Sealing device

Abstract

A sealing device 1 for sealing an aperture having a fluid conduit extending therefrom substantially flush to a building member, comprises a building member mounting portion 10 comprising a front face 11 facing away from the building member, defining a first plane, and a rear face (12, fig. 3) facing the building member and defining a second plane. The device further comprises a fluid conduit receiving portion 15 projecting from the front face, comprising a seal carrying wall 16 positioned at an oblique angle to the second plane, and a sealing aperture 17 on the seal carrying wall. The first plane intersects the sealing aperture or a seal 18 of the seal carrying wall. The seal can have a portion 18a of reduced thickness. The device can have an indentation 19 adjacent the sealing aperture on the front face to accommodate the conduit when it is received through the aperture. A system comprising the sealing device further comprises a plumbed device with a fluid conduit and a building member with an aperture through which the conduit is to pass. The device is used to substantially preserve the planarity of a surface of a building member.

Description

The present invention relates to a sealing device for sealing an aperture in a building member, particularly to be used as a feed-through for radiator pipework. The invention also relates to a system for sealing an aperture through which a fluid conduit is to pass, and to a method of preserving or substantially preserving the planarity of the surface of a building member through which a fluid conduit must pass. When installing a central heating system, the pipework is generally hidden within the walls of a building, so as not to be visible in an inhabited room. However, the piping is required to extend through the wall at or adjacent to components of the central heating system, such as radiators, which utilise the hot water flowing through the pipes. In order to limit draughts flowing through the walls and into the room in which the radiator is located, there may be provided a seal which prevents the ingress of cold air and leakage of warm air therethrough, whilst permitting access of the piping. This has traditionally been achieved by providing a small housing which covers the aperture through the wall, itself having apertures through which the radiator pipes can extend. Whilst such an arrangement is generally simple to install, the projection of the housing into the room can present a barrier to the proximity to the wall to which the radiator can be mounted or the radiator pipes to be positioned. Furthermore, with limited space during installation, it is difficult to obtain a fully airtight seal around the pipework and also against the aperture in the wall through which the pipework extends. This is particularly so following movement of the pipework during installation and then expansion and contraction of the pipework during use, along with potential slight settling of the house or building. It is desirable to provide a readily-installable sealing device providing reduced intrusion into the room. The invention is defined in any independent claims. Optional embodiments are set out in the dependent claims. The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an example of a sealing device; Figure 2 shows a plan view of an example of a front face of a sealing device; Figure 3 shows a plan view of an example of a rear face of a sealing device; Figure 4 shows a front view of an example of a sealing device, showing a seal carrying wall 16 in detail; Figure 5 shows a back view of an example of a sealing device, showing a fluid conduit receiving portion 15 in detail; Figure 6 shows a side-on view of an example of a sealing device; Figure 7 shows a side-on view of an example of a sealing device in situ; and Figure 8 shows a side-on view of a further example of a sealing device in situ. Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an example of a sealing device 1. The sealing device 1 may be for sealing an aperture 4 or hole in a building member 3, such as a wall. The sealing device 1 may be described as a cover for covering a hole in a wall. The aperture 4 may have a fluid conduit 2, such as a pipe for a heating or other system, extending therefrom. The fluid conduit 2 may lie flush or substantially flush to the building member 3. For example, in the context of pipes connecting to a radiator to provide heating to a room, the pipes may lie flush against the wall to reduce the amount of space the radiator takes up in the room. The sealing device 1 may comprise a building-member mounting portion 10. The building-member mounting portion 10 may comprise a front face 11 and a rear face 12. The front face 11 may define a first plane and may, in use, for example when mounted to the building member 3, face away from the building member 3. The rear face 12 may define a second plane and may, in use, face the building member 3. In some examples, the front face 11 may have a slight curvature and the first plane may be defined by the surface of the front face. In other words, the front face 11 may define an arc or arched surface. Figure 2 shows a plan view of the front face 11 of the sealing device 1. Figure 3 shows a plan view of the rear face 12 of the sealing device 1. A first plane or arc may be described as a first plane or first arc. A second plane or arc may be described as a second plane or second arc, to distinguish the planes and arc from each other. The sealing device 1 may further comprise a fluid-conduit receiving portion 15 configured to project from the front face of the building-member mounting portion 10. The fluid-conduit receiving portion 15 may comprise a seal-carrying wall 16. The seal-carrying wall 16 may be positioned at an oblique angle to the second plane. The fluid-conduit receiving portion 15 may further comprise at least one sealing aperture 17 on the seal-carrying wall 16 for sealing against a fluid-conduit received therethrough. The first plane may intersect the sealing aperture 17 or a seal 18 of the seal-carrying wall 16. The fluid-conduit receiving portion 15 may comprise a dome-like shape, with the seal-carrying wall 16 at one end, to accommodate fluid conduits 2 within the dome-like shape that pass through the sealing apertures 17 in the seal-carrying wall 16. The seal 18 may further comprise a portion 18a with reduced thickness, for locating the fluidconduit. The portion 18a may be located towards the centre, surrounding the aperture of the sealing aperture 17, of the seal 18, and may comprise a visible "step" at the reduction in thickness. This step may help a user to locate the fluid-conduit correctly for insertion through the sealing aperture 17. Figure 3 shows an example in which the seal 18 includes a stepwise reduction in thickness to the portion 18a. Figure 4 shows a front view of the sealing device 1, with the seal carrying wall 16 shown in detail. The sealing device 1 may further comprise an indentation 19, adjacent the sealing aperture 17, on the front face of the building-member mounting portion 10. The indentation 19 may be configured / positioned / arranged to accommodate the fluid-conduit when received through the sealing aperture 17. The fluid-conduit receiving portion 15 may project from the surface (front face plane or arc), defined by the building-member mounting portion 10, by less than the diameter of the fluid conduit 2 receivable therethrough. This may be achieved by the sealing aperture 17 intersecting the plane or arc of the surface. The fluid conduit 2 may be accommodated on one side of the sealing aperture 17 by the indentation 19 and on the other side of the sealing aperture 17 by the dome-like shape of the fluid-conduit receiving portion 15. Figures 4 to 6 show front, back and side-on views, respectively, of the sealing device 1, and in particular the fluid-conduit receiving portion 15. The indentation 19 may comprise a curvature to accommodate a fluid-conduit having a diameter of 10mm or 15mm. In some examples, the sealing aperture 17 may accommodate fluid conduits 2 having a diameter of 10mm or 15mm. Other diameters are also envisaged. To accommodate the fluid-conduit, the indentation 19 may have a curvature matching or substantially matching the shape of the fluid conduit 2. This may further aid locating of the fluid-conduit 2 for insertion through the sealing aperture 17 in some circumstances. The seal 18 may be a flexible member configured to accommodate fluid conduits 2 having diameters of 10mm to 15mm. In some examples, the seal 18 is flexible enough to accommodate fluid conduits 2 of different diameters. In particular, the same sealing aperture 17 may be able to accommodate a 10mm diameter pipe or a 15mm diameter pipe, as the seal 18 is flexible enough to stretch to accommodate the larger diameter, but elastic enough to provide sealing around a pipe with the smaller diameter. When fitting a sealing device 1, the user may not know in advance whether 10mm diameter or 15mm diameter piping is being used, so the ability to accommodate both may provide an advantage. The seal 18 may in some examples be a pliantly flexible membrane made of elastomeric material. Figure 7 shows an example of a sealing device 1, fastened to a building member 3, with a smaller fluid conduit 2, such as a 10mm diameter pipe, passing through the sealing aperture 17. The fluid conduit 2 then passes through the aperture 4 in the building member 3. Figure 8 shows an example of a sealing device 1, fastened to a building member 3, with a larger fluid conduit 2, such as a 15mm diameter pipe, passing through the sealing aperture 17. In this case, the fluid conduit 2 occupies the space made available by the indentation 19. This may be advantageous as the total distance by which the sealing device 1 protrudes into the room / living space (i.e. away from the building member 3) may be reduced. The seal 18 may be configured to seal against the fluid conduit 2 received through the sealing aperture 17 to resist an increase in ambient pressure on one side of the building member 3. If the ambient pressure is increased inside the building, the sealing aperture 17, providing a seal 18 around a fluid conduit 2, may prevent or inhibit air from leaking through the sealing aperture 17. This may improve building insulation and reduce the need for additional heating and associated energy use. A periphery of the sealing device 1 may be lined with a flexible material configured to protrude from the rear face to ensure a tight fit to the building member 3. Further improvements to the building insulation may be achieved by positioning a flexible lining 20, such as rubber or an elastomeric 3 polymer, around the edge or perimeter of the sealing device 1, such that any gaps that may appear, due to small imperfections or ridges in the building member surface, are covered by the flexible member and air movement through the building member aperture 4 may be prevented or inhibited. Such a lining 20 is shown for example in figures 3-8. The flexible lining 20 may be described as a flexible material edge seal and may provide a secondary seal between the outer edge of the sealing device 1 and the building member 3. The lining may be a double-lining. A double-lining may further prevent air movement and improve building insulation properties. A double-lining may include an inner lining 20a and an outer lining 20b, as shown in figure 3. In some examples, the inner lining 20a may pass inside building member mounting points 21 (described in more detail below) and the outer lining 20b may pass on the outside of the building member mounting points 21, as shown in figure 3 for example. This may further prevent any movement of air through the mounting points 21 from affecting the insulating properties of the sealing device 1. As further shown in figure 3, the sealing device 1 may further comprise seal-adjacent protrusions 22 configured to protrude from the rear face 12 up to the second plane. The seal-adjacent protrusions 22 may, in use, abut the building member 3 to provide support to, and prevent movement of, the sealing device 1. The one or more seal-adjacent protrusions may formed as a single unit with the seal. The seal 18 may be thicker towards an outer edge and thinner towards an inner edge. In some examples, the seal 18 may taper from a larger thickness at the outer edge to a smaller thickness at the inner edge (adject to the aperture 17). In some examples, the seal 18 may reduce in thickness in a stepwise manner from a larger thickness at the outer edge to a smaller thickness at the inner edge. As the thickness is reduced, the flexibility of the seal 18 may increase to help accommodate a fluid conduit 2. The taper or stepwise reduction in thickness may also help with accurately locating the fluid conduit 2 for insertion through the sealing aperture 17. Figure 3 shows an example of a seal 18 having a step between a thicker part and a thinner part. An angle of the seal-carrying wall 16 relative to the second plane may be in the range 10 to 80 degrees. In use, this would correspond to substantially the same angle (10 to 80 degrees) to the building member 3 as the rear face 12 of the sealing device 1 lies parallel or substantially parallel to the building member surface. The angle of the seal-carrying wall 16 relative to the second plane or arc may be for example 60 degrees. A plurality of sealing apertures 17 may be provided in the seal-carrying wall 16. The sealing apertures 17 may be mutually co-planar. In some examples, the sealing apertures 17 may be located in the same plane as each other. In the example shown in figure 1, two sealing apertures 17 are provided. This may be a typical arrangement to accommodate an input fluid conduit 2, leading to a radiator for example, and an output fluid conduit 2, leading away from the radiator. As shown in figures 1-3, the building-member mounting portion 10 may include building-member mounting points 21. These may be holes for screws, or any other fastening means to fasten the sealing device 1 to the building member 3. There is further provided a system for sealing an aperture 4 through which a fluid conduit 2 is to pass. The system may comprise a plumbed device, such as a radiator, including at least one fluid conduit 2. The system may further comprise a building member 3 having a member aperture 4 to be sealed and through which the or each fluid conduit 2 is to pass. The system may further comprise a sealing device 1 as described above. The sealing device 1 may be receivable at the member aperture 4. The or each fluid conduit 2 may be receivable through the or each sealing aperture 17 of the sealing device 1, such that the sealing device 1 seals the aperture 4. There is further provided a method of preserving or substantially preserving the planarity of a surface of a building member 3 through which a heating-system fluid conduit 2 must pass, the method comprising the steps of: providing an aperture 4 through the building member 3; passing at least one heating-system fluid conduit 2 through the aperture 4; and sealing the aperture 2 using a sealing device 1 as described above. There is further provided a method of manufacture of a sealing device 1 as described above. The method comprising forming a building-member mounting portion 10 comprising a front face 11, defining a first plane and configured in use to face away from the building member 3, and a rear face 12, defining a second plane and configured in use to face the building member 3. The building member mounting portion 10 may for example be made of a rigid plastic such as polypropylene. The method further comprising a fluid-conduit receiving portion 15 to project from the front face 11 of the building-member mounting portion 10. The fluid-conduit receiving portion 15 may for example be made of a rigid plastic such as polypropylene and may be formed as part of a single piece with the building-member mounting portion 10. The method may further comprise forming a seal-carrying wall 16, positioned at an oblique angle to the second plane, in the fluid-conduit receiving portion 15. The method may further comprise forming at least one sealing aperture 17 on the seal-carrying wall 16 for sealing against a fluid-conduit received therethrough. Wherein the sealing device 1 is formed so that the first plane intersects the sealing aperture 17 or a seal 18 of the seal-carrying wall 16. The seal 18 may be formed of a flexible material such as elastomeric polymer which may be moulded onto to the rigid plastic of the fluid-conduit receiving portion 15. The at least one sealing aperture 17 may be formed by moulding the flexible material onto the fluid-conduit receiving portion 15, such that it bonds to the fluid-conduit receiving portion 15 and including at least one sealing aperture 17 in the moulded shape. Whilst a sealing device as hereinbefore described would be primarily of use when installed onto a wall, it will be appreciated that it could be installed into any building member, such as ceilings or floors, through which it may be desirable to feed a pipe. Similarly, whilst the description has hereto been cast in terms of a radiator as part of a central heating system, it will he appreciated that it may be desirable to feed many types of pipe through a building member. Typically, this would be a water pipe of the central heating system, but any plumbed fluid pipe could be used with the present invention, inclusive of gas-carrying pipes, subject to regulatory compliance. The words comprises / comprising and the words having / including when used herein with reference to the present invention are used to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, 5 steps, components or groups thereof. It is appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub-combination. The features defined in any attached claim may be combinable with any features of any other claim. The embodiments described above are provided by way of examples only, and various other modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention herein described and defined.

Claims

1. A sealing device for sealing an aperture having a fluid conduit extending therefrom flush or substantially flush to a building member, the sealing device comprising:a building-member mounting portion comprising a front face, defining a first plane or arc and configured to face away from the building member, and a rear face, defining a second plane or arc and configured to face the building member; anda fluid-conduit receiving portion configured to project from the front face of the buildingmember mounting portion,the fluid-conduit receiving portion comprising a seal-carrying wall, positioned at an oblique angle to the second plane or arc, and at least one sealing aperture on the seal-carrying wall for sealing against a fluid-conduit received therethrough, whereinthe first plane or arc intersects the sealing aperture or a seal of the seal-carrying wall.

2. The sealing device of claim 1, wherein the seal further comprises a portion with reduced thickness.

3. The sealing device of claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising an indentation, adjacent the sealing aperture, on the front face of the building-member mounting portion, configured to accommodate the fluid-conduit when received through the sealing aperture.

4. The sealing device of claim 3, wherein the indentation comprises a curvature to accommodate a fluid-conduit having a diameter of 10mm or 15mm.

5. The sealing device of any preceding claim, wherein the seal is a flexible member configured to accommodate fluid conduits having diameters of 10mm to 15mm.

6. The sealing device of any preceding claim, wherein the seal is configured to seal against the fluid conduit received through the sealing aperture to resist an increase in ambient pressure on one side of the building member.

7. The sealing device of any preceding claim, wherein a periphery of the sealing device is linedwith a flexible material edge seal configured to protrude from the rear face.8.The sealing device of claim 7, wherein the flexible material edge seal is a double-lining.

9. The sealing device of any preceding claim, wherein the seal is thicker towards an outer edge and thinner towards an inner edge.

10. The sealing device of any preceding claim, wherein an angle of the seal-carrying wall relative to the second plane or arc is approximately 60 degrees.

11. The sealing device of any preceding claim, wherein a plurality of sealing apertures are provided in the seal-carrying wall, the sealing apertures being mutually co-planar.

12. The sealing device of any preceding claim, further comprising one or more seal-adjacent protrusions configured to protrude from the rear face up to the second plane.

13. The sealing device of claim 12, wherein the one or more seal-adjacent protrusions are formed as a single unit with the seal.

14. A system for sealing an aperture through which a fluid conduit is to pass, the system comprising:a plumbed device including at least one fluid conduit;a building member having a member aperture through which the or each fluid conduit is to pass; anda sealing device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, the sealing device being receivable at the member aperture, the or each fluid conduit being receivable through the or each sealing aperture of the sealing device, such that the sealing device seals the aperture.

15. A method of preserving or substantially preserving the planarity of a surface of a building member through which a fluid conduit must pass, the method comprising the steps of:providing an aperture through the building member;passing at least one fluid conduit through the aperture; andsealing the aperture using a sealing device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13.10

Images