Batten Mounting Water Management System

Abstract

An elongate batten (1) adapted for positioning intermediate an inner wall framing member (2) and an outer wall cladding sheet (3) to facilitate dispersion and evaporation of moisture from a wall cavity. The batten includes at least one channel to facilitate migration and drainage of moisture between the batten and the framing member.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]The present invention relates generally to building construction, and more particularly to a mounting batten and an associated building method for improved moisture tolerance and water management.DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART[0002]The following discussion of the prior art and any other prior art references throughout the specification are intended to provide an appropriate technical context for the invention and to enable the advantages of it to be more fully understood. Any such references, however, should not be construed as an express or implied admission that such art was well known or formed part of common general knowledge in the field at the priority date.[0003]The invention has been developed primarily for use in conjunction with timber framing and fibre reinforced concrete (FRC) cladding materials, in the context of housing construction. It will be appreciated, however, that the invention is not limited to this particular combination of materials or this...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012]Accordingly, in a first aspect, the invention provides an elongate batten adapted for positioning intermediate an inner wall framing member and outer wall cladding sheet to facilitate dispersion and evaporation of moisture from a wall cavity, said batten including at least one channel to facilitate migration and drainage of moisture between the batten and the framing member.

[0017]In the preferred embodiment, the batten is formed from a plastics or plastic like material adapted to resist moisture permeation, and to be readily cut to desired lengths using conventional sawing tools and techniques. In one embodiment, the batten incorporates pre-formed lines of weakness disposed at regular intervals, to permit the batten to be manually snapped or broken into small sections of desired length, without the need for cutting or sawing. Most preferably, the batten is formed from PVC, and is ideally formed, at least partially, by extrusion. It should be appreciated, however, that other suitable batten materials, or combinations of materials, may be used. Suitable materials are those that retard or minimise the migration of moisture to the framing or substrate. One way of limiting the migration of moisture to the framing or substrate is to form the battens of a material having a very low absorption characteristics. This inhibits the batten from becoming water saturated and allowing moisture migration through the batten to the framing or substrate. Battens formed from low moisture absorption materials encourage the migration of water down the batten and thereby promote efficient moisture egress. In one preferred embodiment, the batten is formed from fibre reinforced cement (FRC). Low permeability formulations and / or moisture resistant coatings may ideally be used in this context to minimise moisture absorption. The channels are preferably formed by machining, extrusion, casting, moulding or other suitable production technique or combination of techniques.

[0020]Preferably, the outer surface of the batten is grooved, to facilitate the downward passage past the batten of water passing along the inner surface of the outer cladding material.

[0025]the battens thereby facilitating drainage and ventilation of the cavities.

Problems solved by technology

Once this moisture permeation has occurred, it can be difficult to dry the wall cavity, which results in numerous problems including rotting of framing members, moisture damage to internal lining or external cladding materials, accelerated corrosion of metal fasteners, peeling of paint on internal and external surfaces, propagation of mould, rising damp, and the like.

There are, however, difficulties and limitations associated with this technique.

Firstly, it has been found in practice that the timber battens themselves are prone to moisture absorption.

This is not a useful characteristic in a system specifically intended to facilitate moisture dissipation, and inevitably impedes the drying process.

Secondly, because the timber battens cover the majority of the outer surfaces of the framing members, they inhibit the rate at which moisture that has permeated the framing members themselves is able to migrate outwardly toward the front faces of those members from where it can begin to evaporate.

Accordingly, not only may the battens themselves remain wet or damp for some considerable time following moisture permeation, they also impede drying of the underlying framing members.

Another problem with conventional battens is that when used on horizontal framing members, any condensation or other water must pool and flow to the end of the batten, in order to drain to the next level.

A further problem relates to corrosion of metal fasteners.

If timber treated in this way remains wet for prolonged periods, as is typically the case in the present context, standard galvanized nails or screws become corroded to an unsatisfactory degree.

However, this adds significantly to the cost of materials.

Furthermore, stainless steel nails are typically not available in collated magazine form for use in nails guns.

This is time-consuming, inconvenient, and adds significantly to the labour as well as the material cost.

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