Apparatus and method for preventing moisture accumulation

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the invention, a flashing is adapted for installation to protect a ledger board from environmental conditions. The flashing comprises an insertion lip, a support section, a base section and an extension section. The support section coupled to the insertion lip. The base section is coupled to the support section and is substantially in parallel with the insertion lip. The extension section is coupled to the base section and includes a first part and a drip edge. The drip edge includes a kick extending away from the first part and a hem extending from an edge portion of the kick back toward a rear surface of the extension section.

Description

This application claims the benefit of priority on U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/818,459 filed Jul. 5, 2006, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/818,451 filed Jul. 5, 2006.

FIELD

Embodiments of the invention are generally directed to an apparatus and method for preventing moisture accumulation. In particular, according to one embodiment of the invention, the apparatus constitutes flashing that provides an effective moisture barrier surrounding a ledger board.

GENERAL BACKGROUND

Over the last few years, exterior areas surrounding both residential and commercial properties are beginning to be reconfigured in order to better utilize outdoor living space. For instance, in many cities throughout our nation, many residences feature decks that provide their residents additional living space for gatherings and other family activities. Furthermore, many residences feature patio covers that provide shade during warm summer months and shelter during winter months.

Currently, there are two installation techniques for decks and patio covers. The first installation technique is to build a deck or patio cover that is freestanding. In other words, the deck or patio cover is not attached to an exterior wall of an existing structure such as residential property for example. The second installation technique attaches the deck or patio cover to the exterior wall. These decks and patio covers have the advantage of not requiring any additional support beams or additional footings running next to the structure in order to support the edges of the joists.

When installed correctly, decks and/or patio covers feature flashings, namely thin layers of waterproof material designed to divert water and to prevent water (or moisture) from being trapped between a ledger board and the exterior wall of the structure. The “ledger board” is a board attached to both a row of studs of an existing structure and to a plurality of joists, which are horizontal members that support a floor of a deck or a roof of a patio cover. If water should accumulate between the ledger board and the exterior wall, the structural integrity of the deck or patio cover may be compromised.

Currently, flashing sold in the marketplace does not effectively prevent water from seeping and accumulating between the ledger board and the exterior wall. This allows water to become trapped near the hardware fastening a joist to the ledger board and also around the ledger board itself. In fact, current flashing suffers from a number of disadvantages. For instance, flashing is currently secured to an exterior surface of a wall by caulk or other type of adhesive. Over time, this adhesive tends to deteriorate and does not adhere properly to an outer surface of the exterior wall. Also, fastening holes are susceptible to water. As a result, over time, water may seep between the backside of the flashing and the outer surface of the exterior wall. In addition, current flashing fails to sufficiently divert water away from the fastening hardware between the joist and the ledger board. This may cause deterioration of fasteners connected to the ledger board.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may best be understood by referring to the following description and accompanying drawings that are used to illustrate embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1 is an illustrative embodiment of a deck implemented with an embodiment of a wall-to-ledger flashing.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are a first illustrative embodiment of the wall-to-ledger flashing of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are another illustrative embodiment of the wall-to-ledger flashing of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are yet another illustrative embodiment of the wall-to-ledger flashing of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 4C and 4D are another illustrative embodiment of the wall-to-ledger flashing of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an illustrative embodiment of a deck implemented with an embodiment of a wall-to-plank flashing.

FIG. 6 is a first illustrative embodiment of the wall-to-plank flashing of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is another illustrative embodiment of the wall-to-plank flashing of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is yet another illustrative embodiment of the wall-to-plank flashing of FIG. 5.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are illustrative embodiment of a bay window flashing.

FIG. 10 is an illustrative embodiment of the operations performed to install a flashing, such as a wall-to-ledger flashing of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the invention may best be understood by referring to the description and accompanying drawings set forth herein. In general, according to one embodiment of the invention, a flashing has been developed to provide an effective moisture barrier to prevent water from accumulating (i) between an exterior wall of a structure and a ledger board and/or (ii) around fastening hardware where a joist is coupled to the ledger board.

As described below, according to one embodiment of the invention, the flashing comprises an insertion lip, a base section, a support section and an extension section. The insertion lip is designed to attach to an exterior wall of the structure at a predetermined distance above the base section. This predetermined distance is substantially equal to a width of the support section, which is positioned substantially flush against an outer surface of the exterior wall. A first portion of the base section is positioned on a top-side surface of the ledger board while a second portion of the base section extends beyond the width of the top-side surface. This creates an air gap between an interior surface of the extension section and a front surface of the ledger board.

The extension section of the flashing is adapted to cover the ledger board and to divert water away from the fastening hardware interconnecting the ledger board and one or more joists. The extension section includes a drip edge formed by (i) a first portion, referred to as a “kick,” that extends away from the front surface of the ledger board and (ii) a second portion, referred to as a “hem,” that returns the edge of the extension section back toward the front surface of the ledger board and a back side of the kick. This newly created structure for the flashing not only prevents moisture from being trapped within an area between an outer surface of the exterior wall and a back surface of the ledger board, but also protects the fastening hardware that couples the joist to the ledger board.

A. Wall-to-Ledger Flashing

Referring to FIG. 1, an illustrative embodiment of a deck 100 implemented with an embodiment of a wall-to-ledger flashing 110 is shown. Herein, flashing 110 is attached to an exterior wall 120 of a structure and positioned to divert water from a ledger board 130 also attached to exterior wall 120. According to this embodiment of the invention, flashing 110 is made of a non-porous material such as a metal (e.g. stainless steel, copper, plastic, etc.), plastic, water-resistant treated Styrofoam™, and the like. For pressure-treated wood, cooper or aluminum may be the metal of choice.

According to this embodiment of the invention, a plurality of joists 140₁-140_N (N≧2) are attached to ledger board 130 in order to support a plurality of plank boards 150₁-150_M (M≧2). Of course, according to another embodiment of the invention such as a patio cover for example, ledger board 130 is positioned substantially higher along exterior wall 120 and joists 140₁-140_N may be used as slats for a patio cover or as support for additional boards forming the roof.

Herein, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B, an insertion lip 200 of flashing 110 is placed within a pre-cut groove 160 along an outer surface 170 of exterior wall 120. Flashing 110 is placed over a top surface 135 of ledger board 130 that is attached to studs 125 located behind exterior wall 120 through selected fastening elements 180 (e.g., screws, bolts, etc.). As shown, deck 100 further includes joists 140₁-140_N that are positioned substantially perpendicular to ledger board 130 in order to support plank boards 150₁-150_M placed substantially in parallel with ledger board 130 and substantially perpendicular to joists 140₁-140_N. According to one embodiment of the invention, although not shown, plank boards 150₁-150_M are positioned below base section 220 of flashing 110 and substantially adjacent to an extension section 230 as illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B. It is contemplated, however, that by raising joists 140₁-140_N closer to top surface 135 of ledger board 130 and increasing the distance of separation between extension section 230 and ledger board 130, plank boards 150₁-150_M can be arranged to be substantially planar to base section 220 of flashing 110.

Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, a first illustrative embodiment of flashing 110 is shown. Herein, flashing 110 comprises insertion lip 200 that is positioned within groove 160 placed along outer surface 170 of exterior wall 120. As an example, insertion lip 200 may be configured to range in length between ¼″ to ¾″, where the selected length is based on the roughness of outer surface 170 (size of lip 200 increases based on roughness of outer surface 170). Insertion lip 200 is continuous with and substantially perpendicular to a first flashing section 210 (hereinafter referred to as the “support section” 210).

Support section 210 of flashing 110 extends upward in a substantially vertical orientation and is positioned to be generally flush against outer surface 170 of exterior wall 120 when insertion lip 200 is inserted into and securely retained within groove 160. According to one embodiment of the invention, the length of support section 210 is set to be approximately 1.5 inches (represented as 1.5″) above top surface 135 of ledger board 130 in order to accommodate a typical distance between an outer edge of a sole plate of a circular saw and the saw blade used to kerf groove 160 along outer surface 170 of exterior wall 120.

A second flashing segment (hereinafter referred to as the “base section” 220) is continuous with and substantially perpendicular to support section 210 of flashing 110. Base section 220 is arranged so that a first portion 222 is generally flush against top surface 135 of ledger board 130 and a second portion 224 continues to extend outwardly from ledger board 130. Collectively, first and second portions 222 and 224 of base section 220 exceed the width of top surface 135 of ledger board 130. For instance, base section 220 may be 1.75″ or greater in length, exceeding the width of top surface 135 of ledger board 130. More specifically, second portion 224 of base section 220 extends beyond top surface 135, and thus, creates a gap 240 between a third flashing segment 230 (hereinafter referred to as the “extension section” 230 of flashing 110) and a front surface 137 of ledger board 130.

Extension section 230 of flashing 100 includes a first part 245 and drip edge 250 formed by (i) a first portion 260, referred to as a “kick,” that extends away from front surface 137 of ledger board 130 and (ii) a second portion 265, referred to as a “hem,” that returns an edge 235 of extension section 230 back toward front surface 137 of ledger board 130. According to this embodiment of the invention, separated from first part 245 by a crease, kick 260 and hem 265 operate as drip edge 250 in order to properly expel water (moisture) from atmospheric conditions any water flowing to extension section 230 from base section 220 of flashing 110.

Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, a second embodiment of flashing 110 is shown. Herein, base section 220 of flashing 110 is angled in order to allow water to be more easily expelled from outer surface 170 of exterior wall 120. This is advantageous for climates with a fair amount of rain and/or condensation (dew). The sloping angle θ 300 of base section 220 can be set to approximately 1 or 2 degrees, namely slope angle 300 could be based on a slope gradient between ⅛″ per foot up to ⅜″ per foot. It is contemplated, however, that greater sloping angles may be utilized in order to accommodate better moisture removal from outer surface 170 of exterior wall 120. In addition, air gap 240 between extension section 230 of flashing 110 and front surface 137 of ledger board 130 allows air circulation which keeps ledger board 130 drier and better maintains its integrity and the integrity of the fastening hardware connecting ledger board 130 to exterior wall 120.

Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B, another illustrative embodiment of flashing 110 is shown. In lieu of straight edges formed between perpendicular-oriented support/base sections 210 and 220 and base/extension sections 220 and 230, it is contemplated that flashing 110 may be configured with a bull-nose design. This “bull-nose” design features a softened, generally concave edge 400 at an intersection between support/base sections 210 and 220 and a generally convex edge 410 at an intersection between base/extension sections 220 and 230. According to one embodiment of the invention, the bend radiuses are ¼″ or ⅜″ in length.

Moreover, as shown in FIGS. 4C and 4D, another embodiment of flashing 110 is illustrated. Herein, base section 220 features a convex form factor that extends from an edge 440 of support section 210 positioned above ledger board 130. In general, curved base section 220 comes into contact with a front edge 450 of ledger board 130 near top surface 135. It is noted that, as shown in FIG. 4D, ledger board 130 may feature an angled cut 460 at front edge 450 to better support curved base section 220. Curved base section 220 extends approximately 1¾ inches vertically from an edge 470 of kick 260 to edge 440 so as to divert water from ledger board 130.

B. Wall-to-Plank Flashing

Referring to FIG. 5, an illustrative embodiment of a deck 500 implemented with an embodiment of a wall-to-plank flashing 510 is shown. Herein, flashing 510 is attached to an exterior wall 520 of a structure and positioned to divert water from an area at the intersection between a board 530 and exterior wall 520. According to this embodiment of the invention, a plurality of joists 540₁-540_N (N≧2) are attached to a ledger board 550 that supports board 530. For this embodiment, board 530 is one of a plurality of plank boards forming deck 500. Of course, according to another embodiment of the invention such as a patio cover for example, ledger board 550 supports board 530, which is part of the roofing for a patio cover.

Herein, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, an insertion lip 600 of flashing 510 is placed within a pre-cut groove 560 along an outer surface 570 of exterior wall 520. Flashing 510 is placed over a top surface 535 of board 530 that is attached to ledger board 550, which is attached to studs (not shown) located behind exterior wall 520. This attachment may be through a fastening element such as a screw, bolt, nail, peg, or even adhesive). As shown, deck 500 further includes joists 540₁-540_N that are positioned substantially perpendicular to ledger board 550 in order to maintain board 530 substantially horizontal. According to one embodiment of the invention, board 530 is positioned below base section 620 of flashing 510 as illustrated in FIG. 6.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a first illustrative embodiment of flashing 510 is shown. Herein, flashing 510 comprises insertion lip 600 that is positioned within groove 560 placed along outer surface 570 of exterior wall 520. Similar to as described above, insertion lip 600 may be configured to range in length between ¼″ to ¾″, with the length increasing based on the roughness of outer surface 570. Insertion lip 600 is continuous with and substantially perpendicular to a first flashing section 610 (hereinafter referred to as the “support section” 610).

Support section 610 of flashing 510 extends vertically upward and is positioned to be generally flush against outer surface 570 of exterior wall 520 when insertion lip 600 is inserted into and securely retained within groove 560. According to one embodiment of the invention, the length of support section 610 is set to be approximately 1.5 inches (1.5″) above top surface 535 of board 530 in order to accommodate a typical distance between an outer edge of a sole plate of a circular saw and the saw blade used to kerf groove 560 along outer surface 570 of exterior wall 520.

A second flashing segment (hereinafter referred to as the “base section” 620) is continuous with and substantially perpendicular to support section 610 of flashing 510. Base section 620 is arranged generally flush against top surface 535 of board 530 and extending in width to exceed the width of top surface 555 of ledger board 550. For instance, base section 620 may be 1.75″ or greater in length, exceeding the width of top surface 535 of ledger board 550. This allows water to be diverted away from ledger board 550 and fastening hardware interconnecting a joist 540_i (2≦i≦N) to ledger board 550.

Referring to FIG. 7, a second embodiment of flashing 510 is shown. Herein, base section 620 of flashing 510 is angled in order to allow water to be more easily expelled from outer surface 570 of exterior wall 520. The sloping angle φ 700 of base section 620 can be set to approximately 1 or 2 degrees, namely slope angle 700 could be based on a slope gradient ranging between ⅛″ per foot to ⅜″ per foot. It is contemplated, however, that greater sloping angles may be utilized in order to accommodate better moisture removal from outer surface 570 of exterior wall 520. In addition, an air gap 710 between an inner surface 625 of base section 620 of flashing 510 and top surface 535 of board 530 allows air circulation which keeps board 530 drier. A drier board 530 better maintains its integrity of desk 500.

As shown, after base section 620 comes into contact with board 530, a portion 627 of base section 620 continues along board 530 for some length. For instance, the length of portion 627 may be a faction of an inch for example.

Referring now to FIG. 8, another illustrative embodiment of flashing 510 is shown. In lieu of straight edges formed between perpendicular-oriented support/base sections 610 and 620 and portions of base section 620, it is contemplated that flashing 510 may be configured with a bull-nose design. This bull-nose design features a softened, generally concave edge 800 at an intersection between support/base sections 610 and 620 and a generally concave edge 810 at an intersection between a first portion 626 and second portion 627 of base section 620. According to one embodiment of the invention, the bend radiuses are ¼″ or ⅜″ in length.

C. Bay Window Flashing

Referring to FIGS. 9A and 9B, an illustrative embodiment of a flashing 900 being used for new or retrofit installation of wall-to-bay window flashings is shown. Flashing 900 are used to prevent moisture intrusion, namely water escaping from behind flashing 900 and to a bay window connection 905 with an exterior wall 920. Flashing 900 is intended to have roofing material applied over the lower part, namely a base section 940. No drip edge is required.

An insertion lip 910 and support section 930 of flashing 900 are similar in construction to insertion lips 200/600 and support sections 210/610 of flashing 110 and 510, respectively. However, the length and sloping angle (Δ) of base section 940 is substantially greater to connect to a top surface 950 of the roof of the bay window.

D. Method of Flashing Installation

Referring now to FIG. 10, an illustrative embodiment of the operations for installation of flashing for a deck or patio cover using a ledger board is shown. First, the ledger board is positioned and fastened to the exterior surface of a wall (block 1000). Such attachment may be made through any fastening mechanism, including screws that are drilled through the ledger board and into studs located on the opposite side of the exterior wall. Thereafter, a circular saw is used to kerf the surface of the exterior wall approximately 1½ inches from the top surface of the ledger board (block 1010). This is accomplished by orienting the circular saw in such a fashion that the edge of the sole plate of the circular saw and the circular saw itself are approximately 1½ inches apart. Thereafter, the groove created by the circular saw is filled with an epoxy or caulk, and thereafter the insertion lip is inserted into the groove so as to securely fasten the flashing to the exterior wall (blocks 1020 and 1030). Such insertion may involve placement of the insertion lip toward the upper edge of the groove, and once inserted into the groove, lowering the insertion lip toward a lower side of the groove. As a result, the adhesive properties between the caulk and the insertion lip are reinforced. Thereafter, the flashing is secured to and extends over the ledger board to create a gap between the front surface of the ledger board and an interior surface of the flashing.

It will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims. Therefore, the specification and drawings are accordingly to be regarded in an illustrative rather than in a restrictive sense.

Claims

1. A flashing adapted for installation to protect a ledger board from environmental conditions, the flashing comprising:

an insertion lip;

a support section coupled to the insertion lip;

a base section coupled to the support section, the base section being substantially in parallel with the insertion lip; and

an extension section coupled to the base section, the extension section including a first part and a drip edge including a kick extending away from the first part and a hem extending from an edge portion of the kick back toward a rear surface of the extension section.

2. The flashing of claim 1 wherein the base section is downwardly angled from a first intersection between the support section and the base section to a second intersection between the base section and the extension section.

3. The flashing of claim 1 wherein the base section is situated on and flush against a top surface of the ledger board.

4. The flashing of claim 3, wherein a width of the base section is greater than a width of the ledger board so that the base section extends beyond the top surface of the ledger board.

5. The flashing of claim 2, wherein the first intersection and the second intersection are bull-nosed.

6. The flashing of claim 3, wherein the insertion lip is one and one-half inches from the top surface of the ledger board.

7. The flashing of claim 1 wherein the base section includes a predetermined curvature so as to the base section angularly extends over the top surface of the ledger board and contacts a front corner edge proximate to a front surface of the ledger board.

8. The flashing of claim 1 being made of a continuous piece of metal.

9. A flashing adapted for attachment to a ledger board that is attached to a wall of a structure, the flashing comprising:

a support section;

a base section coupled to the support section and extending from an area proximate to the wall of the structure beyond a width of the ledger board; and

an insertion lip coupled to and perpendicular with the support section, the insertion lip being positioned one and one-half inches above the base section for attachment to a grooved section of the wall.

10. The flashing of claim 9 wherein the base section is substantially perpendicular to the support section and in parallel with the insertion lip.

11. The flashing of claim 9 wherein the support section is positioned to be flush against the wall of the structure.

12. The flashing of claim 9 wherein the base section is oriented to be downward sloping to create a gap between the flashing and a deck board.

13. The flashing of claim 9 further comprising

an extension section coupled to the base section, the extension section including a first part and a drip edge including a first portion extending at an angle from the first part and a hem extending from an edge of the first portion and curving back toward a rear surface of the extension section.

14. The flashing of claim 9 being made of a continuous piece of metal.

15. A metal flashing adapted for installation to protect a ledger board from environmental conditions, the flashing comprising:

an insertion lip oriented horizontally;

a support section coupled to the insertion lip and substantially perpendicular to the insertion lip;

a base section coupled to the support section and substantially in parallel with the insertion lip;

an extension section coupled to the base section, the extension section including a drip edge that includes a first portion extending away from the support section and a curved second portion extending from an edge of the first portion and returning toward a rear surface of the second portion.

16. The flashing of claim 15 wherein the base section is downwardly from a first intersection between the support section and the base section to a second intersection between the base section and the extension section.

17. The flashing of claim 15 wherein the base section is placed on and flush against a top surface of the ledger board.

18. The flashing of claim 17, wherein a width of the base section is greater than a width of the ledger board so that the base section extends beyond the top surface of the ledger board.

19. The flashing of claim 17, wherein the insertion lip is one and one-half inches from the top surface of the ledger board.

20. The flashing of claim 17 wherein the base section includes a predetermined curvature so as to the base section angularly extends over the top surface of the ledger board and contacts a front corner edge proximate to a front surface of the ledger board.