Weep hole screen device and method

A screen device to prevent animal entry into weep holes of foundation walls is formed from flexible, polymeric materials such as nylon or other conventional plastics. The screen device includes a frame having inner and outer sections with a porous barrier therebetween. The method of installing the screen device over a foundation wall weep hole includes the step of sealing the edges of the outer frame section with a standard silicone sealant, and thereafter inserting a porous barrier into the outer frame section. The porous barrier is releasably held in place with an inner frame section which is lastly placed in and connected to the outer frame section.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
 The invention herein pertains to a device to prevent insects, snakes and
 other small animals from entering the crawl space of a building, and
 particularly pertains to a device for preventing such animals from
 entering the crawl space through weep holes in foundation walls.
 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION
 Foundation walls for houses and other buildings are often veneered or
 include brick. To prevent excess moisture build-up, weep holes are formed
 at specified intervals in the foundation which usually consists of an
 absence of mortar between the ends of abutting bricks. Thus, should
 moisture collect in the foundation wall, the weep holes allow some air to
 circulate and the moisture to be removed. While these weep holes are
 important for the wall, they also provide a compelling entry for insects,
 small snakes, lizards and other small undesirable animals. For example, it
 is not unusual for termites or bees to use a weep hole for entry or nest
 construction, thus blocking the weep holes and causing harm to the
 building structure. In southern Texas roaches and large bees cause
 homeowners problems by nesting and crawling into the weep holes, often
 multiplying in or closely nearby.
 In order to prevent insect entry, it has been known in the past to place
 screen wire within the weep holes to prevent access. However, by merely
 plugging the weep hole with screen wire or other porous materials, small
 insects can infiltrate the plugged weep holes even though passage is
 somewhat obstructed. If such insects build a nest within the plugged weep
 hole, air passage is greatly reduced, therefore defeating the original
 purpose of the weep hole.
 With the problems associated with prior attempts at preventing animal entry
 into the weep holes, the present invention was conceived and one of its
 objectives is to provide a device to prevent animal entry by the use of a
 porous barrier positioned over the weep hole.
 It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a porous
 barrier contained within a flexible frame which can be contoured to the
 outer wall structure.
 It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a device
 which includes a flexible frame having inner and outer sections with an
 easily removable porous barrier sandwiched in between.
 Yet still another objective of the present invention is provide a method
 for preventing animal entry into a weep hole by the use of a porous
 barrier which is releasably attached for easy cleaning.
 Various other objectives and advantages of the present invention will
 become apparent to those skilled in the art as a more detailed description
 is set forth below.
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 The aforesaid and other objectives are realized by providing a screen
 device and method which will prevent insects and other small animals from
 entering crawl spaces or foundation walls through weep holes contained
 therein. The device includes a porous barrier or screen which may be
 formed from polyester, nylon or other polymeric materials as are
 commercially available for use as window screens. The porous barrier is
 contained within an outer frame and is held in place by an inner frame
 having tabs to allow it to be releasably, yet tightly secured to the outer
 frame. Both the outer and inner frames are formed from flexible plastic or
 polymeric materials such as by molding, stamping or other conventional
 methods. By the use of flexible polymeric materials, the frame can be
 easily bent and contoured to the foundation wall which may be rough and
 uneven. A conventional silicone sealant is applied to the edges of the
 frame and/or porous barrier to seal the same to the foundation wall around
 the weep hole. By carefully sealing the frame to the outer surface of the
 foundation wall, insects such as roaches, bees and the like are then
 forced to attempt to enter the weep hole through the porous barrier
 contained therein, which, is sized to prevent such entry. Should the
 porous barrier become dirty or clogged, the inner frame section can be
 easily removed and the porous barrier extracted for cleaning purposes
 where it can then be easily replaced.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT AND OPERATION OF THE
 INVENTION
 For a better understanding of the invention and its method of use, turning
 now to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a typical installation of preferred weep
 hole screen device 10. As seen, weep hole screen device 10 is attached to
 a brick (upper) and concrete (lower) foundation wall 11 of, for example a
 conventional single family dwelling (not seen) by first affixing outer
 frame section 16 to foundation wall 11. Next, porous barrier 15 is placed
 in the fixed outer frame section 16 and lastly, inner frame section 17 is
 positioned on porous barrier 15 as inner frame section 17 is connected
 within outer frame section 16. As would be understood, weep hole screen
 device 10 is used to cover weep holes 13 of which a plurality are spaced
 incrementally around the foundation of a conventional house or other
 structure having a crawl space therebeneath. While not shown in FIG. 1,
 all foundation wall weep holes 13 would employ screen device 10 to prevent
 insects and other small animals from access to the crawl space by the use
 of a porous barrier 15 selected with proper size apertures as illustrated
 in FIGS. 3 and 9.
 An optional tear-away perimeter 30 is shown in FIG. 6 which allows a larger
 base for attachment for outer frame section 16, for very rough or uneven
 foundation walls. Perimeter 30 can be easily removed from outer frame
 section 16 by manually tearing as desired.
 In FIGS. 3 and 4, screen device 10 includes a porous barrier 15 as seen in
 FIG. 9 which may be preferably formed from a standard polymeric screen
 material as used for conventional window screens. Porous barrier 15 is
 contained and securely held in place by outer frame section 16 and inner
 frame section 17 (FIG. 8) which are formed from a polymeric material such
 as polyvinyl chloride, polyester, nylon or the like which is flexible.
 Inner frame section 17 is thus joined to outer frame section 16 by the use
 of tabs 18, 18' which pass through slots 19, 19' of outer frame section 16
 as in FIGS. 3, 5, and 7. This assembly allows porous barrier 15 to be
 easily removed and cleaned as necessary.
 Many foundation walls formed from concrete with brick or stone have
 somewhat uneven surfaces as seen in FIG. 2. In order to insure that
 insects do not enter weep holes 13 even with screen device 10 in place, a
 durable adhesive such as a conventional silicone caulk or sealant 20 is
 preferred for use around the outer edges of frame section 16. As earlier
 explained, outer frame section 16 and inner frame section 17 are formed
 from flexible polymeric materials and can be bent and distorted as needed
 to carefully profile the outer foundation wall area around weep holes 13.
 Thus by bending screen device 10 and sealing it with silicone sealant 20,
 an insect-proof weep hole is provided which will prevent insect damage to
 the building while allowing weep holes 13 to release moisture as
 originally intended. Also inner frame section 17 can be easily removed,
 exposing porous barrier 15 for exchange or removal for cleaning purposes.
 As an alternative embodiment, weep hole screen device 25 is shown in FIG.
 10 having a long upper tab 21 protruding therethrough. Upper tab 21 can be
 turned or twisted for positioning within top slot 27 of outer frame
 section 26 as shown in FIG. 14. Bottom slot 27' (FIG. 12) as the same as
 bottom slot 19' as seen in FIGS. 3, 5, and 6 of screen device 10. Outer
 frame section 26 (FIGS. 10, 12 and 13) is identical in all respects to
 outer frame section 16 as shown in FIG. 6 except that slot 27 (FIG. 14)
 has wide and narrow portions thus, tab 21 (FIG. 11) must be twisted and as
 it passes through the narrow portion of opening 27 and upon release
 returns to its normal lateral position as shown in FIG. 12 thus preventing
 tab 21 from inadvertently slipping from opening 27 during normal use. As
 earlier described inner frame section 28 like outer frame section 26 is
 formed from a flexible polymeric material.
 The illustrations and examples provided herein are for explanatory purposes
 and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims.