Sealing member for use between a flashing member and a roofing material, a flashing kit including such a sealing member, and a method for weather proofing the joint between a roof of a building and a roof penetrating structure

Abstract

A sealing member for use between a flashing member and a roofing material is made of a compressible material and with slits and/or weakening sections extending into the sealing member from the exterior surface towards the interior surface, each slit and/or weakening section extending from one side surface to the other side surface. In one embodiment the slits and/or weakening sections extend in parallel planes, each plane being substantially parallel to the height direction and extending at an angle of 15-75 degrees to the length direction of the sealing member, preferably an angle of 45 degrees. In use the sealing member is arranged on a flashing member and a roofing material is arranged to rest on the sealing member and compress one or more sections of the sealing member. If the sealing member includes weakening sections, at least one of these is at least partially broken when the sealing member is compressed.

Claims

1. A flashing kit for use in the installation of a roof penetrating structure in an inclined roof surface, comprising a plurality of flashing members adapted for being arranged along top, bottom and sides of a roof penetrating structure, such as a roof window, each flashing member having an exterior side adapted for facing the exterior of a building in the mounted state and an interior side adapted for facing the interior of the building in the mounted state, and each flashing member including a first leg adapted for lying substantially in the plane of the roof between a load-bearing structure and a roofing material and a second leg extending at an angle with respect to the first leg and adapted for lying substantially parallel to an outer side of the roof penetrating structure projecting over the load-bearing structure, and at least one sealing member having an interior surface and an exterior surface and two side surfaces extending between the exterior surface and the interior surface, said sealing member having a height direction extending from the interior surface to the exterior surface, a length direction extending in parallel to the exterior surface, the interior surface and the two side surfaces, and a width direction extending between the two side surfaces perpendicular to the height direction and the length direction, the sealing member is made of a compressible material and that slits and/or weakening sections extend into the sealing member from the exterior surface towards the interior surface, each slit and/or weakening section extending from one side surface to the other side surface, wherein the slits and/or weakening sections extend in parallel planes, each plane being substantially parallel to the height direction and extending at an angle of 15-75 degrees to the length direction, said sealing member being attached to the exterior side of at least one flashing member or adapted for being attached to the exterior side of at least one flashing member during installation of the flashing kit.

2. A flashing kit according to claim 1, characterized in that the slits and/or weakening sections extend over at least half of the height of the sealing member.

3. A flashing kit according to claim 1, characterized in that an interior part of the sealing member closest to the interior surface is without slits or weakening section.

4. A flashing kit according to claim 3, characterized in that the height of the interior part constitutes at least of the height of the sealing member.

5. A flashing kit according to claim 1, characterized in that the sealing member has a height in the height direction of 40-100 mm, and/or that the distance in the length direction between neighbouring slits and/or weakening sections is 5-40 mm.

6. A flashing kit according to claim 5, characterized in that the width of the interior part is substantially constant over its height and that the width of the remaining exterior part of the sealing member decreases continuously towards the exterior surface.

7. A flashing kit according to claim 1, characterized in that the width of the sealing member is smaller at the exterior surface than at the interior surface.

8. A flashing kit according to claim 1, characterized in that the sealing member is made by extrusion or a continuous process and cut to length before use.

9. A flashing kit according to claim 1, characterized in that said sealing member was made integral with another sealing member and that the exterior surface is a cut surface where said sealing member was originally interconnected to said another sealing member.

10. A flashing kit according to claim 1, characterized in that said sealing member is made from an elastic material.

11. A flashing kit according to claim 1, further comprising a fastening means for attaching the sealing member to a flashing member, said fastening means being chosen from the group consisting of: adhesives, double sided tapes, hook-and-loop type fasteners, brackets, recesses or similar interlocking means matching members on the flashing member.

12. A flashing kit according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a top flashing member, a bottom flashing member and two side flashing members adapted for being arranged along the top, bottom and sides of the roof penetrating structure, respectively, and that the sealing is found on two or more of these flashing members.

13. A flashing kit according to claim 1 wherein the sealing member has a height in the height direction of 50-80 mm and/or that the distance in the length direction between neighbouring slits and/or weakening sections is 5-30 mm.

14. A flashing kit according to claim 1 the sealing member has a height in the height direction of 60-75 mm and/or that the distance in the length direction between neighbouring slits and/or weakening sections is 10-20 mm.

15. A flashing kit according to claim 1 wherein each plane extends at an angle of 30-60 degrees to the length direction.

16. A flashing kit according to claim 1 wherein each plane extends at an angle of 45 degrees to the length direction.

17. A method for weather proofing the joint between a roof of a building and a roof penetrating structure, comprising the following steps: arranging at least one flashing member on a load-bearing structure of the roof with an exterior side facing the exterior of the building and an interior side facing the interior of the building, and with a first leg lying substantially in the plane of the roof between a load-bearing structure and a roofing material and a second leg extending at an angle with respect to the first leg and lying substantially parallel to an outer side of the roof penetrating structure projecting over the load-bearing structure, arranging a sealing member on the at least one flashing member with an interior surface attached to the flashing member, said sealing member further having two side surfaces extending between the interior surface and an exterior surface opposite the interior surface, a height direction extending from the interior surface to the exterior surface, a length direction extending in parallel to the exterior surface, the interior surface and the side surfaces, and a width direction extending between the two side surfaces perpendicular to the height direction and the length direction, and where slits and/or weakening sections extend into the sealing member from the exterior surface towards the interior surface, each slit and/or weakening section extending from one side surface to the other side surface, wherein the slits and/or weakening sections extend in parallel planes, each plane being substantially parallel to the height direction and extending at an angle of 15-75 degrees to the length direction, arranging a roofing material on the load-bearing structure so that the first leg of the flashing member projects under the roofing material in the mounted state and so that the roofing material rests on the sealing member and compresses one or more sections of the sealing member.

18. A method according to claim 17 wherein each plane extends at an angle of 30-60 degrees to the length direction.

19. A method according to claim 17 wherein each plane extends at an angle of 45 degrees to the length direction.

20. A method according to claim 17, characterized in that the slits and/or weakening sections extend over at least half of the height of the sealing member.

21. A method according to claim 17, characterized in that an interior part of the sealing member closest to the interior surface is without slits or weakening section.

22. A method according to claim 21, characterized in that the height of the interior part constitutes at least of the height of the sealing member.

23. A method according to claim 22, characterized in that the width of the interior part is substantially constant over its height and that the width of the remaining exterior part of the sealing member decreases continuously towards the exterior surface.

24. A method according to claim 17, characterized in that the sealing member has a height in the height direction of 40-100 mm, and/or that the distance in the length direction between neighbouring slits and/or weakening sections is 5-40 mm.

25. A method according to claim 24 wherein the sealing member has a height in the height direction of 50-80 mm and/or that the distance in the length direction between neighbouring slits and/or weakening sections is 5-30 mm.

26. A method according to claim 24 wherein the sealing member has a height in the height direction of 60-75 mm and/or that the distance in the length direction between neighbouring slits and/or weakening sections is 10-20 mm.

27. A method according to claim 17, characterized in that the width of the sealing member is smaller at the exterior surface than at the interior surface.

28. A method according to claim 17, characterized in that the sealing member is made by extrusion or a continuous process and cut to length before use.

29. A method according to claim 17, characterized in that said sealing member was made integral with another sealing member and that the exterior surface is a cut surface where said sealing member was originally interconnected to said another sealing member.

30. A method according to claim 17, characterized in that said sealing member is made from an elastic material.

Description

(1) In the following the sealing member according to the invention will be described in further detail with reference to embodiments shown on the accompanying drawing, where:

(2) FIG. 1a shows an end view of a first embodiment of a sealing member according to the invention,

(3) FIG. 1b shows the sealing member in FIG. 1a from the side,

(4) FIG. 1c shows the sealing member in FIGS. 1a and 1b from above,

(5) FIG. 2a shows an end view of a second embodiment of a sealing member according to the invention,

(6) FIG. 2b shows the sealing member in FIG. 2a from the side,

(7) FIG. 2c shows the sealing member in FIGS. 2a and 2b from above,

(8) FIG. 3a shows an end view of a third embodiment of a sealing member according to the invention,

(9) FIG. 3b shows the sealing member in FIG. 3a from the side,

(10) FIG. 3c shows the sealing member in FIGS. 3a and 3b from above,

(11) FIG. 3d is an end view of an intermediate product in the manufacture of the sealing member in FIGS. 3a-3c

(12) FIG. 3e shows the intermediate product in FIG. 3d from the side,

(13) FIG. 4a shows an end view of a fourth embodiment of a sealing member according to the invention,

(14) FIG. 4b shows the sealing member in FIG. 4a from the side,

(15) FIG. 4c shows the sealing member in FIGS. 4a and 4b from above,

(16) FIG. 4d is an end view of an intermediate product in the manufacture of the sealing member in FIGS. 4a-4c

(17) FIG. 4e shows the intermediate product in FIG. 4d from the side,

(18) FIG. 5 shows a roof penetrating structure mounted with a flashing kit according to the invention in a perspective view,

(19) FIG. 6a is a cross-sectional view along the line VI-VI in FIG. 5, but with a first type of roof tile added,

(20) FIG. 6b is a cross-sectional view along the line VI-VI in FIG. 5, but with a second type of roof tile added,

(21) FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view along the line VII-VII in FIG. 5, but with a roof tile added,

(22) FIG. 8 shows a sealing member according to the invention fastened to a side flashing member and the connection to another flashing member with a sealing member in a perspective view, and

(23) FIG. 9 is a photo of a test installation of a flashing kit according to the invention using the upper right-hand corner of a roof window frame and transparent plastic tiles.

(24) Throughout the drawing like reference numbers have been used for parts having similar or analogous function, but this is not to be taken as an indication that such parts found in different figures are necessarily identical.

(25) The sealing member shown in FIGS. 1a-1c and generally designated 1 has a substantially elongated shape and a pre-defined cross section which is substantially uniform in the length direction L. An interior surface 11 is adapted to abut on a flashing member (not shown), an exterior surface 12 is adapted to face the exterior of a building, and two side surfaces 13 interconnects the interior and exterior surfaces. It is noted that the deformation of the sealing member, which occurs when the sealing member is compressed under the weight of a roofing material as will be described later, may result in the exterior surface being tilted to a different orientation and that the orientation towards the exterior explained above may therefore only by found in the non-compressed state.

(26) In the embodiment shown the sealing member 1 includes an interior part 14, which is hatched in FIG. 1c, and an exterior part 15. The interior part 14 is substantially homogeneous, uninterrupted and with a rectangular cross-sectional shape. The exterior part 15 is provided with slits and/or weakening sections 16 extending from the exterior surface 12 to the interior part 14 and from one side surface 13 to the other. Here the height H.sub.I of the interior part constitutes of the total height H of the sealing member.

(27) As may be seen in FIGS. 1b and 1c the slits and/or weakening sections 16 are located in parallel planes, each plane being substantially parallel to the height direction H and extending at an angle of 45 degrees to the length direction L. This angle in combination with the cross-sectional shape being symmetrical has been found to be advantageous as it does then not matter if the sealing member is turned one way or the other, but other angles may be employed and may even allow the different sections of the sealing member to easier adapt to the shape of the roofing material.

(28) The distance D in the length direction between neighbouring slits and/or weakening sections is 10 mm in FIGS. 1b and 1c, but it may be advantageous to divide the sealing member into smaller or larger sections depending for example on the dimensions of the roofing material pieces to be used.

(29) Both slits and weakening sections 16 may be made by cutting or melting the material or by any other process resulting in an interruption of the material, the difference being if the material is interrupted entirely or only partially.

(30) Here the entire sealing member 1 is made from the same material, but in other embodiments different parts may have different density and/or different structure and/or be made from different materials. A transition between different parts with different material properties may be gradual or abrupt and does not necessarily have to be located at the level where the slits and/or weakening sections end.

(31) In other embodiments weakening sections 16 are provided as sections of a weaker material than the rest of the sealing member 1. Such weakening sections will typically have a slightly larger thickness in the length direction L than those shown in FIGS. 1b and 1c. For the sake of clarity the relatively thin lines used to depict the slits and/or weakening sections in FIGS. 1 and 1c will also be used in other figures, but it will be understood that these may also represent weakening sections of a somewhat larger extend.

(32) The side surface 13 converge towards the exterior surface 12, here with an angle of 7 degrees, so that the width W.sub.E at the exterior surface is smaller than the width W.sub.I at the interior surface.

(33) The embodiment shown in FIGS. 1a-1c is intended for use with a roof window mounted in a standard configuration in a roof covered with undulated tiles. In some cases, however, the distance between the flashing members used along the outer sides of the roof window and the roofing material is larger and a higher sealing member is then needed. Such a sealing member is shown in FIGS. 2a-2c. As will be seen, this sealing member is substantially identical to the one described with reference to FIGS. 1a-1c except for the exterior part 15 being higher and the width W.sub.E at the exterior surface being somewhat smaller, and this sealing member will therefore not be described in further detail.

(34) Another embodiment of a sealing member 1 is shown in FIGS. 3a-3c. As will be seen, this embodiment different from the one in FIGS. 1a-1c in that the exterior surface 12 is substantially flat instead of rounded. Such a shape may be achieved by moulding or extrusion, which are the preferred methods for manufacturing the sealing members shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, but in the present case it has been achieved by making two sealing members simultaneously and interconnected as shown in FIGS. 3d and 3e, and then separating them by cutting. The cut line 17 then forms the exterior surfaces 12 of the two resulting sealing members. In the embodiment shown the slits and/or weakening sections 16 are not yet provided in the intermediate product shown in FIGS. 3d and 3e, but are provided either simultaneous with the separation step or subsequently. They could, however, also be made in connection with the moulding or extrusion process, particularly if using weakening sections of a different material as described above.

(35) When making the sealing members from a foamed polymer by moulding or extrusion, the process will usually result in the formation of a skin layer with a slightly higher density than the rest of the profile. This skin layer has been indicated by the broken line 18 in FIGS. 3a and 3d. When separating the intermediate product in FIGS. 3d and 3e into two sealing members, the skin layer will be found only on the interior surfaces 11, 11 and side surfaces 13, whereas the interior of the material will be exposed at the exterior surface 12. This usually results in the exterior surface having a more open structure and a higher coefficient of friction then the other surfaces. The skin layer is generally being considered advantageous as it increases the weather resistances and makes it harder for dirt to adhere to the surface, but as the exterior surface will be in contact with or at least well protected underneath the roofing material, the advantages of having an exterior surface with a higher coefficient of friction, which will be described below, is presently considered to outweigh the disadvantage of interrupting the skin layer.

(36) While the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3a-3e is intended for use with a roof window mounted in a standard configuration in a roof covered with undulated tiles in the same way as the sealing member in FIGS. 1a-1c, the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4a-4e is intended to serve the same purpose as the embodiment in FIGS. 2a-2c. As described with references to FIGS. 1 and 2, the embodiments in FIGS. 3 and 4 differ only with respect to height of the exterior part 15 and the width W.sub.E at the exterior surface, and the embodiment in FIGS. 4a-4e will therefore not be described in further detail.

(37) Turning now to FIG. 5 a roof window frame 2 is shown mounted in the load-bearing construction 3 of an inclined roof. The window frame is surrounded by a flashing frame 4, which includes four flashing members 41-44, each having a first leg lying substantially in the plane of the roof and a second leg extending at an angle with respect to the first leg covering a part of the outer side of the window frame, and which is partly overlapped by cover members 51-54. Each flashing member 41-44 is provided with a sealing member 1 of the types shown in FIGS. 4a-4c, which is here shown without the slits and/or weakening sections for the sake of simplicity. At the intersection between adjoining flashing members, the flashing members may be connected with each other in any suitable manner, e.g. by folding, welding or by any other method and the same applies to the cover members. In FIG. 5 the flashing members are shown with integrated corner sections, but it is also possible to provide a plurality of separate flashing corner members for connection of adjoining flashing members. Water gathered at the top of the window is led down along the sides of the window and further down to the roofing below the window via a skirt 45 in a manner known per se.

(38) Here the flashing is composed of several members, but a unitary flashing may of course also be utilized, just as the number and arrangement of cladding and covering members may vary. Likewise, the sealing members 1 may in principle have any extent in the longitudinal direction, but it is advantageous if the sealing member extends over substantially the entire length of the corresponding flashing member as shown in FIG. 5, and it is even possible to let one sealing member extend over two or more flashing members.

(39) FIGS. 6a and 6b show two different cross-sectional perspective views along the line VI-VI in FIG. 5, where a roof tile 6 has been arranged on top of the load-bearing structure 3 and the sealing member 1 so that the sealing member has been compressed under its weight. In FIG. 6a the space underneath the roof tile 6 is larger due to the curvature of the tile and the sealing member 1 has remained substantially in its original shape. In FIG. 6b on the other hand the tile 6 curves downwards towards flashing member 43 and has therefore compressed the sealing member 1 almost entirely.

(40) The situation at the top, above the window frame is shown in FIG. 7, which is a cross-sectional perspective view along the line VII-VII in FIG. 5. As may be seen the tile 6 is here kept at a distance above the top flashing member 42 by resting on a tile support rail 46 and the sealing member 1 is therefore less compressed than in FIG. 6b. It will, however, be understood that due to the curvature of the roof tile 6, the sealing member will be even less compresses at other sections, where the tile curves upwards towards the exterior.

(41) A sealing member 1 with slit and/or weakening section planes 16 arranged at an angle of 45 degrees is shown on a side flashing member 43 in FIG. 8. The end of the sealing member is cut in the same angle as the slits and/or weakening sections and has been arranged on the flashing member so that the end part 19, which is of a non-constant cross-sectional shape and delimited by the imaginary broken lines in FIG. 8, projects over the end of the flashing member. This allows the end part 19 to project over the edge of another flashing member and provide an overlap with a similar sealing member on an adjacent flashing member (not shown). It is, however, also possible to let the sealing member 1 end at level with the end of the flashing member 43 and instead let a sealing member on the adjacent flashing project upwards to provide the overlap, or to allow only half of the triangular end part 19 on both sealing members to project so that they both contribute to an overlap.

(42) Turning now to FIG. 9 the upper right-hand corner of a roof window frame 2 is shown mounted in an inclined load-bearing structure 3 with flashing members 42, 43, 46. Sealing members 1 are attached to the top flashing member 43 and the side flashing member 43 and a roofing of transparent undulated plastic tiles 6 have been laid on top of them. The sealing members used in this case are with slits arranged at an angle of 75 degrees to the length direction, i.e. close to perpendicular to the length direction.

(43) As may be seen the sealing member 1 on the top flashing member 42 has been compressed in an undulated pattern corresponding to the curvature of the roofing material 6. At the points where the sealing member is least compressed the slits have slightly opened at the exterior surface thereby allowing the sealing member to easily adapt to the shape of the tiles, but the angling of the slits ensure that the sealing remains substantially intact.

(44) In this embodiment, the sealing member extending along the side flashing member 43 has been made extra long so that it also extends over the top flashing member 42 up to the level of the sealing member extending horizontally thereon. In other embodiments, the top flashing member 42 would be provided with a sealing member extending in continuation of the sealing member on the side flashing member 43, possibly a single sealing member extending horizontally and then being bent over 90 degrees to come down along one or both sides towards the side flashing member(s) as shown in FIG. 5.

(45) The compression of the sealing member on the side flashing member 43 has resulted in the sections of the sealing underneath the uppermost part of each tile 6 being compressed almost to its maximum, while the sections underneath the lowermost part of each tile is just slight bent in a downwards direction.

(46) In this case the compression of the sections of the sealing member 1 underneath the uppermost part of each tile 6 has resulted in the exterior part of the sealing member 1 not only being compressed but also having tilted in direction away from the window frame 2. This need not be a problem, but with some types of sealing members it may result in unsatisfactory sealing properties. In order to reduce the risk of such sideways tilting the angle may be adjusted, but as the tilting is at least partly caused by the sealing member sliding over the surface of the roofing material during compression, it is also possible to increase friction between the roofing material and the sealing member. This may be done by a surface treatment of the sealing member, but will easily be achieved by providing the exterior surface as a cut surface as described above with reference to FIGS. 3d, 3e, 4d and 4e.

(47) The invention should not be regarded as being limited to the embodiments shown. On the contrary, various modifications and combinations of the features shown will be within the scope of the invention.