Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
Fascia Vent
TECHNICAL FIELD
100021 This disclosure relates generally to attic ventilation and more
specifically to fascia vents.
BACKGROUND
100031 Modern attic ventilation systems usually include outlet vents high on a
roof through
which hot air escapes from the attic, coupled with inlet vents in the soffit
or eve regions of the
roof. The outlet vents might, for instance, comprise ridge vents that extend
along and cover a
slotted roof ridge while inlet vents might include a plurality of louvered
vents covering openings
cut in the soffit. As hot air escapes the attic through the outlet vents by
means of convection,
which may be aided by vent fans in some cases, it is replaced by cooler
outside air that is drawn
into the attic through the inlet vents.
[0004] Many styles and configurations of inlet vents for attic spaces have
been designed and
used in the past. These include independent louvered soffit vents, continuous
strips of louvered
soffit vent, ventilating material installed behind or atop fascia boards, and
complicated louvered
fascia vents. A need persists, however, for an inlet vent that is effective,
easily installed by the
common carpenter, virtually undetectable when installed, and possessing a net
free ventilating
area (NFA) that compliments that of a companion roof vent such as a ridge
vent. It is to the
provision of such an inlet vent that the present invention is primarily
directed.
SUMMARY
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[0005] Briefly described, a combination fascia board and vent, referred to as
a fascia vent,
comprises an elongated fascia board having a width appropriate to form the
fascia of a gable roof
overhang. In one embodiment, the fascia board is fabricated of extruded
plastic composite
material, which may be formed with a hollow interior having longitudinally
extending ribs
forming longitudinal channels on the interior of the strip. Other materials,
such as, for instance,
solid plastics, solid composites, blown and skinned plastics, and wood may be
used. In any
event, the fascia board is formed on its inside face, i.e. the face that is
exposed to the attic when
the fascia vent is installed, with a plurality of spaced slots arrayed along a
bottom edge and each
slot extends laterally only part way across the width of the fascia board. The
fascia board is
installed by being fastened to the lower ends of the roof rafters with the
array of spaced slots
facing inwardly and with their bottom ends exposed to ambience along the
bottom edge of the
fascia board. Soffit boards are installed beneath the overhang between the
fascia boards and the
outside wall of a dwelling in the traditional way.
[0006] The exposed bottom ends of the slots in conjunction with the lengths of
the slots provide
vent paths for outside air to enter the attic. The number and spacing of the
slots is selected to
provide appropriate ventilating capacity to support the effective
replenishment of the attic with
fresh outside air as hot air exits the attic through the outlet vents. Thus,
circulation is established
that helps reduce the temperature within the attic as well as helping to
prevent formation of mold
and mildew due to trapped stagnant moist air. The fascia vent of this
embodiment is thus an
effective inlet vent for a variety of roof constructions including any roof
with a ridge or gable or
power exhaust vents. Further, it requires no special talent or tools to
install since it is applied by
a carpenter in the same manner as traditional fascia boards. Since the
installation of the fascia
board and vent are accomplished in a single operation, significant time is
saved as compared to
installing soffit or eve vents separately and in addition to the installation
of fascia boards.
[0007] In another application, the fascia vent offers the additional benefit
of providing for the
venting of intake air into a structure that does not have conventional soffits
or overhangs. In such
installations, the fascia vent is installed against the outside wall of the
structure beneath the roof
decking. The slots in the back side of the fascia vent provide air passages
for the flow in inlet air
into the attic above.
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100081 In an alternate embodiment, the fascia vent is formed from a length of
plastic or a
composite or other appropriate material with an plurality of side-by-side
substantially rectangular
vent pockets arrayed along its interior surface. A slot bounded by interior
and exterior slot walls
is formed along the bottom edge of the fascia vent and intercepts and
communicates with the
pockets. The exterior slot wall is shorter than the interior slot wall so that
airflow into the slot is
from the bottom front portion of the fascia vent rather than vertically
upwardly into the slot. This
provides better ventilation in situations where the bottom edge of the fascia
might be covered
such as when used in homes without overhanging eves. The vent pockets are
separated by ribs
and a wider rib is located every eight inches along the fascia vent. The wider
ribs are aligned
with the ends of roof rafters so that fasteners such as nails can be driven
through the wider ribs
and into the ends of the rafters to fasten the ridge vent to the soffit.
100091 An alternate embodiment is disclosed for use with roofs having wider
rafter tails such as,
for instance, eight (8) inch wide. This embodiment also is compatible with
narrower (6 inch for
instance) rafter tails if desired. In this embodiment, the vent pockets are
the same size and
configuration as other embodiments, but the exterior slot is coupled through
the pockets by
means of a deep plunge cut from the lower edge of the fascia board. Wide ribs
are left long to
support the resulting deeper vent slot.
100101 These and other objects, features, and advantages of the fascia vent
disclosed herein will
become more apparent upon review of the detailed description set forth below
when taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures, which are briefly described
as follows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the inside face of a fascia vent that
embodies principles of
the present invention in one possible configuration.
100121 FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view showing the fascia vent of FIG. 1
installed and
operational on a dwelling with a traditional soffit and overhang.
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[0013] FIG. 3 is a view of the underside of the soffit and overhang of FIG. 2
illustrating how the
slots in the fascia board form vents for inlet air to enter the attic space of
the dwelling.
[0014] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the fascia
vent illustrating the
interior surface and bottom slot configurations.
[0015] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the fascia vent of FIG. 4 from another
angle showing the
alignment slots formed along the top edge of the fascia vent.
[0016] FIG. 6 is a plan view of the interior surface of the fascia vent of
FIG. 4 illustrating its
wider ribs located at eight inch intervals.
[0017] FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of a portion of the eve of a home with
the fascia vent of
FIG. 4 installed. The cross section is taken through one of the vent pockets
in the interior surface
of the fascia vent.
[0018] FIG. 8 is a plan view of a section of the interior face of the fascia
vent of FIG. 4
illustrating an alternative configuration of installation of the mesh screen.
[0019] FIG. 9 is a cross section of a portion of a fascia vent showing an
alternate configuration
of the inlet to the elongated slot with aerodynamic properties.
[0020] FIGS. 10-12 illustrate an alternate embodiment of the fascia vent for
use with wide rafter
tails that also is compatible with narrower rafter tails.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0021] Reference is now made in more detail to the drawing figures, wherein
like reference
numerals refer, where appropriate, to like parts in the several views. FIG. 1
illustrates a fascia
vent that embodies principles of the invention in one possible configuration.
The fascia vent 11
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comprises an elongated fascia board 12 having an outside face 13 and an inside
face 14. The
outside face 13 and inside face 14 are spaced apart from each other and are
connected together
by a plurality of longitudinally extending internal ribs 18. The internal ribs
18, in turn, define a
plurality of longitudinally extending interior channels 19 along the length of
the fascia board 12.
The fascia board 12 also has a top edge 16 and a bottom edge 17. At least the
bottom edge 17 is
shaped to form a drip edge 20 along the bottom of the outside face 13 to
inhibit migration of
water across the bottom edge 17 to the inside face of the fascia board 12.
[0022] In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the fascia board 12 is extruded from a
plastic composite
material which may comprise, for example, polypropylene with fillers that may
include wood
fiber, sawdust, rice hulls, or any of a number of fillers known to those of
skill in the art.
Alternatively, the fascia board may be formed from extruded PVC plastic that
preferably is
blown to provide a lighter weight yet strong structure. Other materials such
as other plastics,
aluminum or galvanized steel, or even traditional wood may be used to
fabricate the fascia
boards. In one embodiment, the fascia vent is fabricated from a fire retardant
material, preferably
a material that meets "class A" fire rating standards. Traditional
thermoplastic and composite
materials may be rendered fire retardant by including certain additives such
as, for example,
magnesium trioxide, antimony, alpha-alkyl-D-glucoside, Silica gel combined
with potassium
carbonate, and other additives generally known to thermoplastic fabricators.
The fascia vent also
may be fabricated by methods other than extrusion such as, for instance,
injection molding,
thermoforming, or any other appropriate manufacturing technique. However, an
extruded
material such as extruded polypropylene with fillers is preferred because it
is strong, durable,
resistant to deterioration, and permits extrusion of the fascia boards in
significantly longer
lengths, which reduces installation time and the number of end joints that
result when the fascia
vent is installed.
[0023] The fascia board 12 in FIG. 1 is formed with an array of slots 21 that
arc spaced apart
along the inside face 14 of the fascia board. Each of the slots 21 extends
transversely from the
bottom edge 17 of the fascia board a predetermined distance to upper ends 23.
In the
embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the slots extend approximately half the
width of the fascia
board, although longer or shorter slots are possible. The depth of each slot
21 is less than the
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thickness of the fascia board, the slots extending inwardly in the illustrated
embodiment to the
inside surface of the outer face 13. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the slots 21
cut through the
support ribs 18 to form air passages that communicate between and among the
plurality of slots
21. Of course, in an embodiment in which the fascia board is solid, such as in
a fascia board
made of blown PVC or other plastic, or wood, air passages between adjacent
slots are not formed
when the slots are made. Thus, air passages communicating between and among
the slots is not a
requirement. The slots 21 may be formed by any appropriate process such as,
for example, by
being machined with a router or other cutting tool, by being cut out, or by
being molded directly
into the fascia board as it is extruded or otherwise formed.
[0024] FIG. 2 shows the fascia vent Ill of FIG. 1 installed on a dwelling and
is a cross section
taken through one of the slots 21. More specifically, an eve 24 is formed from
the projecting
ends of roof rafters 26, roof decking 27 and shingles 28 secured atop the roof
rafters, and a soffit
board 32 enclosing the bottom of the resulting rafter bay. The fascia vent 11
is secured to the
ends of roof rafters 26 with appropriate fasteners such as nails, screws,
adhesives, hangers, or
any other appropriate fasteners (not shown). The outside face 13 of the fascia
vent is exposed
and presents the appearance of a traditional fascia board secured to the
dwelling. In this regard,
the outside face 13 in composite or plastic embodiments of the fascia vent may
be formed with
impressions of wood grain to simulate more closely the appearance of a
traditional wooden
fascia board. Rain gutters 29 may be secured along the outside face 13 of the
fascia vent 11 using
fastening devices such as gutter spikes and brackets. The design of the
preferred embodiment of
the fascia vent with its extruded composite construction and internal support
ribs provides
rigidity and strength to allow for the penetration and support of gutter
fasteners and rain gutters
suspended thereon.
[0025] The slots 21 on the inside of the fascia board 12 are open to and
communicate with
ambience on their lower ends and extend upwardly above the soffit board 32 so
that upper end
portions of the slots are exposed to and communicate with the interior of the
otherwise enclosed
soffit bay. It will thus be seen that the slots together form a vent extending
along the entire length
of the fascia through which outside air is free to flow, as indicated by
arrows 31, through the
bottoms of the slots, into the soffit bay, and thus into the attic of the
dwelling. In this way, the
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attic can be replenished with cool fresh outside air as hot attic air is
expelled through ridge vents
or other outlet vents higher on the roof.
[0026] While the fascia vent is illustrated in FIG. 2 installed along the
overhang of a gable roof,
it will be understood that it is equally useful for providing attic
ventilation for dwellings having
roofs without a traditional soffit or overhang. In such installations, the
ends of the roof rafters are
substantially flush with the outside wall of the dwelling, which is
illustrated by phantom line 34
in FIG. 2, and the fascia vent is installed against the outside wall. The
function of the fascia vent
is substantially the same as described above, except that air flows directly
into the attic space
rather than first into an overhanging soffit bay.
[0027] FIG. 3 is a view from the bottom of the soffit overhang of FIG. 1 and
illustrates better the
open lower ends 22 of the ventilating slots 21. It can be seen here that the
ventilation slots are
subtle and aesthetically pleasing and, in fact, are virtually undetectable
when viewing a dwelling
from a distance. This is an improvement over traditional soffit vents, which
can be highly visible
along the underside of the soffit and are considered by some to be unsightly.
While not
illustrated in the figures, the slots preferably are filled or covered with a
material designed to
prevent insects and moisture from migrating into the attic through the slots.
For example, the
lower ends 22 of the slots may be covered with an overlapping screen material
or a vented strip
with openings sized to allow ventilation while preventing insect migration.
Alternatively, the
slots may be filled with an open weave mesh material such as that used in the
fabrication of
Cobra brand rolled ridge vent available from GAF Materials Corporation and
described in U.S.
Pat. No. 5,167,579. Such material permits air flow while inhibiting migration
of insects and
moisture through the vent slots.
[0028] The size and spacing of the vent slots 21 are predetermined to present
a total net free
ventilating area (NFA) at the soffit areas of a dwelling that compliments that
of typical ridge or
roof vent products. In this regard, a slot configuration that presents a total
NFA of between 6 to
18 square inches for each foot of roof is preferred. In one particular
example, a fascia vent
according to the invention is provided with six vent slots per linear foot of
fascia board. The
width of each vent slot is 1 inch, the length of each slot to the semicircular
top portion is 2
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inches, the radius of the semicircle at the top of each slot is 0.5 inch, and
the depth of each slot is
0.5 inch. With this configuration, the final installed NFA presented toward
the attic space is
about 11.3 square inches per linear foot of fascia vent where a 0.5 inch thick
attic board is used
for the soffit and about 9.9 square inches per linear foot of fascia vent
where a 0.75 inch thick
attic board is used. When the fascia on both sides of a roof are considered,
these numbers are
doubled to about 22.6 and 19.8 square inches for each foot of roof. Also for
this example, the
NFA per linear foot of fascia vent of the air inlet to the vent (i.e. the
exposed bottom ends of the
slots) is about 6.1 square inches per foot for a single fascia board and thus
about 12.2 total square
inches for each foot of roof. It thus will be seen that, for this example, the
effective NFA for each
foot of roof is about 12.2 square inches, which is within the preferred range
and compliments
well the NFA of typical ridge and roof vent products.
[0029] FIGS. 4 through 9 illustrate an alternate embodiment of the fascia vent
of this disclosure.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a section of a fascia vent of this embodiment
showing the inside
face and an end thereof The fascia vent 51 of this embodiment comprises an
elongated fascia
board 52 having an inside face 53, an outside face 54 and a top edge 55. The
fascia board 52 can
be made of any appropriate material such as, for instance, wood, wood
composite, plastic, plastic
composite or any other appropriate material, but preferably is formed of
Polyvinylchloride
(PVC) having a less dense foamed core and a more dense outer skin. An array of
vent pockets 56
are formed in the inside face 53 of the fascia board. Each vent pocket 56 is a
generally
rectangular depression formed in the vent board and is bounded by a floor 57
and side walls 58.
The corners of the vent pockets are rounded in this illustration; however,
this is not a
requirement of the invention.
[0030] The vent pockets 56 are separated from each other along the length of
the fascia board 52
by a set of relatively narrow ribs 59 and a set of relatively wide ribs 60.
The wide ribs 60
preferably are located at eight inch intervals along the length of the fascia
board and have a
width that corresponds to the width of a typical roof rafter, which may, for
example, be about 1.5
inches. In this way, a wide rib 60 can be aligned with the end of a
corresponding roof rafter
regardless of whether the roof rafters are spaced 16 inches on center or 24
inches on center.
Alignment slots 61 are formed in the top edge 55 of the fascia board and these
slots align with
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the wide ribs 60 to aid an installer in aligning the wide ribs with the ends
of roof rafters during
installation, as discussed in more detail below.
[0031] An elongated slot 62 is formed in and extends along the bottom edge
portion of the fascia
board. The slot 62 extends upwardly into the fascia board a sufficient
distance so that the slot 62
intersects the vent pockets 56, indicated at 63, thereby establishing a flow
path between the slot
62 and all of the vent pockets 56. The slot 62 is bounded on the inside of the
fascia board by a
relatively long interior leg 64 and on the outside of the fascia board by a
relatively short exterior
leg 66. As detailed below, this allows air to enter from the bottom front of
the fascia vent 51
rather than strictly from the bottom edge, which, in turn, provides certain
advantages,
particularly when installing the fascia vent on homes without an overhanging
eve. A generally
U-shaped mesh screen 67 is installed within and extends along the slot 62 to
prevent ingress of
insects into the vent pockets and, in turn, into an attic through the fascia
vent 51. The mesh
screen 67 can be fixed within the slot 62 in any appropriate manner, such as
by adhesive 68 or,
alternatively, by mechanical fasteners such as staples if desired. Regardless,
the mesh screen is
interposed in all vent passages between the slot 62 and the vent pockets 56.
Alternate barriers
such as, for instance, the aforementioned Cobra mesh material also may be
used within the
scope of the invention. As an alternative to mesh screen within the elongated
slot, FIG. 8
illustrates that the mesh screen 81 can be applied to the interior face of the
fascia vent, slit at the
ribs (indicated at 82) to form flaps of screen, and the flaps pressed and
extending into the vent
pockets and secured with, for example, staples 83. Of course, the mesh screen
can be secured by
other means such as, for instance, with adhesives, hot melt, or sonic welding.
With this
embodiment, the mesh screen also is interposed in the vent passages between
the elongated slot
and the vent pockets to prevent ingress of insects and the like.
[0032] The ends of the fascia vent 51 are formed with mating features, such as
a dado or half-lap
69. that allow ends of like fascia vents to be joined securely to produce a
water-tight joint. While
mating half-lap joints are illustrated, it will be understood that other
mating features such as, for
example, tongue-and-groove joint features might be substituted with equivalent
results. While
only a short section of the fascia vent 51 is illustrated in FIG. 4, it is
preferred that the fascia vent
be provided in long lengths such as, for example, 16 or 20 feet so that a
minimum number of
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joints are necessary along the length of an eve to which the fascia vent is
applied.
[0033] FIG. 5 is a view of the fascia vent 51 from another perspective showing
more clearly the
alignment grooves 61 formed in the top edge 55 of the vent. The alignment
grooves are centered
with respect to each of the wide ribs separating vent pockets 56. Thus, when
installing the fascia
vent along an eve, the installer can identify the locations of the wide ribs
60 from the outside
face 54 of the vent so that the wide ribs can be aligned easily with the ends
of roof rafters to
which the fascia vent is to be attached with nails or screws. Also visible in
FIG. 5 is the long
interior leg 64, the short exterior leg 66, and the mesh screen 67 installed
within and along the
slot.
[0034] FIG. 6 is a plan view of the fascia vent 51 showing the interior
surface thereof. While
only a short length of fascia vent is shown, it will be understood that the
actual fascia vent may
be many feet long, as mentioned above. As can be more clearly seen in FIG. 6,
the vent pockets
56 are separated by narrow ribs 59 and wide ribs 60, with the wide ribs being
spaced apart 8
inches on center. The alignment grooves 61 formed in the top edge of the
fascia vent are clearly
visible in FIG. 6 to indicate the center of each of the wide ribs 60. The
inwardly facing half-lap
69 is seen on the right end of the fascia vent in FIG. 6 and a corresponding
outwardly facing
half-lap 71 is shown on the left end of the fascia vent. The two oppositely
facing half-laps are
sized and configured to mate with each other to form a clean waterproof j oint
between two
lengths of fascia vent joined together at their ends. In addition, the ends of
the fascia vent are
located at the position where a wide rib would fall, so that the joint falls
at the location of a roof
rafter. In this way, fasteners such as nails may be driven through the joint
and into a rafter to fix
the joint securely.
[0035] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the fascia vent of this
embodiment installed
along the edge of an eve as a fascia board. The cross-section is taken through
the fascia vent
between two roof rafters. A roof includes a plurality of roof rafters 76 (only
one of which is
visible in FIG. 7). to the tops of which a roof deck 78 and shingles 79 are
attached. The angled
ends 77 of the roof rafters 76 typically overhang an outside wall of a
dwelling and are aligned
with each other to form an overhanging eve. The bottom of the eve is covered
by a soffit board
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81 that, with the roof deck, bounds the overhang to define a soffit bay that
is part of and in
communication with the attic space of the dwelling.
[0036] The fascia vent 51 is installed along the aligned ends of the roof
rafters 76 to form the
fascia of the roof structure. More specifically, the fascia vent is oriented
along the ends of the
roof rafters by an installer and its position adjusted so that at least one of
the alignment slots,
which are visible to the installer from the outside face of the vent, is
positioned at the center of a
corresponding roof rafter. This insures, in turn, that the end of each roof
rafter aligns with one of
the wide ribs on the inside face of the fascia vent. The fascia vent can then
be attached to the
ends of the roof rafters 76 by driving nails 90 through the wide ribs of the
fascia vent and into the
ends of the roof rafters as shown, thereby closing the soffit bay. Of course,
other fasteners such
as screws and/or adhesives might also be used.
[0037] With the fascia vent 51 thus installed, it will be seen that a
ventilation path is established
between the outside ambient atmosphere and the attic space of the dwelling.
More specifically,
as hot attic air flows by convection out of the attic through roof vents such
as, for instance, ridge
vents, this draws cool ambient air (illustrated by arrows 85 in FIG. 7)
through the slot 62 along
the bottom edge of the fascia vent, into the vent pockets 56, and into the
attic. Further, the short
leg 66 bounding the outside of the slot 62 and the long leg 64 bounding the
inside of the slot 62
defines an inlet to the slot and thus to the attic that is oriented toward the
front of the fascia vent
rather than being oriented strictly vertically from the bottom. This feature
can be important,
particularly when the fascia vent of this disclosure is installed on a
dwelling without an
overhanging eve and flush with an outside facade of the dwelling. This type of
dwelling is
illustrated in phantom lines in FIG. 7, where the outside wall 86 of the
dwelling is substantially
aligned with the elongated slot of the fascia vent and typically is covered
with a facade, such as,
for instance, clapboards 87, which may be substantially flush with the outside
face of the fascia
vent. As can be seen, the fascia vent still provides ventilation since the
inlet to the elongated slot
and the vent pockets faces toward the outside rather than downwardly. With the
embodiment of
FIG. 1, the facade is likely to cover partially or completely the vent
openings along the bottom
edge of the fascia vent, thereby limiting or blocking airflow through the
fascia vent. However,
with the alternate embodiment of FIGS. 4 through 9, the inlet of the elongated
slot faces outward
11
so that the facade does not interfere with airflow through the fascia vent and
the fascia vent can
be mounted flush with the outside of the dwelling.
100381 While the dimensions of the various features of the embodiment of FIGS.
4 through 9 can
be selected to accommodate particular design requirements, the following
dimensions have been
found to provide a net free ventilation area (NFA) at the eves of a structure
that compliments that
of corresponding attic vents such as ridge vents, and thus represents the best
mode of carrying
out the invention. The preferred thickness of the fascia board from its
interior surface to its
exterior surface is approximately 1.25 inches and the legs that bound the slot
along the bottom
edge of the fascia board preferably are approximately 0.25 inch thick. This
means that the slot
itself is 0.75 inch wide. The interior leg preferably is approximately 1.25
inches long while the
exterior leg preferably is about 0.5 inches long, meaning that the distance
between the bottom of
the exterior leg and the bottom of the interior leg is approximately 0.75
inch, the same width as
the slot itself. This forms an outside facing inlet with the same NFA as the
slot. The fascia board
itself preferably is approximately 6 inches wide with the vent pockets being
approximately 4.375
inches tall. The depth of the vent pockets formed in the interior face of the
fascia board
preferably is approximately 1 inch, such that the floors of the vent pockets
are coextensive with
the inside surface of the exterior leg bounding the slot. With these
dimensions, it can be
established that the NFA of the fascia vent of this embodiment is about 9
square inches per foot
of fascia vent. When two opposite eves are provided with fascia vents, the
total NFA along the
eves of the roof is then 18 inches per foot of roofline, which compliments
very well the NFA of a
typical ridge vent or other roof vent. Of course, any NFA between about 6 and
about 12 square
inches per linear foot of fascia vent may be acceptable.
[00391 FIG. 9 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the fascia vent that
includes an aerodynamic inlet to the elongated slot that presents less
resistance to incoming air
flow and thus enhances the ventilation properties of the fascia vent. FIG. 9
is a cross-section of
the lower portion of the fascia vent taken through one of the vent pockets 90.
In this
embodiment, the outside leg 93 is formed with a smoothly curved interior edge
96 and the inside
leg 94 with a smoothly curved outwardly extending lip 97. The curved interior
edge 96 and the
curved lip 97 together bound and define an aerodynamic inlet to the elongated
slot 92 that faces
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outward and that admits ventilating air 98 to the elongated slot 92 and
ultimately to the attic with
less frictional resistance.
[0040] FIGS. 10-12 illustrate an alternate embodiment designed to be installed
along the ends of
the tails of wider roof rafters. For example, standard rafter tails may be
about 6 inches long;
however, some rafter tails may be about 8 inches long and thus require a wider
fascia board and,
accordingly, a wider fascia vent. It is desirable, however, that the wider
fascia vent also be
compatible with narrower rafters with shorter rafter tails. Referring to FIGS.
10-12, a fascia vent
111 comprises a fascia board 112 having an outside face 113, an inside face
114, a top edge 117
and a bottom edge portion 120. As with the previously described embodiment, an
array of
rectangular vent pockets 117 are formed in the inside face 114 of the fascia
board 112 and are
separated by narrow ribs 118 and wider ribs 119. As with the previously
described embodiment,
the wider ribs are spaced to that a wide rib aligns with the rafter tail of a
standard spaced (16 inch
on center) roof rafter to that fasteners can be driven through the wider ribs
and into the rafter tails
to secure the fascia vent. In one embodiment, the wider ribs are spaced at
eight inch intervals.
[0041] A vent slot 121 is formed along the lower edge portion 120 of the
fascia board and
intersects the bottoms 129 of the wider ribs 119. However, this vent slot does
not extend
sufficiently far into the fascia board 112 to intersect the vent pockets 117
in order to form a flow
path from the bottom edge portion 120 of the fascia vent to the interior of an
attic. Accordingly,
and with particular reference to FIG. 11, a significantly deeper plunge cut
123 is made in the
bottom edge portion of the fascia board between the wider (and now longer)
ribs 119. The cut
may be formed with an appropriate bit at a router station during manufacture
of the fascia vent,
or may be formed in any other appropriate manner. The plunge cuts are
sufficiently deep to
intersect with the vent pockets 117 at their upper extent, thus forming a
substantially
uninterrupted air flow path from the vent slot 121 to the vent pockets, from
where air can then
vent into an adjacent attic space. The longer and wider ribs 119 provide
structural support for the
bottom portion 120 of the fascia vent and also provide structure for nails or
other fasteners to be
driven through into corresponding rafter tails.
[0042] Preferably in this embodiment, the vent pockets 119 are substantially
the same
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CA 02777194 2012-08-08
dimensions as those of the narrower embodiment described above. In this way,
the wider fascia
vent of this embodiment can also be installed along narrower rafter tails if
desired and still
provide the desired ventilation. Also, while not shown in FIGS. 10-12, insect
screening
preferably is installed in a manner similar to that of the previously
described embodiment to
prevent ingress of insects and debris into the attic space beneath a roof.
[0043] The invention has been described herein in the context of preferred
embodiments and
methodologies considered by the inventors to represent the best modes of
carrying out the
invention. It will be understood, however, that various modifications to the
illustrated
embodiments, both subtle and gross, may be made by skilled artisans without
departing from the
spirit and scope of the invention. For instance, while preferred materials for
the fabrication of the
fascia vent have been presented, any material or fabrication process suitable
for making the
fascia vent is intended to be included herein. Further, the particular
configurations or shapes of
the slots, their sizes, and their lateral extent all may be modified to meet a
particular commercial
application or need. The slots need not extend completely through the inside
face of the fascia
board along their entire lengths, but may, for instance, be enclosed at their
bottoms and open
within the soffit bay area of a roof In the alternate embodiment of FIGS. 4
through 9, the vent
pockets have been illustrated as rectangular in shape; however, they may take
on other shapes
such as, for instance, triangular, circular, oval, or otherwise so long as
sufficient air flow is
established into an attic. Mechanisms other than the illustrated alignment
grooves may be
employed to assist an installer to align the fascia properly for fastening to
the ends of roof rafters.
For example, small indentations, small bumps, or a marking on the exterior
face of the vent
might mark the locations of the wide ribs equally well. Further, while the
preferred configuration
of this embodiment includes a plurality of spaced apart vent pockets on the
inside face of the
fascia board, it is within the scope of the invention that a single long vent
pocket be provided.
Thus, the term "vent pocket" as used herein and in the claims should be
construed broadly to
include a plurality of spaced pockets, a single long vent pocket, or any
appropriate feature that
communicates with the attic space when the fascia vent is installed. Also,
while the slot is
formed along the bottom edge of the fascia board in the preferred embodiment,
it might just as
well be formed at another location on the fascia board, such as, for instance,
along the outside
face, so long as the slot communicates with the ambient atmosphere and one or
more vent
14
CA 02777194 2012-08-08
pockets. The scope of the present invention is not limited by these and other
details but rather is
defined and circumscribed only by the language of the following claims.
