Attic warm air control system

Abstract

To provide an attic warm air control system which can be easily constructed and applied to an existing house at a low cost.SOLUTION: An attic warm air control system, in which an opening 17a communicating with a living room 16 (indoor) and an attic 10 is provided in a ceiling 17, comprises: a heat insulating material falling prevention plate 1 fixed to the bottom of rafters 12 and mutually connecting the rafters 12; a belt-shaped heat insulating material 2 disposed along the rafters 12 between adjacent rafters 12, placed on the heat insulating material falling prevention plate 1, and having an end portion 2a disposed on the side of a wall body 15 hanging down from the wall body 15 at a predetermined interval; an attic blower pipe 3 extending substantially horizontally along the wall body 15 and having a blowout hole 3a open upward; an electric ventilation fan 4 attached to the opening 17a; and an attic connecting pipe 5 having one end connected to an exhaust port 4b and the other end connected to the attic blower pipe 3. An air passage space 7 through which warm air passes is formed by the rafters 12, a sheathing roof board 13, and the heat insulating material 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an attic heating management system for general houses, which can supply warm air to the attic in winter to prevent snow from accumulating on the roof, and restrict the inflow of warm air in summer to prevent the temperature in the attic from rising. [Background technology]

[0002] In areas with heavy snowfall, snow removal in winter is hard and dangerous work, so technologies have been developed to supply warm air to the attic to prevent snow from accumulating on the roof. However, of the technologies listed below, none have been widely adopted as being easy to install and applicable to existing homes that have already been built.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a snow-melting roof that is characterized by having a double-layered roof with a cavity inside, a hot air circulation device that forcibly circulates hot air throughout the entire cavity of the roof, and a control device that automatically controls the hot air circulation device. The roof has a double-layered structure consisting of a lower roof and an upper roof, and has a small gap cavity throughout the entire interior, and hot air flows through the cavity. Therefore, in order to apply this technology, it is necessary to carry out roof replacement work, which requires major renovation and is costly, so it is not practical to apply it to existing houses.

[0004] Similarly, Patent Document 2 discloses a roof structure characterized by providing a hot air passage for melting snow on the roof. This technology involves installing a solar heat collector C and an auxiliary heat source such as a stove in the attic, and using a box attached to almost the entire surface area of ​​the roof as the hot air passage. Therefore, applying this technology requires major renovations along with roof replacement work, which increases costs, making it unrealistic to apply this technology to existing houses.

[0005] The techniques involving roof replacement work as shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2 above are difficult to apply to existing houses mainly due to the cost, and are difficult to be widely used by the general public. In contrast, the technique shown in Patent Document 3 installs a hot air supply device that supplies hot air in the attic, and does not require roof replacement work. Although it is necessary to install a damper and a controller to open and close the attic ventilation opening, it has the advantage of being easy to install even in existing houses. However, according to this technique, since it is necessary to heat the air in the entire attic space to melt snow, the thermal efficiency is poor, and even if it is effective as a technique for buildings with small attics such as sheds, it is difficult to melt snow accumulated on the roof of an ordinary house.

[0006] Patent Document 4 discloses a technology for a roof snow melting device using warm air circulation, which aims to solve the problem of being easily installed on existing roofs. The technology disclosed in the same document 4 is characterized in that the air in the attic is converted into warm air by a heat exchanger with a blower installed in the attic, sent to a distribution chamber through a duct, and the warm air is distributed equally to several other blowing pipes, and the warm air is blown out from the blowing outlet toward the eaves, warming the fascia, rafters, and sheathing boards, and then returned to the heat exchanger on the ridge side to circulate the warm air. This technology is configured to have a complex installation of ducts, distribution chambers, adjustment pipes, blowing pipes, etc. in order to melt snow accumulated on the roof of a general house evenly, and even if it is theoretically possible to install it on an existing house, it is a technology that is not easy to install and is difficult to spread because it requires a complex connection of many parts. In addition, a dedicated heat exchanger with a blower and piping are installed in the attic, which increases the weight on the roof side, and there is a concern that it will affect the durability and lifespan of the entire building. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 58-045825 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 59-152015 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 61-233154 [Patent Document 4] JP 2005-314983 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] In areas with heavy snowfall, removing snow from roofs is hard work and dangerous, so there is a demand for technology that can melt and melt snow using heat without the need for manual labor. In particular, there is a demand for technology that does not require large-scale renovations such as roof replacement, is easy to install, can be introduced at low cost, and is widely applicable and can be practically applied to existing houses.

[0009] The technologies disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 4 all require a dedicated heater (heat source) to supply warm air to the attic, which increases manufacturing and maintenance costs. In addition, in order to efficiently suppress snow accumulation by using the warm air supplied to the attic, the method of heating the entire attic as in Patent Document 3 is inefficient, so it is necessary to efficiently heat the snow-covered area (roof) by partitioning the passage of warm air (warm air), but the method of installing ducts, distribution chambers, adjustment pipes, blow-out pipes, etc. as in Patent Document 4 increases costs and increases the weight on the roof, raising concerns about the impact on the durability and lifespan of the entire building.

[0010] In summer, the roof is exposed to solar heat and the temperature in the attic rises. Therefore, it is desirable to have a technology that can restrict the inflow of warm air into the attic in summer and suppress the rise in temperature in the attic. In other words, a technology that can be used as a snow melting measure in winter and as a measure against high temperatures in summer would be highly useful and is expected to become widespread.

[0011] After much trial and error, the inventor of the present application has developed a technology that is easy to install and can be applied at low cost to existing houses by effectively utilizing the existing attic structure and indoor warm air. This technology also makes it possible to suppress the rise in the attic temperature in summer.

[0012] The present invention aims to provide an attic heating management system that suppresses snow accumulation on the roof in winter and temperature rise in the attic in summer, and is easy to install, so that it is expected to become widespread as a technology that can be applied at low cost to existing houses that have already been constructed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a heating and cooling system for an attic space, which is partitioned by a roof having a plurality of rafters arranged in parallel and a sheathing board fixed to the rafters, a wall supporting the roof, and an indoor ceiling, An opening communicating with the room and the attic is provided in the ceiling, A heat insulating material drop prevention plate is fixed to the bottom of the rafters and connects the rafters to each other; a strip-shaped insulation material that is disposed between adjacent rafters along the rafters and placed on the insulation material fall prevention plate, and whose end portion that is disposed on the wall body side hangs down from the wall body at a predetermined interval; An attic air duct extending in a substantially horizontal direction along the wall in the attic and having a plurality of air outlet holes opening upward; An electric ventilation fan installed in the attic and having an air intake attached to the opening and an air exhaust opening on the attic side; an attic connecting pipe disposed in the attic, one end of which is connected to the exhaust port and the other end of which is connected to the attic air duct; having The rafters, the roofing boards and the insulation material form an air passage space through which warm air passes.

[0014] The attic heating management system preferably comprises: A plurality of rafters are provided on the attic ceiling at predetermined intervals, The opening is formed between the rafters, A reinforcing wooden frame is arranged to surround the opening and fixed to the rafters; The ventilation fan is installed on the reinforcing wooden frame. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an attic heating management system that can suppress snow accumulation on the roof in winter and suppress temperature rise in the attic in summer, and is easy to install, so it is expected to become widespread as a technology that can be applied at low cost to existing houses that have already been constructed.

[0016] Conventional techniques have involved installing a dedicated heater for melting snow in the attic or installing multiple pipes in the attic in a complicated manner, which has resulted in high costs and difficult construction due to the emphasis on snow melting performance, and has not been widely used in reality. In contrast, the present invention can be applied to existing roofs without the need for roof replacement work, and is characterized in that it can be implemented with simple configurations and construction techniques using materials that are as easily available as possible, such as using the existing attic structure to form an air passage space through which warm air flows and hanging the bottom end of the insulation material to form a warm air introduction path. In addition, it does not use special equipment such as a heat source dedicated to melting snow to generate warm air, but instead uses an opening in the ceiling to melt snow using the warm air inside the room, and since there is no need to install heating equipment in the attic or to configure complex pipes, the weight increase on the roof side is suppressed, and since the roof is strengthened by a insulation material fall prevention plate, there is no problem with strength. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of an attic heating management system according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a reference diagram showing a schematic configuration of the present system from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1 with some parts omitted. [Diagram 3] 2 is a reference diagram showing a schematic configuration of the present system from the direction of arrow B in FIG. 1 with some parts omitted. [Figure 4] 2 is a reference diagram showing a schematic configuration of the present system from the direction of arrow C in FIG. 1 with some parts omitted. [Diagram 5] This is a modified example of the attic heating management system shown in Figure 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] The present invention will be specifically described below using examples, but the present invention is not limited to these.

[0019] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an attic warm air management system. Although Fig. 1 shows the system applied to one wall 15, the system can be installed in the same way on each of the four walls of a house. Fig. 2 is a reference diagram showing the schematic configuration of the system from the direction of arrow A in Fig. 1 with some parts omitted, Fig. 3 is a reference diagram showing the schematic configuration of the system from the direction of arrow B in Fig. 1 with the wall 15 omitted, and Fig. 4 is a reference diagram showing the schematic configuration of the system from the direction of arrow C in Fig. 1 with some parts omitted.

[0020] The present invention is a heating air management system for an attic partitioned by a roof 11 having a plurality of rafters 12 arranged in parallel and sheathing boards 13 fixed to the rafters 12, walls 15 supporting the roof 11, and a ceiling 17 of the room (a living room 16 in this embodiment), and the ceiling 17 is provided with an opening 17a communicating with the living room 16 (room) and the attic 10. The present invention can be applied to any house having an attic partitioned by a roof having a plurality of rafters arranged in parallel and sheathing boards fixed to the rafters, walls supporting the roof, and the ceiling of the living room, regardless of the type of roof or the number of floors of the house.

[0021] This system has an insulation material fall prevention plate 1 fixed to the bottom of the rafters 12 and connecting the rafters 12 to each other, a strip-shaped insulation material 2 arranged along the rafters 12 between adjacent rafters 12 and placed on the insulation material fall prevention plate 1, with the end 2a arranged on the wall body 15 side hanging down from the wall body 15 at a predetermined interval, an attic air duct 3 extending approximately horizontally along the wall body 15 in the attic 10 and having multiple blowing holes 3a opening upward, an electric ventilation fan 4 installed in the attic 10 and having an intake port 4a attached to the opening 17a and an exhaust port 4b opening on the attic 10 side, and an attic connecting pipe 5 arranged in the attic 10, one end connected to the exhaust port 4b and the other end connected to the attic air duct 3, and the rafters 12, the sheathing board 13, and the insulation material 2 form an air passage space 7 through which warm air passes. The configuration of the present invention will be described in detail below.

[0022] The attic 10 is partitioned by walls installed on all four sides including the wall 15, the ceiling 17 of the room 16, and the roof 11. The roof 11 has a number of rafters 12, a sheathing board 13 fixed to the upper side of the rafters 12, and a roof material 14 (slate) fixed to the sheathing board 13. The rafters 12 are arranged at an angle from the ridge to the eaves. The present invention supplies hot air from the eaves (lower end) side of the rafters 12 arranged at an angle, and the position where the present invention is constructed is determined according to the arrangement of the rafters of each house and the position of the room (indoors) which is the supply source of hot air. The configurations of the rafters 12, the sheathing board 13, and the roof material 14 are the same as those of the roof of a general house, so detailed explanations are omitted. The sheathing board 13 may be treated with a waterproofing material.

[0023] The living room 16 and the attic 10 are separated by a ceiling 17. A plurality of rafters 18 are provided on the attic 10 side of the ceiling 17. An opening 17a is provided in a part of the ceiling 17. The shape of the opening is determined according to the shape of the intake port of the ventilation fan. As described later, the present invention uses the warm air in the living room 16 to melt snow. Therefore, the opening 17a is preferably provided in the ceiling of a living room where a heating appliance such as a heater is used. The opening 17a is preferably provided between the rafters 18, that is, so as not to cut the rafters 18. For example, when the rafters 18 are provided at intervals of 300 mm to 450 mm, the opening is formed with dimensions of 300 mm x 300 mm so as to avoid the rafters 18. In this embodiment, the reinforcing wooden frame 8 is arranged so as to surround the opening 17a and is fixed by nailing it to the rafters 18. The ventilation fan 4 is installed on the reinforcing wooden frame 8 and stabilized.

[0024] The insulation material fall prevention plate 1 is fixed to the bottom (bottom surface) of the rafters 12 and connects the rafters 12 to each other. The insulation material fall prevention plate 1 is arranged in a direction roughly perpendicular to the rafters 12 and is fixed across a plurality of rafters 12 to prevent the insulation material 2 from falling and to prevent the rafters 12 from twisting, thereby increasing the strength of the entire roof. For example, a plate with a width of 100 mm or 90 mm is used as the insulation material fall prevention plate 1. The insulation material fall prevention plate 1 is fixed to the rafters 12 at intervals of 30 cm to 40 cm.

[0025] The heat insulating material 2 is a strip-shaped member. The heat insulating material 2 is placed between the rafters 12 and the adjacent rafters 12, and on the heat insulating material fall prevention plate 1. The heat insulating material 2 is selected to have an appropriate thickness that can form the air passage space 7 according to the thickness of the rafters 12. The heat insulating material 2 is attached between the rafters 12 so that no gaps are generated between the rafters 12. The rafters 12 are members to which the sheathing boards 13 are fixed, and are arranged diagonally according to the shape of the roof 11. The heat insulating material 2 is a strip-shaped member arranged along the extension direction of the rafters 12, with the upper end side arranged on the ridge side and the eaves side, i.e., the lower end side arranged on the wall body 15 side.

[0026] The insulation material 2 is arranged so that its lower end, i.e., the end 2a side arranged on the wall body 15 side, hangs down like a curtain at a specified distance (about 20 cm to 30 cm) from the wall body 15. That is, the insulation material fall prevention plate 1a arranged on the eaves side is fixed to the rafters 12 so as to be located at a specified distance (about 20 to 30 cm) from the wall body 15 (see FIG. 1), and the end 2a side of the insulation material 2 placed on this insulation material fall prevention plate 1a is attached so as to hang down like a curtain. The end 2a of the insulation material 2 hangs down to the vicinity of the attic air duct 3. By the simple means of hanging down the end 2a side of the insulation material 2, a passage is formed between the lower end side of the insulation material 2 and the wall body 15 as an intake for warm air. The warm air blown out from the attic air duct 3 rises in the space between the lower end side of the insulation material and the wall body 15, enters the air passage space 7, and rises while heating the roofing board 13. The end 2a of the insulation material 2 may be designed to hang down below the attic air duct 3.

[0027] The attic air duct 3 extends substantially horizontally along the wall 15 in the attic 10, and has a plurality of blowing holes 3a that open upward. The attic air duct 3 is an aluminum duct with a bellows-shaped middle portion, and is flexible and can be bent in any direction. In this embodiment, a T-shaped elbow is connected to the other end (upper end) of the rising part 5b of the attic connecting pipe 5, and the attic air ducts 3 are connected to both ends of the elbow. The other end of the attic air duct 3 is closed, and the warm air supplied to the attic air duct 3 through the attic connecting pipe 5 blows out from each blowing hole 3a. The hole diameter of the blowing holes 3a is, for example, about 8 mm to 10 mm.

[0028] The ventilation fan 4 as an electric blower is a sirocco fan and is installed in the attic 10. The ventilation fan 4 has an intake port 4a opening on the living room 16 side and an exhaust port 4b opening on the attic 10 side. The ventilation fan 4 is operated by receiving electricity through a power cable (not shown) connected to an outlet in the living room 16, and takes in air from the living room 16 through the intake port 4a and exhausts it from the exhaust port 4b. A resin adapter 9 is attached to the exhaust port 4b, and the connection part 5a of the attic connecting pipe 5 is inserted into the adapter 9 to connect. To ensure the connection, the adapter 9 and the connection part 5a of the attic connecting pipe 5 are fixed with aluminum tape. An opening 17a may be provided with an opening / closing door. The power cable may be passed through a through hole of about 10 mm in the ceiling, or may be passed through the intake port. The ventilation fan may be of a type other than a sirocco fan.

[0029] The attic connecting pipe 5 is an aluminum duct, has a bellows section, is flexible, and can be bent in any direction. The attic connecting pipe 5 is disposed in the attic 10. The attic connecting pipe 5 is composed of a connecting portion 5a extending laterally toward the wall body 15 and a rising portion 5b extending upward along the wall body 15, one end of which is connected to the exhaust port 4b, and the other end of which is connected to the attic air duct 3 via a T-shaped elbow. The air discharged from the exhaust port 4b is supplied to the attic air duct 3 via the attic connecting pipe 5. Note that a Y-shaped elbow or the like may be used instead of the T-shaped elbow, and the attic connecting pipe and the attic air duct may be integrally formed by a single flexible pipe.

[0030] In winter, the living room 16 where people live is usually warmer than the attic 10 because it is heated by the heater 6. The present invention does not install a heater (heat source) for melting snow in the attic space, but uses the warm air heated by a heater or the like installed in the living room 16 or the like, so that the maintenance of the heat source and temperature adjustment are easy. The heater 6 is a heater that is installed in the living room 16 or the like and supplies warm air to the living room 16 or the like, and may be an electric heater, hot water heater, gas heater, or kerosene heater. Note that the present invention can be applied to any room that is heated by the supply of warm air during the snowfall season, not limited to living rooms such as living rooms, kitchens, and bedrooms, by providing the above-mentioned opening in the ceiling of the washroom, toilet, storeroom, closet, etc.

[0031] The air passage space 7 is a space partitioned by adjacent rafters 12, sheathing boards 13, and insulation material 2, and warm air passes through the space. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, a plurality of air passage spaces 7 are provided in parallel. The present invention is characterized in that it can be implemented with as simple a configuration or construction technique as possible, such as by using the existing roof structure, i.e., the space partitioned by the rafters and sheathing boards, to form the air passage space 7 through which warm air passes, or by hanging down the end 2a side of the wall body 15 of the insulation material 2 to provide a warm air intake, thereby making the construction easier and reducing costs.

[0032] The operation of the attic warm air management system in winter will be described below. The living room 16 is heated by the heater 6 during the winter. When the ventilation fan 4 is operated in this state, the warm air in the living room 16 is taken in by the ventilation fan 4, and is supplied to the attic air duct 3 through the attic connecting pipe 5, and is blown out upward from the blowing hole 3a. The blown out warm air rises through the passage between the end 2a side of the insulation material 2 and the wall body 15, enters the air passage space 7, and rises while heating the sheathing boards 13, and heats the entire roof. This allows snow that has fallen on the roof 11 to melt and disappear efficiently.

[0033] According to the present invention, by supplying warm air from inside the living room 16 (indoors) to the air passage space 7 formed in the attic 10, the roof can be efficiently heated and snow accumulation on the roof can be suppressed. In this regard, snow generally tends to accumulate on the eaves side rather than on the ridge side, but the system is designed so that the eaves side is warmer. The present invention uses the warm air from inside the room, making it possible to melt snow efficiently and also has the effect of keeping running costs low.

[0034] The operation of the attic warm air management system in summer will be described. That is, in summer, the roof becomes hot due to sunlight, and the heat is transferred from the roofing material 14 to the sheathing board 13. In this regard, according to the present invention, since the insulating material 2 is laid, the heat transferred from the roof is unlikely to be transferred to the attic. In addition, by hanging down the end 2a side of the insulating material 2, the warm air in the air passage space 7 is unlikely to flow out to the attic 10, and the temperature rise in the attic 10 can be prevented. This can increase the cooling efficiency in the room. Note that a ventilation fan may be turned on as necessary to ventilate the attic 10.

[0035] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a warm air management system for an attic, which is a modified example of the system shown in Fig. 1. Wall body 15B is a wall body arranged on the opposite side facing wall body 15A. In Fig. 5, parts or portions common to parts or portions shown in Fig. 1 are given the same reference numerals and their explanations are omitted. The outline arrow shown in Fig. 5 indicates the direction in which warm air flows in attic connecting pipe 5.

[0036] The attic connecting pipe 5 connected to the exhaust port 4b of the ventilation fan 4 may be branched into a T or Y shape as shown in Fig. 5. The attic connecting pipe 5 shown in Fig. 5 is disposed in the attic, and one end is connected to the exhaust port of the ventilation fan 4, but the middle part is branched into a T shape, one end is connected to the attic air duct 3A, and the other end is connected to the attic air duct 3B.

[0037] The attic air duct 3B, like the attic air duct 3 (3A), extends in a substantially horizontal direction along the wall 15B in the attic 10 and has a plurality of air outlets 3b that open upward. The attic connecting pipe 5 has a connecting portion 5c that extends toward the wall 15B and a rising portion 5d that extends vertically via an elbow (90 degrees), and the rising portion 5c is connected to the attic air duct 3B. Therefore, by operating one ventilation fan 4, the warm air in the room branches and flows into each of the connecting portions 5a and 5c, passes through the rising portions 5b and 5d, and is blown out from the air outlets provided in each of the attic air ducts 3A and 3B, thereby heating the entire both sides of the gable roof.

[0038] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the present invention is characterized in that it can be applied to an existing roof, but it may also be applied to an attic in a new building. In addition, the attic air duct and the attic connecting pipe do not have to be bellows-shaped. In addition, although not shown, openings may be provided in each of a plurality of rooms (rooms), a ventilation fan may be attached to each opening, and the exhaust ports of each ventilation fan may be connected and joined by a plurality of attic air ducts to collect warm air from the plurality of rooms and send it to the attic air duct. That is, the attic connecting pipe according to the present invention may be branched as shown in FIG. 5 according to the installation positions and number of the ventilation fans and attic air ducts, or may be appropriately connected and used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1. Insulation fall prevention plate 2. Insulation 3 Attic ventilation duct 3a Air outlet 4. Ventilation fan 5 Attic connecting pipe 6. Heating 7 Wind duct space 8 Reinforcing wooden frame 9 Adapters 10 Attic 11. Roof 12 Rafters 13 Field board 14 Roofing materials 15 Wall 16 Room 17 Ceiling 17a opening 18. Rough edge

Claims

1. A heating and cooling management system for an attic space, which is partitioned by a roof having a plurality of rafters arranged in parallel and a sheathing board fixed to the rafters, a wall supporting the roof, and an indoor ceiling, An opening communicating with the room and the attic is provided in the ceiling, A heat insulating material drop prevention plate is fixed to the bottom of the rafters and connects the rafters to each other; a strip-shaped insulation material that is disposed between adjacent rafters along the rafters and placed on the insulation material fall prevention plate, and whose end portion that is disposed on the wall body side hangs down from the wall body at a predetermined interval; An attic air duct extending in a substantially horizontal direction along the wall in the attic and having a plurality of air outlet holes opening upward; An electric ventilation fan installed in the attic and having an air intake attached to the opening and an air exhaust opening on the attic side; an attic connecting pipe disposed in the attic, one end of which is connected to the exhaust port and the other end of which is connected to the attic air duct; having An attic warm air management system characterized in that the rafters, the sheathing boards and the insulation material form an air passage space through which warm air passes.

2. 2. The attic heating management system according to claim 1, A plurality of rafters are provided on the attic ceiling at predetermined intervals, The opening is formed between the rafters, A reinforcing wooden frame is arranged to surround the opening and fixed to the rafters; 2. The attic heating management system according to claim 1, wherein the ventilation fan is installed on the reinforcing wooden frame.

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