ROOF VENT ASSEMBLY

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to vents, and, more particularly, to roof vents for buildings.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Roof vents are vital for ensuring proper airflow and ventilation within a building's attic space. They play a crucial role in regulating temperature by allowing hot, stale air to escape while facilitating the entry of cooler, fresh air. This exchange of air helps to maintain a balanced indoor climate, reducing the risk of heat buildup during the summer months and preventing moisture accumulation that can lead to mold growth and structural damage. By improving ventilation, roof vents contribute to energy efficiency, as they can lessen the load on air conditioning systems, ultimately leading to lower energy bills.

While roof vents are essential for maintaining proper attic ventilation, they can also be potential sources of water penetration if not installed or maintained correctly. Poorly sealed vents may allow rainwater to seep into the attic, leading to moisture accumulation and subsequent issues such as mold growth, wood rot, damage to insulation, and even rust damage if the roof deck is metal. Accordingly, there is a need for improved roof vent designs that address water infiltration while still being effective, robust, economical, and easily installed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention address the above-identified need by providing roof vents that provide improved water resistance while still being effective, robust, economical, and easily installed.

Aspects of the invention are directed to an apparatus comprising a sub-base, flashing, a vent head, and a plurality of fasteners. The sub-base comprises a sub-base collar extending upward from a sub-base flange. The flashing overlies the sub-base. The vent head comprises a ventilation device and defines a vent head attachment portion externally overlapping and capping an uppermost flashing region of the flashing. The plurality of fasteners attach the vent head to the sub-base with the flashing sandwiched therebetween.

Additional aspects of the invention are directed to an apparatus comprising a sub-base, flashing, an adapter ring, and a vent head. The sub-base comprises a sub-base collar extending upward from a sub-base flange. The flashing overlies the sub-base. The adapter ring defines an upper adapter ring portion and a lower adapter ring portion, the lower adapter ring portion externally overlapping and capping an uppermost flashing region of the flashing. The vent head comprises a ventilation device and defines a vent head attachment portion externally overlapping and capping the upper adapter ring portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a roof vent in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of the FIG. 1 roof vent;

FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of the FIG. 1 roof vent along the cleave plane indicated in FIG. 1; and

FIGS. 4-6 show perspective views of the various elements of the FIG. 1 roof vent during installation;

FIG. 7 shows an exploded view of a portion of an alternative roof vent in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of an upper portion of the FIG. 7 alternative roof vent; and

FIG. 9 shows a sectional view of the FIG. 7 alternative roof vent along the cleave plane indicated in FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will be described with reference to illustrative embodiments. For this reason, numerous modifications can be made to these embodiments and the results will still come within the scope of the invention. No limitations with respect to the specific embodiments described herein are intended or should be inferred.

As used herein, a “ventilation device” includes any component that may be installed on the roof of a building to facilitate the passage of air into and/or out of a building. The term therefore includes, but is not limited to, unpowered, wind powered, solar powered, and electrically powered ventilation devices. A first element “externally overlaps” a second element when, in the region of overlap, the first element is positioned farther from the center of the apparatus, while the second element is positioned closer to the center. Finally, a “roofing membrane” comprises any membrane (single- or multi-ply) commonly used for roofing systems such as, but not limited to, thermoplastic polyolefin, polyvinyl chloride, ethylene propylene diene monomer, and modified bitumen.

FIGS. 1-3 show a roof vent 100 (i.e., an apparatus) in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention. FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the roof vent 100 attached to a roof 1000, while FIG. 2 shows an exploded perspective view of the roof vent 100, and FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of the roof vent 100 along the cleave plane indicated in FIG. 1. In the present exemplary embodiment, the roof vent 100 is an unpowered exhaust vent with louvers that create suction via the Venturi effect. However, this choice of vent type is merely by way of example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

The roof vent 100 comprises four main elements: a sub-base 105, flashing 110 (i.e., a boot), a vent head 115, and fasteners 120.

The sub-base 105 is formed of a sub-base flange 125 and a sub-base collar 130. The sub-base flange 125 is substantially flat and defines a hole near its center. The sub-base collar 130 is cylindrical. The sub-base collar 130 extends upward from the sub-base flange 125 with the sub-base collar 130 indexed to the hole in the sub-base flange 125.

The flashing 110 acts as a protective boot for the roof vent 100 and is formed of a roofing membrane such as, but not limited to, thermoplastic polyolefin, polyvinyl chloride, ethylene propylene diene monomer, and modified bitumen. The flashing 110 mimics the shape of the sub-base 105 and overlies the sub-base 105. More particularly, the flashing 110 is formed of a cylindrical flashing portion 140 that is cylindrical to overlie the sub-base collar 130 and a flat flashing portion 145 that is flat to overlie the sub-base flange 125. The area of the flat flashing portion 145 is greater than that of the sub-base flange 125 so that the periphery of the flat flashing portion 145 is available for joining and scaling directly to the roof 1000.

The vent head 115 is attached to the sub-base 105 and the flashing 110. The vent head 115 comprises a ventilation device 150 and defines a vent head attachment portion 155 at its bottom. The vent head attachment portion 155 externally overlaps and caps an uppermost flashing region 160 of the flashing 110. That is, in the region of overlap, the vent head attachment portion 155 is located farther from a center of the roof vent 100, and the uppermost flashing region 160 is located closer to the center. The vent head attachment portion 155 also defines several fastener holes 165.

Finally, the fasteners 120 penetrate the vent head attachment portion 155 through the several fastener holes 165 into the flashing 110 and into the sub-base 105 to secure the vent head 115 to the sub-base 105 with the flashing 110 sandwiched therebetween.

In terms of composition, the sub-base 105 and the vent head 115 may be formed of a sheet metal such as aluminum, copper, or steel (galvanized or plain) or may be formed of plastic. The fasteners 120, in turn, may comprise sheet metal screws. As indicated above, the flashing 110 comprises a roofing membrane. In one or more embodiments, for example, the flashing 110 may be formed of a thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) membrane. A TPO membrane is a single-ply roofing membrane, which comprises a blend of polypropylene and ethylene-propylene rubber. Such a membrane is both durable and highly weather resistant, as well as readily available from a myriad of vendors. It can also be heat welded. The cylindrical flashing portion 140 and the flat flashing portion 145 of the flashing 110 are preferably integrally formed or integrally joined to be one continuous piece of thermoplastic so as to avoid water penetration at an interface.

Fabrication of the above-described elements may be by conventional manufacturing techniques that will be familiar to one having ordinary skill in the relevant manufacturing arts. During fabrication, the inner diameter of the vent head attachment portion 155 and the outer diameter of the cylindrical flashing portion 140 are preferably closely matched to achieve a tight overlap between these elements at assembly. As just an example, the inner diameter of the vent head attachment portion 155 may differ from the outer diameter of the cylindrical flashing portion 140 by just 0.10 inches (0.25 centimeters) or less.

FIG. 4-6 show perspective views of the various elements of the roof vent 100 during installation of the roof vent 100 on the roof 1000. For purposes of this description, it is assumed that the roof 1000 is covered in a TPO membrane (i.e., a TPO membrane has been rolled out over the roof 1000), and that the flashing 110 likewise comprises a TPO membrane.

Installation of the roof vent 100 is composed of three primary steps.

Initially, a hole is cut in the roof with a diameter like that in the hole in the sub-base flange 125. Next, the sub-base 105 is screwed on the roof using screws 170.

Subsequently, the flashing 110 is placed over the sub-base 105 and the outer edges of the flat flashing portion 145 are heat welded to the roof 1000. If heat welding is not viable, sealing may be by other suitable means such as by use of an adhesive. Once sealed, the sub-base flange 125 and the screws 170 are entirely covered by the flashing 110 so that the flashing 110 can act as flashing for the roof vent 100.

Lastly, the vent head 115 is slid over the upper portion of the flashing 110 and the fasteners 120 (e.g., sheet metal screws) are placed so they penetrate the vent head 115 into the flashing 110 and the sub-base 105 to secure the vent head 115 to the remainder of the roof vent 100. This results in the assembled roof vent 100 shown in FIG. 6 (and corresponding to that shown in FIG. 1).

The roof vent 100, and, more generally, roof vents in accordance with aspects of the invention, provide several advantages over prior art roof vent designs. The roof vent 100 provides excellent resistance to moisture and water penetration. The body of the flashing 110, formed of a roofing membrane, is highly weather resistant and, once in place, none of the sub-base 105 is exposed. At the same time, water infiltration is avoided both at the bottom of the flashing 110 where it meets the roof 1000 and at the top of the flashing 110 where it meets the vent head 115. At the roof 1000, the flat flashing portion 145 is directly sealed to the roof 1000. At the vent head 115, the vent head attachment portion 155 externally overlaps and caps the cylindrical flashing portion 140 (see FIG. 3) with a relatively tight fit. Accordingly, unlike many prior art designs, the flashing never lies outside the vent head, which, when present, can create upward facing gaps that are prone to collecting water and allowing the water to enter under the flashing.

In addition, the roof vent 100 is easy to install and requires very little maintenance, if any. In terms of installation, the vent head 115 can be attached to the remainder of the flashing 110 by simply sliding the vent head 115 over the top of the flashing 110 and adding just a few screws (i.e., the fasteners 120). Four screws are frequently all that are used and it may be viable to use even fewer. The result is a waterproof seal that is essentially permanent. Notably, no additional sealant is required for waterproofing, nor are clamps needed for the attachment. Applying sealant is time consuming and it can be challenging to apply without leaving holes or gaps. Clamps are prone to loosening over time. Moreover, it is difficult to apply clamps to larger diameter vents such as those with diameters over about ten inches (25 cm).

It should again be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of the invention are intended to be illustrative only. Other embodiments can use different types and arrangements of elements for implementing the described functionality. These numerous alternative embodiments within the scope of the appended claims will be apparent to one skilled in the art.

FIG. 7, for example, shows an exploded view of a portion of an alternative roof vent 400 in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. The alternative roof vent 400 includes an alternative sub-base 405, alternative flashing 410 (in the form of a boot with an alternative uppermost flashing region 415), an alternative vent head 420 (with an alternative vent head attachment portion 425 including several alternative fastener holes 427), and alternative fasteners 430, all of which are largely identical in structure and function to the corresponding elements found in the roof vent 100. However, unlike the roof vent 100, the alternative roof vent 400 includes an adapter ring 435 positioned between the alternative flashing 410 and the alternative vent head 420.

Additional details of the alternative roof vent 400 are shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, with FIG. 8 showing a perspective view of an upper portion of the alternative roof vent 400, and FIG. 9 showing a sectional view along the cleave plane indicated in FIG. 8. In the present illustrative embodiment, the adapter ring 435 includes an upper adapter ring portion 440, which is corrugated, as well as a lower adapter ring portion 445, which is un-corrugated and defines a flared lower lip 450. Notably, the upper adapter ring portion 440 is dimensioned so that the alternative vent head attachment portion 425 externally overlaps and caps the upper adapter ring portion 440, and the lower adapter ring portion 445 externally overlaps and caps the alternative uppermost flashing region 415. Here again, this configuration assures that there are no upward facing gaps that could trap downward flowing water. At the same time, the flared lower lip 450 also helps to case installation by facilitating slipping the lower adapter ring portion 445 over the alternative uppermost flashing region 415.

Once understood from the description provided herein, the adapter ring 435 may be formed by one having ordinary skill in the relevant manufacturing arts. The adapter ring 435, may, for example, be formed from a sheet metal such as aluminum using conventional metal forming techniques.

The alternative roof vent 400 has all the advantages of the roof vent 100 set forth above as well as several additional advantages. As shown in FIGS. 7-9, the adapter ring 435 provides the interface between the alternative vent head 420 and the alternative flashing 410 of the alternative roof vent 400. This means the dimensions of the alternative vent head 420 do not need to precisely match those of the alternative flashing 410 and the alternative sub-base 405 to ensure a tight fit, as was the case in the roof vent 100. Accordingly, the alternative roof vent 400 with the adapter ring 435 reduces manufacturing tolerances for several parts and allows for more varied parts to be included in a given roof vent assembly. Moreover, while the alternative roof vent 400 is shown as including alternative fasteners 430, experience with prototypes has indicated that these fasteners are often unnecessary to achieve sufficient strength when using an adapter ring like the adapter ring 435 set forth above.

All the features disclosed herein may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent, or similar purposes, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.