Flame, Ember and Rain Resistant Vent Inserts for Roof Vents

Abstract

The devices and methods described below provide for flame, ember and rain resistant vent inserts for existing installed roof vents that do not require breaking the weather resistant membrane of the roof or create damage to the surrounding building materials to install.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A flame, ember and rain resistant vent insert for a roof vent having a cover, a skeleton and a downslope vent opening, a vent cavity between the cover and the skeleton and one or more secondary vent openings through a vent skeleton in fluid communication with the vent cavity and the downslope vent opening, the flame, ember and rain resistant vent insert comprising:
 a generally planar insert base;   an external diverter oriented perpendicular to and intersecting the generally planar insert base along a drain line;   a plurality of weep holes, through the generally planar insert base and the external diverter, intersecting the drain line;   an internal filter having a structural screen combined with a filter mesh, the internal filter sized to surround at least 3 sides of each of the one or more secondary ventilation openings and to span the vent cavity from the cover to the skeleton; and   a downslope filter operable to obstruct the downslope vent opening.   
     
     
         2 . The flame, ember and rain resistant vent insert of  claim 1  wherein the roof vent is a low profile vent with a sub-flashing. 
     
     
         3 . The flame, ember and rain resistant vent insert of  claim 1  wherein the roof vent is a flat tile vent. 
     
     
         4 . The flame, ember and rain resistant vent insert of  claim 1  wherein the roof vent is an M-type vent. 
     
     
         5 . The flame, ember and rain resistant vent insert of  claim 1  wherein the roof vent is an S-type vent. 
     
     
         6 . A method of installing a flame, ember and rain resistant vent insert on a roof with roof vents, comprising the steps:
 providing the flame, ember and rain resistant vent insert that corresponds to the roof vents;   orienting the insert base parallel to, and co-planer with, the vent skeleton with the insert base between the skeleton and the internal filter and the internal filter between the downslope vent opening and the external diverter;   sliding the vent insert into the downslope vent opening with internal filter entering first;   stopping insertion when the downslope filter obstructs the downslope vent opening and the external diverter remains outside the downslope vent opening; and   securing the vent insert to the vent skeleton.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the provided flame, ember and rain resistant vent insert is a low profile vent insert. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the provided flame, ember and rain resistant vent insert is a flat tile vent insert. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the provided flame, ember and rain resistant vent insert is an M-type tile vent insert. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the provided flame, ember and rain resistant vent insert is an S-type tile vent.