US2634463A - Siding ventilator - Google Patents

Description

April 14, 1953 G. E. JARVIE smmc VENTILATOR Filed May 29, 1951 IN V EN TOR. Gasw; Ice/S? ruie By n? 4.

Patented Apr. 14, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to means for ventilating the space behind the siding of the outer walls of frame buildings.

The problem presented by moisture entrapped behind the siding of houses and other frame buildings has already been recognized. Such moisture is largely responsible for the blistering and peeling of exterior house paint applied to the wooden siding. This moisture may find its way into the outer shell of the house in many different ways: It may be caused by excessive water vapor produced within the house, or it may result from the. defective construction of the walls of the house. Back-draining gutters and leaky flashings around the windows and doors may also let in moisture.

Because the insulating paper behind the sidings is usually cooler than the outside air, the moisture condenses thereon and continues to accumulate all winter. The rays of the sun heat the outside of the house and the moisture that has collected behind the siding intermixes with the tar and creosote in the insulating paper and forms a brownish brine. This liquid eventually is drawn through the pores of the wood of the siding to form blisters under the outside coating of paint. When these blisters finally burst the brownish liquid runs out onto the paint, streaking it with ugly stains.

While it has already been proposed to aerate the space behind the siding by providing channels in the overlapped siding strips, this does not ofier a ready solution of the problem after a building has been constructed, requiring as it does the removal of the siding strips in order to provide them with ventilating channels.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide means for ventilating the space behind the siding of frame buildings that do not require the removal of the siding strips from the building.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for ventilating the space behind the siding of frame buildings which take the form of ventilating Wedges adapted to be secured, at spacedapart intervals, between the overlapped edges of the siding strips or shingles forming the outer facing of the building. In the preferred form of the invention the ventilating wedges are formed of sheet aluminum bent to provide triangularshaped spurs and having a tongue projecting forwardly-beyond the spurs for temporarily holdlng the'wedge in place between the siding strips.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description of a pre- {erred embodiment of the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a ventilating wedge; I

Figure 2 is a view of a portion of the outside wall of a frame building showing certain of the siding strips held in spaced overlapped relation by means of the ventilating wedges; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view through a portion of the wall of Figure 2 showing one of the ventilating wedgespositioned'between the overlapped edges of two adjacent siding strips. I;

The ventilating wedge l illustrated in Figure 1 is made from a blank of relatively thin-gaged sheet aluminum, which does not readily corrode when exposed to outdoor weather conditions. The initially fiat blank is bent to define a pair of corresponding upright spurs or wings id, of generally right-triangular shape having acute-angled corners, a fiat bridge section lb extending between the bases of the spurs and a spade-shaped tongue to constituting an integral extension of the bridge section forwardly beyond the spurs. The lateral distance between the spurs la 1 is slightly smaller than the width ofthe tongue immediately forwardly of the spurs-that is to say, the spurs are bent up from the bridge section a slight distance inwardly of the width of the tongue-so that the forward portions of the spurs are curved somewhat inwardly of the wedge, as indicated at Id. By virtue of this construction additional strength is imparted to the wedge.

The wedge is comparatively smallabout oneand-a-quarter inches long and three-quarters of an inch wide. The inclined edges of the triangular spurs, which project upwardly from the bridge section about five-sixteenths of an inch, make an angle of approximately 15 degrees with the plane of the bridge section.

In Figures 2 and 3 are shown a portion of the outside wall of a frame building comprising the usual horizontally-extending siding strips 2 overlying wooden sheathing 3 and having a layer of tar and creosote impregnated insulating paper interposed between the siding and the sheathing.

In using the ventilating wedges, the paint is first removed from the blistering area, indicated by shading in Figure 2, say with a blow torch. With a wide chisel inserted under the bottom edge of a siding strip 2 between the upright studs 5 to which the wall is secured, the edge of the siding strip is pried up and a ventilating wedge I is pushed up, tongue-end first, under the siding strip to hold it open. Then the chisel is removed and the siding strip is tapped down over the wedge completely concealing the wedge and leaving a crack or opening of from one-eighth to one-quarter inch between adjacent strips of siding, as shown in Figure 3. The tongue serves as a pilot for guiding the wedge into position and for temporarily holding it in place preliminary to tapping the siding down. The spurs bite into the siding and finally anchor the wedge firmly in place. and prevent it from falling out. "The Wedges maybe inserted spurs-up if desired, instead of spurs-down as shown in Figure 3.

The above operation is repeated on every siding strip and in between each stud throughout the entire blistering area. The openings thus formed by the wedges aerate the space behind the siding, keeping it dry. After sandpapering the siding and a primer coat applied, the area is repainted.

An advantage of the'ventilating wedges is that :they are easy to apply, requiring no removal of :nails and :onlya hammer and a chisel to install :them. Becausethe wedgesare so small they are unnoticable in the building wall. By virtue "of thefspecial :Sheet aluminum construction of the-525 wedgesthey are :light in weight, yet sufii'cie-ntly :strong .to support the lapped edges'of the siding strips in spaced relation, while the tongue and "spurs prevent the 'wedges from dropping out ,under conditions .;of. expansion and .contractionno 'n'f ,thezsiding.

'f'Iiprefer to make-the wedges of sheet metal because they afford less obstruction to the circulaition of air and because their tongues are more readily introducible between the overlapped edges :35

ibui-lding'having siding strips, it will be .appreci- 4 atedthat the wedge may also be used to good-advantage for walls having an outside facing of shingles or other lapped materials, and the term siding strips is intended to include such alternative constructions.

While I have described and illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that the ventilating wedge may take other forms than those herein described or suggested without departing from the spirit of my inventionras defined the following claims.

I claim:

1. A wedge adapted to be inserted in concealed position between the overlapped edges of adjacentfsiding elements for ventilating the space behind such siding elements, said Wedge comprisingaflat-blank of sheet metal bent to define two parallel-disposed, triangular-shaped spur sections extending perpendicular to the plane of the "blank and having pointed edges, a, bridge section connecting the spur sections and a tongue intergral with gthe :Joridge :section and projecting for- .:wardly;beyond the. spur-sections.

2. A wedge adapted to be inserted din-concealed position between the overlapped. edges ad- 'jacent elements for ventilating the space behind such siding elements, said wedge comprising a iflatblank of sheet aluminum'bent to define ltwo parallel-disposed, triangular-shaped :spur sec- .tions extending perpendicular to the plane of :the blank and having acute-angled corners, :.a :bridge section connecting the spurvsections-andntongue integral with the bridge sectioniand .zprojecting rforwardly .beyond' the-spur sections, the-spur'secti'ons being inwardly bent at. their :ijunctio'n with the:bridge:sectimrtov strengthen the spurs/actions.

GUSTAVE E. :Rieiierences Cited in. the .1118, .of this. :Dfitent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 526 -,994. Dana- V .001). .2,v 18.94 1,562,409 Brady Nov. 11,1925 2303,318 Weseman July 2, .1946 2,530,919 Taylor. Nov. .21, 19,50

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