GB2430947A

GB2430947A - Combined eaves insulation and rafter spacer allowing roof space ventilation and insulation

Info

Publication number: GB2430947A
Application number: GB0614103A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Neil Rideout; Stephen Graham Wise
Original assignee: Knauf Insulation Ltd; Building Product Design Ltd
Current assignee: Knauf Insulation Ltd; Building Product Design Ltd
Priority date: 2005-07-16
Filing date: 2006-07-17
Publication date: 2007-04-11
Anticipated expiration: 2026-07-17
Also published as: GB0614103D0; GB0514638D0; GB2430947B

Abstract

A rafter spacer 1 for providing a ventilation space over insulation material 3 in a roof structure comprises a tray 2, having a deformable insulation component 3, attached thereto. The rafter spacer 1 may provide effective ventilation through the tray 2, and the deformable insulation component 3 is preferably compressible to provide the insulation, such that the insulation component 3 is easily manipulated to fit within different shapes and sizes of cavity. The insulation component 3 may comprise insulation material (15, fig 2) encapsulated within a weatherproof bag 16. The bag 16 may also have thermal reflective properties to retain heat and/or may be perforated or intermittently sealed to allow the insulation material 15 to breathe. The insulation may extend beyond the perimeter of the tray. The upper face of the tray may be open and may comprise apertured tabs for attaching the tray to rafters. A method of installation includes manoevering the rafter spacer and insulation to so a portion of the insulation moves beyond the wall and into the eaves of the roof structure prior to filling underlay to the rafters.

Description

RAFTER SPACER

The invention relates to a rafter spacer for use in roof structures.

Conventionally, rafter spacers are used in roof structures and comprise 3 tray providing a ventilation space. Air can flow through or over the tray between a loft area and an outside environment. Rafter spacers are installed/ fitted between the rafters of a roof structure where the rafters meet joists. Underlay is installed above the rafter spacer and roof insulation is fitted below the rafter spacer between and/or on the joists. The area between the rafter spacer and the joists is angular and can be difficult to reach when installing the roof insulation. It therefore becomes difficult to direct the insulation beyond the wall plate and into the eaves efficiently to ensure the continuity of the insulation with the cavity wall insulation without blocking the ventilation pathway. This becomes more difficult as the pitch of the roof becomes shallower.

It is known (GB 2,254,348 B) to provide a rafter spacer comprising an insulating element made of a preformed semi-rigid component, which fits between the rafters of a roof structure to provide a link between loft insulation and cavity wall insulation, whilst providing a ventilation gap through the presence of upstanding ribs on an upper surface. Although the component is easy to install, due to the semi-rigidity of the component, the spacer is not readily adaptable like conventional roof insulation material which is pliable and compressible. For this reason it is * -2not effective for use in cavities of different shapes and sizes, for example, where the pitch of the roof is particularly steep or shallow. As a result the ventilation and/or insulation characteristics of the component may be compromised.

An object of the present invention is to provide an alternative rafter spacer which is easy to install and readily adaptable for use in different roof structures, without compromising the ventilation and insulation characteristics.

According to the invention therefore there is provided a rafter spacer for installation in a roof structure to provide a ventilation space over insulation, comprising a tray having deformable insulation material attached thereto, for installation therewith.

With this arrangement the rafter spacer provides effective ventilation through the tray component and provides readily adaptable insulation material which is compressible to provide the insulating characteristics. Therefore, the insulation material can be easily manipulated to fit into different shapes or sizes of cavity.

Insofar as the insulation material is attached to the tray, it is easier to install the insulation material so as to enable continuity of roof insulation with cavity wall insulation, without blocking the ventilation pathway.

The insulation material may be shaped to assist the effective filling of a cavity. By providing insulating material that is shaped, for example, with a bulge, the cavity will be more effectively filled without requiring the insulating material to be manipulated in order to for it to be situated in the correct area.

Preferably, the insulation material extends beyond the tray in one direction. The insulation material may extend beyond the tray in a direction which is transverse to a longitudinal axis of the tray.

Alternatively, the insulation material may extend beyond the tray in along an axis of the tray. Most preferably, the insulation extends beyond the tray in two opposed directions. A larger proportion of the insulation material may also extend in one direction than in the other direction.

The insulation material is preferably quilt insulation, which may comprise filling material between two sheets of material. The sheets may be stitched together to hold the filling material in place. The filling material may be glass or rock fibre or other suitable material used in insulation. Alternatively, the insulation material may be any other material suitable for use in roof structures.

Most preferably, the insulation material is encapsulated in an encapsulating material. The encapsulating material may be weatherproof.

Additionally or alternatively, the encapsulating material may have thermal reflective qualities. The encapsulating material is preferably a perforated material. Therefore, the encapsulating material can provide S -4- weatherproofing/ stability during the construction process and/or can promote more efficient retention of heat by reflecting heat back into a loft area, whilst allowing the insulation material to breathe.

The encapsulating material may be in the form of a bag around the insulating material. The bag is preferably sealed around the material. The seal may be effected by heat sealing and/or stitching of the encapsulating material which may be continuous or intermittent. Alternatively, other appropriate forms of sealing may be used.

Alternatively, the bag may be made of a non reflective, non perforated plastics material which is partly open at each end to allow the insulation to breathe and still be readily compressible.

The insulation material may be attached to a lower face of the tray.

Additionally or alternatively, the insulation material may be attached to a side of the tray.

The tray may comprise an elongate box-shaped structure having a substantially open upper face overlying the lower face. Each face may be elongate with opposed longitudinal and short edges. The short edges of the faces may be bounded together by short sides. Alternatively the tray may comprise a square box-shaped structure having a substantially open upper face overlying the lower face. At least one pair of opposed edges may be bounded together by sides. Preferably one pair of opposed edges is open.

The upper face may provide a means for attaching the tray to rafters of a roof structure. The means may be provided in the form of tabs extending from the edges of the upper face and most preferably comprises two tabs extending from opposed ends of both short edges.

The tabs may be provided with at least one aperture to receive a screw.

Additionally or alternatively, the attachment means may be provided in the form of a single elongate tab which extends at least partially along the length of the bounded opposed edges. The tab preferably extends along the whole length of the bounded edges.

The lower face may comprise a means for attachment to the insulation material and/or encapsulating material. The attachment means may be provided in the form of a gluing surface and/ or adhesive strips on the lower surface of the tray for attachment to the insulating material.

The tray may provide open-ended channels between the upper face and the lower face, defined by equally spaced separating components.

The separating components may be strips extending between the edges of the faces. The strips may be parallel with the abounding sides. The channels can therefore allow the passage of air between the inside of the roof structure to the outside environment.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method of installing the above mentioned rafter spacer in a roof structure, said method comprising the steps of manoeuvring said rafter spacer into a position between rafters of the root structure and a wall plate, so that a proportion of the insulation material moves beyond the wall plate into eaves of the root structure, and fitting underlay to the rafters.

Preferably, the spacer is secured in position on the rafters.

Insofar as installation is concerned, the tray is held between the rafters and the subsequent installation of roof insulation is made easier as the insulation does not need to be forced beyond the wall plate into the eaves to provide the continual roof to cavity wall insulation.

The invention will now be described further by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: Figure 1 is a perspective diagram of the rafter spacer in accordance with figure 1; Figure 2 is a cross-section of a roof structure incorporating the rafter spacer in accordance with figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective diagram of an alternative rafter spacer in accordance with the invention; and Figure 4 is a perspective view of a rafter spacer in position in a roof structure.

As shown in figure 1, a rafter spacer 1 comprises a tray 2 and an insulating component 3.

The tray is substantially box-shaped having a rectangular upper face 4 and a rectangular lower face 5.

Each face 4, 5, has two longitudinal edges 6 and two short edges 7. The short edges 7, of the lower face 5 are longer than those of the upper face 4, making the lower face 5 wider than the upper face 4.

Each face 4, 5, also has longitudinal strips 10 extending along the longitudinal edges 6. Each of the longitudinal strips 10 of the lower face are narrower than those of the upper face 4 and extend beyond the overhang of the upper face 5.

Each longitudinal strip 10 of the upper face 4 has two slightly downwardly inclined tabs 11, one at either end, each one being substantially the width and length of the longitudinal strip 10 from which it extends. Each tab 11 is provided with a circular hole 12 therethrough.

The tabs 11 each extend beyond the two short edges 7.

The upper face 4 is substantially open between the longitudinal strips 10.

The longitudinal edges 6 of the upper 4 and lower face 5 are bounded by opposing shallow longitudinal sides 8 and the short edges 7 by opposing shallow short sides 9. The longitudinal sides 8 are substantially open whilst the short sides 9 are closed.

In a second embodiment as shown in Figure 3, the tray 3 is substantially box shaped having a square upper face 26 and a square lower face 27, each bounded by pairs of opposed edges 26a, 26b, 27a, 27b. The opposed edges 26a, 27a are bounded by opposed sides 28.

Each side 28 comprises an elongate tab 29 which extends from the edges 26a along the length of the sides 28. The tab 29 is provided with a number of holes 30 therethrough.

In both embodiments, separating strips 13 extend between the upper face 4 and the lower face 5 from one edge 6 to the other. The separating strips 13 are parallel to the bounded sides 9, 28 and equally spaced therebetween defining parallel channels 14. The channels 14 are open at opposing ends allowing passage from one side 8, 26b/27b to the other.

The tray 2 is constructed of plastics material.

In the first embodiment, the insulating component 3 is flexible and has a width substantially the same as that of the longitudinal length of the tray 2. The length of the component 3 is larger than the width of the tray 2. The insulating component 3 is attached to the lower face 5 of the tray 2 such that the insulating component 3 extends beyond the longitudinal edges 6 of the lower face 5 in a direction transversely thereto. Furthermore, there is a larger amount of the component 3 extending beyond the longitudinal edge 6 of the lower face 5 on one side of the tray 2 than on the other.

In the second embodiment, the insulating component 3 is longer in one direction than the tray 2, which is the direction parallel to the direction of the channels 14.

The insulating component 3 comprises insulation material 15 encapsulated in a bag 16. The insulation material 15 is quilt insulation having a filling of glass or rock fibre between two sheets of material, which is stitched together to hold the filling in place between the sheets.

The bag 16 comprises a perforated reflective material having weatherproof and thermal reflective properties and is sealed on all sides.

The bag 16 is formed with an upper rectangular panel 1 6a of material overlying a larger lower rectangular panel 1 6b, with a tapering edge portion 1 6c extending therebetween such that the insulating component 3 is substantially a trapezium in cross-section.

The tray 2 is attached to the insulating component 3 using glue or adhesive strips on the lower face of the tray for contact with the bag 16.

As shown in figures 2 and 4, when installed in a pitched roof structure 17, the tray 2 is positioned between rafters 18 and a wall plate 19, such that the edges 6, 26b/27b are substantially parallel with an outer edge 20 of the roof structure 17 and the upper face 4 of the tray 2 lies in a common plane with that of the pitch of the roof structure 17.

The tabs 11, 29 of the upper face 4 sit over the rafters and can be fixed thereto using nails which pass through the holes 12, 30 and into the rafters. The insulating component 3 extending beyond the tray 2 in one direction, fills a cavity in the eaves 21 beyond the wall plate 19, with the insulating component 3 extending beyond the tray 2 in the opposite direction, filling the gap between the lower face 5 of the tray 2 and the wall plate 19. In the opposite direction, the insulating component 3 extends slightly onto the ceiling 22. Underlay 23 and roof insulation 24 can then be fitted.

The channels 14 provided through the tray 2 provide a ventilation path between the outside environment and inside the roof structure.

Furthermore, the insulating component 3 provides a bridging of the cavity wall insulation 25 and the roof insulation 24. The weatherproof qualities of the encapsulating bag 16, ensures that the quilt insulation 15 is protected from the weather after installation of the rafter spacer 1 and before the fitting of the underlay 23 is complete.

It is of course to be understood that the invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above embodiment, which are described by way of example only, thus for example, the insulating component may comprise other types of roof insulation. Furthermore, the tray may have an alternative configuration allowing attachment of the insulation component by any suitable means. The longitudinal strips 10 and tabs 11 of the first embodiment may also be applied to the second embodiment for additional rigidity and/or further attachment means (figure 4).

Claims

1. A rafter spacer I for installation in a roof structure (17) to provide a ventilation space over insulation, comprising a tray (2) having deformable insulation material (3) attached thereto, for installation therewith.

2. A rafter spacer according to claim 1, wherein the insulation material (3) is shaped to assist the effective filling of a cavity.

3. A rafter spacer according to any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the insulation material (3) extends beyond the tray (2) in one direction.

4. A rafter spacer according to claim 3, wherein the insulation material (3) extends beyond the tray (2) along an axis of the tray (2).

5. A rafter spacer according to claim 4, wherein the insulation material (3) extends beyond the tray (2) in a direction which is transverse to a longitudinal axis of the tray (2).

6. A rafter spacer according to any one of claims 4 to 5, wherein the insulation material (3) extends beyond the tray (2) in two opposed directions.

7. A rafter spacer according to claim 6, wherein a larger proportion of the insulation material (3) extends in one direction than in the other direction.

8. A rafter spacer according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the insulation material (3) is quilt insulation (3), which comprises filling material (15) between two sheets of material, which are stitched together to hold the filling material (15) in place.

9. A rafter spacer according to claim 8, wherein the filling material (15) comprises any of glass fibre or rock fibre.

10. A rafter spacer according to any one of claims I to 9, wherein the insulation material (3) is encapsulated in an encapsulating material (16).

11. A rafter spacer according to daim 10, wherein the encapsulating material (16) is weatherproof.

12. A rafter spacer according to any one of claims 10 or 11, wherein the encapsulating material (16) has thermal reflective qualities.

13. A rafter spacer according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the encapsulating material (16) is perforated allowing the Insulation material (3) to breathe.

14. A rafter spacer according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the material (16) is in the form of a bag sealed around the insulating material (3).

15. A rafter spacer according to claim 14, wherein the seal is effected by heat sealing and/or stitching of the encapsulating material (16) which is continuous or intermittent.

16. A rafter spacer according to any one of claims I to 15, whereIn the insulation material (3) is attached to a tower face (5, 27) of the tray (2).

17. A rafter spacer according to claim 16, wherein the tray (2) comprises an elongate box shaped structure having a substantially open upper face (4) overlying the lower face (5), each face (4, 5) being elongate with opposed longitudinal edges (6) and short edges (7).

18. A rafter spacer according to claim 17, wherein the short edges (7) are bounded by short sides (9).

19. A rafter spacer according to claim 16, wherein the tray (2) comprises a square box-shaped structure having a substantially open upper face (26) overlying the lower face (27).

20. A rafter spacer according to any one of claims 17 to 19, wherein at least one pair of opposed edges are bounded together by sides (9, 28).

21. A rafter spacer according to claim 20, wherein one pair of opposed sides Is open.

22. A rafter spacer according to any one of claims 17 to 21, wherein the upper faces (4, 26) provide a means for attaching the tray (2) to rafters (18) of a roof structure (17), in the form of tabs (11, 29) extending from the opposed ends of the edges (7, 26a).

23. A rafter spacer according to claim 22, wherein the tabs (11, 29) are provided with at least one aperture (12) to receive a screw.

24. A rafter spacer according to any one of claims 16 to 23, wherein the lower face (5, 27) comprises a means for attachment to the insulation material (3) and/or encapsulating material (16), in the form of a gluing surface and/or adhesive strips on said lower face (5, 27) of the tray (2).

25. A rafter spacer according to any one of claims I to 24, wherein the tray (2) provides open-ended channels (14) between the upper face (4, 26) and the lower face (5, 27), defined by equally spaced separating components (13) in the form of strips extending between the edges (6, 26b/27b) of the upper face (4, 26) and lower face (5, 27).

* -14-

26. A method of installing a rafter spacer as descnbed in any one claims I to 25 in a roof structure (17), said method comprising the steps of: manoeuvring said rafter spacer (1) into a position between rafters (18) and a wall plate (19) so that a proportion of the insulation material moves beyond the wait plate (19) into eaves (21) of the roof structure (17); and fitting undeilay (23) to the rafters (18).

27. A rafter spacer as substantially hereinbefore described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.