Siding spacer and ventilation means for outer walls

Abstract

A spacer and a method for its use in an outer wall of a building between the outer vertical surface of its underlying structure and the inner surfaces of each of the portions of overlapped lengths of siding through which the lengths of siding are nailed to the underlying structure to provide a ventilation space between the rear surfaces of the lengths of siding and the outer surface of the underlying structure. The spacers each have a planer rear surface adapted to be positioned against the outer surface of the underlying structure, and a planer front surface portion that can be disposed at a small acute angle (e.g., in the range of about 2 to 3 degrees) with respect to the rear surface at which angle it is desired to have the rear surfaces of the lengths of siding disposed with respect to the outer surface of the underlying structure. A ventilation channel can be provided between a lower horizontal surface on the building and an uppermost edge of its siding to facilitate movement of air to the atmosphere from such a ventilation space transversely through the ventilation channel and openings in a perforated wall portion of the ventilation channel.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to structures and methods adapted to provide ventilation between house siding and underlying house structure such as wind and water barrier covered sheathing attached to the outside of framing on the outside wall of the house. BACKGROUND [0002] It has been found that when certain types of house lap siding, particularly including fiber cement lap siding (e.g., “HARDIPLANK”™ lap siding available from James Hardie Building Products, Mission Viejo, Calif.; or “WeatherBoard Lap Siding” available from CertainTeed Corporation, Valley Forge, Pa.), is nailed directly to or over underlying structure such as polymeric house wrap (e.g., “Tyvec”™ Home Wrap™ available from DuPont) covered sheathing (e.g., sheets of pressboard or plywood) attached to the outside of wood house framing, water can get between the siding and the underlying structure and cause mold to grow therebetween. In some such instances, it has been necessary to remove a...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006] The present invention provides specially shaped spacers and a method for using such spacers between an underlying structure on the outside wall of a building and each of the portions of lengths of lap siding through which the lengths of siding are nailed to the underlying structure to provide a ventilation space between the rear surfaces of the lengths of siding and the underlying structure while restricting visible bowing the lengths of siding; and also provides a building comprising an outside wall that can be made by that method and which can include novel means for opening the ventilation space to the atmosphere at its upper and lower ends.

[0008] The spacers each include a projecting portion having a stop surface at and projecting above the first edge of the front surface portion. The projecting portion can facilitate manual engagement with the spacer while the spacer is positioned behind a length of siding or inserted between a length of siding and the underlying structure, and helps locate the spacer or stops such insertion when the stop surface contacts the upper edge of the length of siding. The projecting portion extends from the stop surface to a top end of the spacer and projects above the first edge of the front surface a distance (e.g., 5 / 16 inch or 0.79 cm) about equal to or less than the thickness of the lengths of siding along their upper edges.

[0009] The spacers can also each include a tapered portion extending from the second edge of the front surface portion to a bottom end of the spacer, which tapered portion has a generally planer front surface that diverges away from the second edge toward the rear surface at an acute angle (e.g., about 20 degrees) between the front and rear surfaces. The front and rear surfaces along the tapered portion provide a wedge which can facilitate inserting the spacer between the rear surface of a length of siding and the outer surface of the underlying structure.

[0011] The spacers can have lengths between their top and bottom ends that are significantly less (e.g., preferably no more that about ½) the widths of the lengths of siding with which they are used so that there is a space between vertically aligned spacers used to attach the lengths of siding. Thus the ventilation space provided by the spacers between the underlying structure and the lengths of siding can afford movement of air and moisture in both horizontal and vertical directions in the ventilation space.

[0013] The front surface portion of the spacer can be continuous or have support across its central portion so that it provides support for the rear surface of a length of siding around a fastener (e.g., a nail) as that fastener is driven through that length of siding, the spacer, and into the underlying structure. Such support for the rear surface of the length of siding restricts portions of the siding around that fastener along the rear surface of the siding from being broken out by movement of the fastener through the length of siding. Alternatively, if the material from which the length of siding is made does not need such support, the spacer can have a passageway that extends through the center of the front surface portion through which passageway that fastener can pass to so that the spacer causes little or no increase in the force needed to insert that fastener through the length of siding and spacer and into the underlying structure.

[0014] Use of the spacers can provide an outer wall for a building in which a multiplicity of the spacers between a planer outer surface of an underlying structure of the wall and the rear surfaces of the lengths of siding through which spacer the lengths of siding are fastened to the underlying structure provide a ventilation space between the lengths of siding and the underlying structure. The outer wall can further include a ventilation strip of material made of random woven polymeric fibers to have small through air passageways positioned between the rear surface of the lowermost portion of the lowermost length of siding and the planer outer surface of the underlying wall structure across the lower open end of the ventilation space, together with a novel ventilation channel between the uppermost edge of the uppermost length of siding and a lower horizontal surface on the building, which channel has an opening communicating with the upper end of the ventilation space and has openings to the atmosphere. Air can freely move through the ventilations strip, the ventilation space between the rear surfaces of the lengths of overlap siding and the underlying structure of the building, and through the ventilation channel.

Problems solved by technology

That ventilation space is only provided between the vertical strips so that horizontal cross ventilation is restricted.

Also, nailing the lap siding to those strips can cause visible bows about horizontal axes in the lengths of siding between their upper portions that are nailed to the strips and their lower portions that extend over the upper portions of the lengths of siding below them.

Also, nailing the lengths of siding to the underlying structure through the corrugated sheet can collapse the corrugations in the sheet under the nailed portions of the siding, whereas the portions of the siding between the nailed portions are held away from the underlayment by the corrugated sheet, thereby causing visible bows in the siding about vertical axes between those nailed portions.

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