction of the limb 15.

The limbs 14 and 15 are spaced apart so that the Ushaped member fits snugly between the joist 11 and 12 and the end portions 17 and 18 are so spaced from the bridge 16 that a block of insulating material resting on bridge 16 has its upper surface below the upper free surfaces of the joists 11 and 12.

As will be seen from Figs 2 and 3 the element 13 has a width W many times greater than the thickness of the material, to prevent the element from being twisting relative to the direction of the joists 11 and 12 when the elements are being fitted to the joists.

In the embodiment illustrated in Fig 4 the element comprises a wire member, which may be coated with a plastics material to protect the wire against rusting, and the element again defines a bridge part 21, two parallel limbs 22 and 23, end portions 24 and 25 extending in opposite directions from the limbs 22 and 23 and lying generally parallel with the bridge 21, and with end parts 26 and 27 turned downwardly (as viewed in Fig 4) so as to lie parallel with the limbs 22 and 23 respectively.

In use, the bridge 21 and parallel limbs 22 and 23 are entered between two adjacent joists, the end portions 24 and 25 rest on the top surfaces of the joists 11 and 12 and the end parts 26 and 27 pass downwardly against the outer faces of the two joists, whereupon to prevent the element from twisting away from planes substantially at right angles to the directions of the joists 11 and 12.

Fig 5 shows an element of the type shown in Fig 4 with one end attached to a beam 11 and with a block 30 of insulating material between the limbs 22 and 23, and resting on the bridge 21, with the top surface of thc insulating block below the top surface of the adjacent joist 11.

Fig 6 show another type of support element, which may be made of wire, conveniently plastic coated, and wherein the ends of the end portions 24 and 25 are turned downwardly to form spikes which can be driven into the top surface of the adjacent joist, again to prevent the support element from twisting relative to the joists 11 and 12.

In use a workman will simply locate a plurality of support elements along two adjacent beams, preferably each block of insulating material will be supported by at least two, and more preferably three, support elements, the workmen simply enters the mid regions of each support element between two adjacent joists, so that the parallel limbs 14, 15 or 22, 23 lie between the joists and the end portions 17, 18 or 24, 25 rest on the tops of the joists, and the blocks of material can be simply located on the bridges 16 or 21 of the support elements, thus offering a relatively cheap and effective support for the blocks of insulating material.

Whilst the present invention has been described by way of specific examples, the invention is not restricted thereto and many modifications and variations will be apparent to persons skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A support element, for supporting a block of insulating material between two spaced apart, generally parallel floor joists, comprising a generally U-shaped element with end portions extending in opposite directions from the free ends of the limbs of said element, the plane of the bridge part of the element being generally parallel with the common plane passing through the end portions and being spaced from said common plane by a distance equal to, or greater than, the thickness of the block of insulating material to be supported and wherein, in use, the U-shaped element is inserted between the two joists until the end portions rest on the joists to present the bridge of the element extending between the joists and spaced from the top surface of the joists to receive the insulating material and support said material with its top surface at, or below, the plane of the top surfaces of the joists.

2. A support element according to claim 1 and wherein the element is formed from a metal or plastics material.

3. A support element according to claims 1 or 2 and wherein the element comprises a wire element and the element is coated with a plastics material.

4. A support element according to claims 1 or 2 and wherein the element is of a trough-like configuration, having a width, in the direction of the joists, greater than it's thickness.

5. A support element according to any preceding claim and wherein the end portions include end regions, at right angles to the plane of the end portions so as to lie generally parallel with the limbs of the U-shaped element, and the distance between each end part and the adjacent limb of the Ushaped element is such as to allow a joist to enter therebetween.

6. A support element according to claim 5, and wherein the end regions of the end portions define spiked elements, arranged to be hammered into the top surface of the joist to locate the support element in the length direction of the joists.

7. A support element, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.