Devices and methods to provide air circulation space proximate to insulation material

Abstract

Insulation spacer devices, methods and related construction techniques are provided. An exemplary device may include a body having a plurality of openings defining an openwork, to allow the passage of air therethrough when placed in contact with insulation material. The device may further include a plurality of spacer struts and/or spacing depressions fixedly attached to the body. The struts may be configured to maintain a predetermined distance between a first side of the insulation material and a building surface. The body and struts act together to define and maintain a space between the first side of the insulation material and the building surface, for example, for ventilation. The building surface can be the bottom face of a roof, an insulated attic floor, wall sheathing or a soundproofed demising wall, for example. The spacer device can be capable of being transported and stored together with, or as a separate item from, the insulation material, and can also be stored in nested layers. The device can also be stored in rolled form. The openwork of the device can additionally or alternatively include a sheet of Entangled net filaments or other similar material.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A fibrous insulation batt including a fibrous batt and at least one spacer extending therefrom that are configured to space the insulation batt from a building surface. 
     
     
         2 . The fibrous insulation batt of  claim 1 , wherein:
 a) the at least one spacer is made from a material different than the material of the fibrous batt; and   b) the at least one spacer is attached to the fibrous insulation batt.   
     
     
         3 . The fibrous insulation batt of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one spacer includes a plurality of struts. 
     
     
         4 . The fibrous insulation batt of  claim 3 , wherein at least one of the struts includes a barb for anchoring the strut into the batt. 
     
     
         5 . The fibrous insulation batt of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one spacer includes a layer of breathable material that is attached to the batt. 
     
     
         6 . The fibrous insulation batt of  claim 5 , wherein at least one of the struts anchors the layer of breathable material to the batt. 
     
     
         7 . The fibrous insulation batt of  claim 3 , wherein the struts are collapsible to facilitate shipment and storage of the fibrous insulation batt. 
     
     
         8 . The fibrous insulation batt of  claim 7 , wherein the batt is configured in a planar orientation for shipment and storage of the fibrous insulation batt. 
     
     
         9 . The fibrous insulation batt of  claim 8 , wherein a surface including said struts is folded upon itself such that the bat is configured in a planar orientation for shipment and storage. 
     
     
         10 . The fibrous insulation batt of  claim 7 , wherein the batt is configured in a rolled orientation for shipment and storage of the fibrous insulation batt. 
     
     
         11 . The fibrous insulation batt of  claim 2 , wherein the insulation batt principally includes fiberglass fibers. 
     
     
         12 . The fibrous insulation batt of claim  24 , wherein the insulation batt principally includes rock wool fibers. 
     
     
         13 . The fibrous insulation batt of  claim 2 , wherein the insulation batt principally includes polymeric fibers. 
     
     
         14 . The fibrous insulation batt of  claim 1 , further comprising a layer made from strands of polymeric material defining openings therethrough to permit the passage of moisture to facilitate the ventilation of the thermal insulation. 
     
     
         15 . The fibrous insulation batt of  claim 1 , further comprising a layer attached to and extending beyond the insulation batt to facilitate attachment of the batt to a building structure. 
     
     
         16 . A building structure, comprising:
 a) a wall or roof structure formed from a plurality of vertically-oriented studs or rafters to form an external panel of the building;   b) a building panel applied to an outer surface of the studs or rafters, wherein an inner facing surface of the building panel defines an inwardly facing building surface; and   c) an insulation batt disposed between the studs and/or rafters, the batt including a mass of entangled thermoplastic fibers, defined by:
 i) a generally planar inner surface that is elongate, generally rectangular, and suitable for disposing against an outwardly facing surface of wallboard; 
 ii) a plurality of generally rectangular side surfaces extending generally orthogonally from the first surface and facing the studs or rafters; and 
 iii) a generally planar outer surface in intimate contact with the inwardly facing building surface that is parallel to the inner surface of the batt and adjoins the side surfaces, the outer surface defining a plurality of longitudinal ventilation channels thermoformed into the batt along its length, the channels having a length, and depth, and a width having a dimension that is on the order of the depth, the longitudinal channel defining an open flow path along their length for permitting an airflow to develop between the inwardly facing building surface and the mass of the batt to facilitate heat and mass transfer from the batt to fluid passing through the ventilation channels, the depth of the plurality of longitudinal ventilation channels being substantially less than a thickness of the batt defined between the inner and outer surfaces of the batt, the depth of the plurality of longitudinal grooves is between about ⅝ inch and about 1.5 inches, and the outer surface of the batt further including a plurality of ventilation penetrations formed therein along its length to help facilitate heat and mass transfer from the insulation to fluid passing through the ventilation channels. 
   
     
     
         17 . The building structure of  claim 16 , wherein the second surface of the batt includes a plurality of transversely oriented grooves that intersect with the plurality of longitudinal grooves. 
     
     
         18 . The building structure of  claim 17 , wherein the batt further includes a membrane layer attached to and extending beyond the sides of the insulation batt, the membrane layer being attached to the studs or rafters.