Hole sealing water-tight plug

Disclosed are several embodiments of a water-tight plug which are particularly suitable to close and seal holes drilled through the exterior wall surface of a house or mobile home during installation of insulation materials. The disclosed plugs include fluid-tight sealing means provided adjacent a head of the plug which is sandwiched during plug installation between a surface around the periphery of a hole and the plug head. In addition, the plugs include a projection from the plug head extending into the hole and a means for radially outwardly expanding at least a portion of the projection against the interior periphery of the hole and locking the projection in its radially expanded position to lock the plug in position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates generally to plugs for sealing holes, and, 
more particularly, to plugs for sealing holes drilled through the interior 
or exterior wall surface of a house or mobile home during, for example, 
the installation of insulation materials. 
Over the past few years the technique of blowing in insulation through 
holes drilled in the walls of houses and mobile homes has become very 
popular as a convenient way to insulate an uninsulated structure or to add 
additional insulation. This technique requires the drilling of a series of 
holes in either an interior or exterior wall, blowing in insulation and 
then sealing the holes with a patch or plug after installation of the 
insulation. For the sake of simplicity and convenience, the holes are 
usually drilled in the exterior wall and plugs are used to close them. A 
serious problem occurs with sealing exterior wall holes with plugs as the 
plugs now used permit the entrance of water past the plug and into the 
insulated wall. As a result of the plug leaking, the installed insulation 
soon becomes wet, whereupon it loses its insulation value and, in cold 
weather, freezes thereby forming a block of ice-encased insulation between 
the interior and exterior walls of the insulated structure. 
In addition to losing its insulation value, wet insulation, particularly 
cellulose, also loses much of its fire retardency capability, thus 
providing the potential for a serious tragedy should a fire occur. If foam 
insulation is used, the entering water can cause it to shrink and separate 
and create an unattractive chemical residue which can pass through the 
leaking plug and drip down an exterior wall. The entrance of water also 
causes a settling of the insulation leaving gaps of uninsulated areas in 
the wall and further results in the warping and rotting of the wood 
framing members used to construct the walls. Thus, over a period of years 
subsequent to an insulation job, major structural damage can result. 
Conventional plugs are also retained in place by a simple force fit of a 
projecting portion of a plug into the hole often producing a loose fit 
which is insufficient to retain a plug in place, particularly after water 
seeps into the interior wall and the structural wall support members begin 
to warp and rot or wet insulation begins to dry out. In addition, the 
installed compacted insulation presses against the projecting portion of a 
plug further inhibiting long term retention of a plug in place. 
Conventional plugs are also designed to fit in a perfectly drilled hole; 
consequently, if the hole is not properly drilled, the plugs will not be 
reliably retained in place. Accordingly, after insulation conventional 
plugs often project away from a sealed exterior wall surface by a quarter 
of an inch or more and in some instances the plugs fall out. This further 
aggravates the problem of preventing ingress of water into the interior of 
an unsulated wall. 
The fluid leakage problems are particularly acute in a mobile home having a 
flat roof and an exterior siding which consists solely of an aluminum 
sheet which runs from floor to ceiling. If the hole is drilled at a 
relatively high position on the exterior siding and water enters because 
of an insufficient sealing of the plug to the exterior surface, this water 
will run all the way down the interior side of the aluminum sheet wetting 
all adjacent insulation. If a hole is drilled in the roof and an installed 
plug leaks, the entering water can ruin an interior ceiling and roof 
support in addition to the installed insulation. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is designed to overcome the water leakage and 
retention in place problems associated with conventional plugs by 
providing an easily installed plug which forms a highly effective 
fluid-tight seal between it and an adjacent wall surface and which remains 
in place once installed. The plug includes a head portion, a projection 
connected to the head portion which fits into a hole, and means for 
radially outwardly expanding the plug projection and for locking it in its 
radially expanding condition to positively lock the plug in position. The 
fluid-tight sealing is accomplished by providing a gasket of suitable 
material, for example, a closed cell foam in a recess provided in the plug 
head which is sandwiched during plug installation between a surface 
containing a hole to be sealed and the plug head. The means for causing 
radial expansion of the plug projection may include a plate abutting a 
tapered interior periphery of the projection which causes radial expansion 
of the projection as the plate is drawn toward the plug head by the 
pulling of a rod connected to the plate, the rod passing through the plug 
head where it can engage with a drawing tool. After radial expansion of 
the projection, the plate is locked in position. 
The rod may be pulled by a manipulation tool which can be an ordinary and 
readily procurable pop rivet tool. Thus no special tools are required to 
provide a highly effective sealing. 
Alternatively, the means for causing radial expansion may include a sleeve 
portion of the projection surrounding a tapered outer periphery projection 
portion connected with the head portion, the sleeve being drawn along the 
tapered portion toward the plug head causing its radial expansion by a 
suitable specially designed tool inserted through a plug aperture. 
In yet another arrangement, the means for causing radial expansion may be a 
plug insert having a rippled exterior which cooperates with a rippled 
interior of a flexible partially collapsible projection insertable in a 
hole and having an outer diameter greater than the diameter of a hole, the 
insert being drawn toward the plug head by a rod passing through the plug 
head by the above described pop rivet tool causing radial expansion of the 
partially collapsed projection. 
All plug heads may be optionally provided with a line of material weakness 
which may be separated by a screwdriver or the like to provide a 
ventilation passage for the hole, if one is desired. 
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be more 
apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments of the 
invention which are taken in conjunction with the drawings described as 
follows.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
FIG. 1 shows a plug constructed in accordance with the first embodiment of 
the invention. The plug includes a head portion 1 and a projection 3 
constructed as an annular extension of head 1. Preferably, the head 1 and 
projection 3 are integrally molded of a flexible plastic material such as 
a synthetic resin, for example, nylon. Nylon is particularly suitable as 
it resists yellowing caused by aging. Projection 3 has a substantially 
uniform outer diameter along its axial length, although a slight tapering 
outward of projection 3 from its end to the head 1 could also be employed. 
An annular recess 7 is provided in an under surface 5 of the plug head, the 
surface 5 being adapted to engage with a wall surface 21 surrounding a 
hole. The recess 7 can be constructed as a well or depressed area, as 
illustrated in FIG. 1, or it may be formed by providing an angle of less 
than 90.degree. at the point where surface 5 meets with the exterior 
peripheral wall of projection 3. 
The recess is fitted with an annular sealing gasket 9 which may be made of 
rubber, resilient plastic, etc., but is preferably made of a closed cell 
foam, such as a cross-linked foamed polyethylene. The sealing gasket 9 
projects out of recess 7 above the level of surface 5, as illustrated in 
FIG. 1. 
The top of plug head 1 is formed in a dome shape which, along with under 
surface 5, tapers toward the edge of head 1. The peripheral annular area 
of the head 1 formed by surface 5 and the top of the dome bends slightly 
in the direction of projection 3 such that when the plug is partially 
inserted in a hole, as in FIG. 1, the distance X.sub.1 between the 
outermost peripheral portion of surface 5 and surface 21 is less than the 
distance X.sub.2 between an innermost peripheral portion of surface 5 and 
surface 21. With this construction, the outermost peripheral portion of 
surface 5 first engages with a wall surface 21 during plug installation. 
The interior periphery 20 of projection 3 tapers to a narrower inside 
diameter from its end to head 1 and defines a cavity 10 housing 
cylindrical plate 13 disposed perpendicularly to the axis of head 1. Plate 
13 is held in cavity 10 by an inwardly directed ridge 11 integrally 
provided at the outermost end of projection 3. In its rest position plate 
13 is held adjacent ridges 11, as shown in FIG. 1. 
An abutment 19 engages with plate 13 and is connected with a drawing device 
which may be a wire, cord, nylon line, cable, or the like, but in a 
preferred form is a rod 15 having a weakened portion 16. Abutment 19 may 
be dispensed with and the rod 15 directly connected to plate 13, if 
desired. Rod 15 projects through a central aperture 12 provided in head 1 
and is engageable with a manipulation tool 39 (FIG. 3), described more 
fully below. 
A plate locking recess 17 is provided on the interior wall 20 of projection 
3 at a position substantially opposite to where the exterior periphery of 
projection 3 engages with the interior periphery of a hole in wall 21. The 
purpose of locking recess 17 is to hold the plate 13 in a desired locked 
position once it is drawn to and reaches recess 17. An annular sealing 
recess 23 is also provided adjacent locking recess 17. Sealing recess 23 
is fitted with an annular or disc-shaped sealing gasket 25 which can be 
any of the materials described above for gasket 9 but which, again, is 
preferably constructed from a closed cell foam. 
If the plug is to be used in an environment where only a very thin outer 
wall will be encountered, such as aluminum siding, only a single locking 
recess 17 is needed at an end portion of the projection 3 near the plug 
head, as illustrated in FIG. 1. However, if the plug is to be used with 
both thin and thick outer walls, a plurality of locking recesses 17a-17h 
are provided along the axial extent of the projection 3, as illustrated in 
FIG. 5. 
The plug is designed for use with a drawing tool such as a conventional pop 
rivet tool 39 fitted with a dome-shaped head 33, (FIG. 3). Dome head 33 
includes a portion 41 mating with the top surface of plug head 1 and a 
screw thread portion 35 which engages with screw threads 43 of rivet tool 
39. A central through hole is provided in dome head 33 so that rod 15 may 
pass therethrough and be gripped by rivet tool 39. The dome head 33 is not 
absolutely necessary and can be dispensed with if desired; however, it 
does aid in the plug insertion operation by stabilizing the insertion 
operation, helping to align the rod 15 and tool 39, retaining a plug in 
place during drawing operation and preventing any marring, indentation or 
rupture of the plug head. 
During use, the plug illustrated in FIG. 1 is inserted into a hole to be 
sealed. At first, the outermost edge of the surface 5 contacts with the 
wall surface 21. Slight pressure applied to the head of the plug causes 
slight outwardly directed radial expansion of the plug head 1, additional 
contact area between surface 5 and wall surface 21, and compression of the 
sealing gasket 9 between wall surface 21 and under surface 5, forming a 
water-tight seal between the plug and hole. While the plug is pressed 
against surface 21, rivet tool 39 is fitted over rod 15 and actuated to 
grasp and pull rod 15. Rivet gun 39 pulls rod 15 drawing abutment 19 (if 
used) and plate 13 toward head 1 until plate 13 reaches locking recess 17, 
whereupon further plate movement is arrested. Continued application of 
pulling force by rivet gun 39 after plate 13 is locked causes rod 15 to 
break at the weakened portion 16 with the rivet tool 39 withdrawing a 
broken portion of the rod through head 1. The position of weakened portion 
16 is selected to coincide with the top surface of head 1 when plate 13 is 
in the locking recess 17 so that no hole is present in the top surface of 
the plug head 1 after the rod breaks. 
During its axial movement towards head 1, plate 13 causes outward radial 
expansion of the outer periphery of projection 3 as it moves along a 
tapered interior periphery 20 of projection 3. Thus, as shown in FIG. 2, 
when plate 13 is in its final locked position, a radial expansion of 
projection 3 has occurred causing the locking of the plug in the hole to 
be sealed. Since the plug had a slight pressure applied to it to compress 
the sealing gasket 9, this position is maintained and the plug is now 
solidly fluid-tightly fixed in the hole. 
If thicker exterior walls are encountered, the modified plug illustrated in 
FIG. 5 can be used. This plug includes, as noted previously, a plurality 
of annular locking recesses 17a-17h axially spaced on the tapered interior 
periphery 20 of annular projection 3. Depending on the thickness of wall 
encountered, at some point in the radial expansion of projection 3 
sufficient resistance to further radial expansion and thus axial movement 
of plate 13 will be encountered causing rod 15 to break and plate 13 to be 
locked in one of the recesses. 
The annular sealing gasket 25 which engages with a locked plate 13 in FIG. 
2 fluid seals the interior of the hole from the ingress of water or 
moisture through the aperture 12 formed in head 1 through which rod 15 
passes. Alternatively, a suitable sealing material may be provided in 
aperture 12 to surround rod 15. In the modified plug of FIG. 5, where the 
plate may not reach the last locking recess 17a, the sealing gasket 25 may 
be dispensed with in favor of a sealing material such as a foam which 
fills the entire cavity 10 of the projection 3, as in the subsequently 
described FIG. 9 embodiment. 
The plug embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 5 show locking recesses 
with curved profiles which mate with a curved edge portion of plate 13. As 
a modification to this arrangement, the plate can be constructed to have 
an angular tapered edge, as shown in FIG. 4. The angular tapered edge 
portion engages with one of a plurality of like profiled stepped annular 
locking recesses 17a-17h formed on the tapered interior of projection 3. 
Although a plurality of locking recesses 17a-17h are shown in FIG. 4, a 
single stepped recess may be provided adjacent gasket 25, as in the plug 
embodiment shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. Moreover, like the FIG. 5 
embodiment, the cavity 10 may be filled with a sealing material such as 
foam to prevent the entrance of water into the hole. 
FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 illustrate the second embodiment of the invention in which 
the projection 3 is formed as a plurality of finger-like extensions 45 
having saw-tooth shaped stepped surfaces 49 and 51 respectively provided 
on opposite exterior and interior sides. Although the sectional view in 
FIG. 6 is of a four finger-like extension plug, three or more such 
finger-like extensions can be used. 
In FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, portions of the illustrated plug which correspond to 
like portions of the FIG. 1 plug are given the same reference numbers. As 
in the first embodiment, this second embodiment also includes a plate 13 
engaging with an abutment 19 which is in turn connected to a pull rod 15. 
Again, rod 15 can also be directly connected to plate 13. The plate is 
retained on the interior side of all of the finger-like extensions 45 by a 
ridge 47 provided at the end of each. As can be seen, this embodiment 
contains the same annular recess 23 and associated sealing gasket 25 of 
the FIGS. 1-3 embodiment, as well as the same dome shape head 1, under 
surface 5, recess 7 and sealing gasket 9. The stepped interior sides 51 of 
finger-like extensions 45 taper towards the axis of head 1 in a manner 
similar to the tapered interior periphery 20 of projection 3 in FIGS. 1-3. 
In use, the FIGS. 6-8 embodiment operates like that of FIGS. 1-3. The plug 
is first inserted into a hole to be sealed under the guidance of a dome 
shape head 33 provided on a conventional pop rivet tool 39. As the plug is 
pushed against the surface 21, the rivet gun 39 is actuated to draw pin 
15, and thus abutment 19 and plate 13 towards the head 1. As plate 13 
moves along the interior tapered stepped surface 51, it causes outward 
radial expansion of the finger-like extensions 45. The installed plug is 
illustrated in FIG. 7. A plurality of locking recesses 28 are provided by 
the stepped surface 51. Recess 23 holds the sealing gasket 25 which abuts 
plate 13 when the latter is locked in the last recess 28. A compressible 
sealing material such as a foam may be provided between the plate 13 and 
head portion 1 in lieu of the annular recess 23 and associated sealing 
gasket 25. 
When the FIGS. 6-8 plug is used with a thin wall, plate 13 will be 
withdrawn along the entire axial extent of finger-like extensions 45 until 
it reaches the last locking recess. However, if a thicker wall is 
encountered, further radial expansion of finger-like extensions 45 will 
cease before plate 13 is withdrawn all the way to the last recess. As a 
result, rod 15 will break and plate 13 will lock in one of the recesses 
formed by the stepped areas of stepped surface 51. It will be appreciated 
that although plate 13 is shown having a rounded edge in this embodiment, 
it can also have the tapered angular edge shape illustrated in FIG. 4 to 
ensure better engagement with the stepped areas provided on the interior 
surface 51 of the finger-like extensions 45. 
FIG. 9 illustrates a third embodiment of the invention which includes the 
same dome-shaped head portion 1, under surface 5, recess 7, and sealing 
gasket 9 used in the prior embodiments. In this embodiment, the projection 
3 is formed as a two-piece construction. A first portion 131 is integrally 
molded with the head 1. This portion 131 is made of a relatively flexible 
plastic, for example, nylon and is formed of a first annular section 137 
having a rippled outer peripheral shape and a greatest diameter D.sub.1 
and a second annular section 139 having a smooth periphery and an outer 
diameter D.sub.3 smaller than the diameter D.sub.1 of section 137. The 
first section 137 has an outside diameter which is larger than a hole 
diameter D.sub.2 in which it is to be inserted while the second section 
139 has a smaller diameter than the hole, as shown in FIG. 9. During plug 
insertion, section 139 first passes through the larger diameter hole and 
then resilient section 137 is radially compressed inwardly by a small 
amount so that it too fits within the hole. 
The second part of the two-piece projection 3 includes an inner plug or 
insert 143 which is made of relatively hard incompressible plastic 
material. Inner plug 143 contains a rippled profile 145 on an outer 
peripheral portion which is complementary to a rippled profile 147 
provided on the interior of extension 131. Inner plug 143 engages with 
plate 13 which in turn is moved by an abutment 19 and rod 15, as in prior 
embodiments. A compressible sealing material 149 fills the cavity formed 
by inner plug 143, projection 131, and plug head 1 which is preferably 
constructed as a closed cell foamed polyethylene as described above. 
The plug shown in FIG. 9 is inserted into a hole generally illustrated by 
line 146. Because the largest outer diameter of the inner plug 143, as 
well as the outer diameter of portion 139, are smaller than the diameter 
of the hole, they are readily insertable therein. Moreover, although the 
largest outer diameter of rippled portion 137 is greater than the diameter 
of the hole, its resiliency permits a radial inward compression thereof so 
that it too is inserted within the hole. Thereafter, a pop rivet tool 39 
is used to draw rod 15, and thus, inner plug 143 toward plug head 1, 
causing compression of the sealing material 149 and outward radial 
expansion of rippled portion 137 against the interior periphery of the 
hole. Eventually inner plug 143 reaches a position where further axial 
movement is prevented by its abutment with head 1, whereupon further 
drawing force on rod 15 causes it to break at line of weakness 16. FIG. 10 
illustrates the installed plug. Compression of the sealing material 149 
ensures sealing of the plug interior from the entrance of fluid through 
the head aperture 12 through which rod 15 passes. 
An inner plug 143 has been shown which has a substantial inner cavity in 
order to save plastic; however, other constructions can be used, such as a 
plug which has a substantially filled or solid interior. In this case, 
plate 13 and abutment 19 would be mounted at the exterior side of inner 
plug 143 opposite the plug head 1, or plate 13 and abutment 19 could be 
molded within inner plug 143. 
As evident from FIG. 9, any of the interior ripples 147 can serve to lock 
inner plug 143 against further axial movement depending on the thickness 
of the wall in which the illustrated plug is mounted. On thin walls such 
as aluminum siding, the inner plug 143 will always be drawn all the way up 
to the head 1 and locked; however, on thick walls which provide a 
considerable restriction against further axial movement of inner plug 143 
as portion 137 radially expands, the inner plug 143 may lock at other 
positions where it is spaced from head 1. 
All three just described embodiments employ the use of a break-away rod 15, 
such as used with conventional pop rivet tools for the sake of 
convenience. However, as described earlier, other drawing or pulling 
structures can also be used to pull plate 13, such as a nylon line, wire, 
cord, cable, etc., each of which can have a weakened portion to form a 
break-away drawing device. The only criteria being that the drawing 
structure be capable of withstanding the amount of force which is 
necessary to pull the plate axially along the projection 3, but which is 
capable of breaking upon the application of additional force once plate 13 
is prevented from further axial movement. In lieu of the break-away 
feature, the drawing structure may merely be severed, such as by cutting, 
at the plug head upon conclusion of a drawing operation. 
Thus far, all three described embodiments rely on a rod 15 or a like device 
to draw an interior plate 13 or inner plug 143 along the inner periphery 
of a plug protection 3 to a locked position causing outward radial 
expansion of the projection against a hole interior wall and the 
consequent locking of a plug in a hole to be sealed. The FIG. 11 
embodiment accomplishes the same locking and sealing results, but using a 
different locking and expansion mechanism, as well as a special tool for 
mounting and locking the plug. This plug includes an annular head portion 
55 defining a central aperture 56 and has an under surface portion 5 which 
is identical to the same surface as shown in the prior embodiments. An 
annular recess 7 is also provided in under surface 5 for holding the 
sealing gasket 9 as in the prior embodiments. In this embodiment, the 
projection 3 of the plug is formed as two pieces, a first annular piece 91 
which is integrally molded with the annular head portion 55 and a second 
sleeve piece 69 which surrounds a portion of the axial extent of the first 
piece. The first piece 91 defines a cavity 92 and has an outer peripheral 
wall portion 63 tapered inwardly along the axial extent of piece 91 from 
annular head 55 to its end. Tapered wall portion 63 is provided to guide 
and force radially outwardly a portion of the sleeve piece 69 as described 
further below. The first piece 91 also includes a pair of annular 
recesses, a locking recess 61 and a restraining recess 65, provided on its 
external periphery respectively provided adjacent an end of the extension 
91 and adjacent the annular head portion 55. 
Sleeve 69 includes a base portion 75 having an aperture 76 therein and a 
plurality of circumferentially spaced fingers 71 projecting from base 75. 
Each of the fingers includes a ridge element 73 at its end. The plurality 
of ridges 73 engage with the annular recess 65 of the first piece 91 and 
hold the sleeve 69 thereto. 
Sleeve 69 is attached to piece 91 by axially aligning it therewith and 
pushing the two pieces together until the ridges 73 lock into restraining 
recess 65. When the two pieces are fitted together, a substantial aperture 
exists through the axial extent of the two-piece assembly. An auxiliary 
plug 77 is provided for closing aperture 56 in annular head portion 55. 
Annular head portion 55 has an annular recess 67 on an interior periphery 
having a profile which is complementary to a profile 83 on the exterior 
periphery of a projection 79 of auxiliary plug 77. The auxiliary plug 77 
further includes a dome shape head 81 which follows the domed profile of 
annular extension 55 when auxiliary plug 77 closes aperture 56. Profile 83 
and complementary recess 67 are accurately machined to provide a 
fluid-tight sealing of the two when the auxiliary plug 77 is in place, and 
thus, no sealing material is needed. 
In use, the two-piece (69, 91) assembly of FIG. 11 is first inserted onto a 
plug receiving end portion of the manipulation tool of FIG. 12, described 
in more detail below. Thereafter the plug is inserted into a hole and a 
counterweighted interconnected shoe 103 of the tool is manipulated to push 
sleeve 69 toward head portion 55 along the tapered outer periphery of 
piece 91. The force exerted by shoe 103 on sleeve 69 is sufficient to 
force ridges 73 of fingers 71 out of recess 65 and the sleeve 69 moves 
toward the annular head portion 55. As sleeve 69 moves it radially expands 
against the interior peripheral wall of the hole. Eventually, sleeve 69 is 
drawn to a position where ridges 73 engage with locking recess 61 where 
the expanded sleeve is held at a final locked position relative to the 
first piece 91. After installation of the two-piece assembly 91 and 69 and 
removal of the tool, insulation is blown through apertures 56 and 76. 
After installation of the insulation, auxiliary plug 77 is inserted into 
head portion 55, completing installation of the plug. 
The tool of FIG. 12 which is used to install the two-piece assembly 91 and 
69 can be inexpensively manufactured. It contains a central rod 95 having 
at one end thereof a pivot 105 to which is attached the counterweighted 
shoe 103. As illustrated, portion 125 of counterweighted shoe 103 contains 
more material than portion 127 located on the opposite side of the pivot 
axis. As a result, shoe 103 will assume a generally horizontal position in 
its rest state, as illustrated in FIG. 12 by the dotted line. 
The tool further includes a grab handle portion 97 through which rod 95 
passes which can be conveniently molded out of a plastic. A suitable 
complementary profile is provided for the exterior of rod 95 and the 
interior aperture of grab handle 97 to ensure that no relative rotation 
exists between these two elements. For example, rod 95 may be of a square 
or triangular configuration with a like configuration being provided for 
the through hole of grab handle 97. One end of the grab handle 97 is 
threaded with a dome-shaped plug insertion head 117 provided with an 
annular extension portion 122 extending from the underside of head 117. 
The underside 121 of dome head 117 is profiled to mate with the dome 
contour of annular head portion 55 of the plug illustrated in FIG. 11. The 
annular extension 122 has an outside diameter which is just slightly 
larger than the inside diameter of cavity 92, such that the two-piece plug 
assembly 91 and 69 can be easily force fit over annular extension 122 with 
annular head portion 55 abutting the underside 121 of dome head 117. Dome 
head 117 also includes an aperture through which rod 95 passes. A spring 
129 or other suitable biasing means is provided between the underside 121 
of dome head 117 and the end of rod 95 on which shoe 103 is pivotally 
mounted. The grab handle 97 is connected to a grab bar 99 by screws 101, 
adhesives or other fixing means, or by being molded integrally therewith. 
Rod 95 projects through the end of grab handle 97 opposite the end 
containing the dome head 117 where it engages with a pull handle 113. A 
second spring 115 or other biasing means is provided between grab bar 99 
and pull handle 113 to bias the two apart. The rod passes through a 
central aperture in pull handle 113 which includes a stepped portion 107. 
The rod 95 contains a like configured stepped portion 108 where its outer 
dimension is reduced from a square or triangular profile to a cylindrical 
screw thread 109. A nut or bolt 111 is threaded on screw thread 109 to 
hold handle 113 to the end of rod 95. The internal profile of the pull 
handle 113 aperture between an end face 110 and stepped portion 107 is 
complementary to the external profile of rod 95 (e.g., square or 
triangular shaped) to ensure no relative rotation of handle 113 about rod 
95. Thus, pull handle 113 is also prevented from relative rotation with 
respect to handle 97 and grab bar 99. By mounting pull handle 113 
non-rotatably about rod 95, one is assured that shoe 103 will be in the 
position illustrated in FIG. 12 when the pull handle is mounted in one of 
its two possible vertical positions. To ensure correct orientation of shoe 
103 as shown in FIG. 12, pull handle 113 is also provided with an arrow 
(FIG. 13) or other indication showing proper orientation of the tool. 
The use of the FIG. 12 tool to install the interconnected two-piece 
assembly 69, 91 of FIG. 11 in a drilled hole will now be described. First, 
pull handle 113 is vertically oriented with the arrow up and then pushed 
towards grab handle 97 to extend rod 95 to the dotted position illustrated 
in FIG. 12, where counterweighted shoe 103 assumes a generally horizontal 
position. This pushing is facilitated by an operator squeezing together 
pull handle 113 and grab bar 99. With shoe 103 in a generally horizontal 
position, the two-piece assembly (69, 91) can be inserted over it and onto 
annular extension 122 until the surface of annular head portion 55 abuts 
with the underside 121 of dome head 117. Thereafter, pull handle 113 is 
released and the shoe rotated, either automatically by the end of spring 
129 abutting the pivot portion of shoe 103 or by a manual rotation of the 
shoe, so that it abuts with base portion 75 of sleeve 69, as illustrated 
by the solid line construction for the shoe 103 in FIG. 12. With the 
two-piece assembly 69, 91 and shoe 103 in the positions illustrated by 
solid lines in FIG. 12, the entire assembly is then inserted into a hole 
in the wall surface 21, whereupon the operator holds grab handle 97 
stationary and pulls on pull handle 113, thereby drawing shoe 103 towards 
dome head 117. During this drawing operation, ridges 73 of sleeve 69 free 
themselves from recess 65 and sleeve 69 moves towards annular head portion 
55. This operation continues until ridges 73 of sleeve 69 reach recess 61 
of the piece 91 where they lock in position with the sleeve being radially 
expanded. Upon completion of this operation, pull handle 113 is again 
moved towards grab handle 97 causing rod 95 to move shoe 103 to a position 
where it disengages from the back side of sleeve 69 and falls under the 
weight of gravity, to again assume the dotted line position illustrated in 
FIG. 12. With the shoe in this position, the entire tool can now be 
withdrawn through the apertures 76 and 56. 
After withdrawal of the tool, insulation materials are inserted into the 
wall in conventional fashion through the apertures of the installed 
two-piece assembly. After installation of insulation, auxiliary plug 77 is 
inserted into the annular head portion 55 to achieve a final sealing of 
the hole. FIG. 14 illustrates the completely installed plug. 
Although all of the plugs of the invention are designed to achieve a 
fluid-tight sealing of a plug in a hole drilled into an exterior surface 
of a house or mobile home, it is sometimes desirable to provide a 
ventilation passage in the plug to allow the interior of the wall to 
breathe. To facilitate creation of a ventilation passage, the head portion 
1 of the first three plug embodiments or the head of auxiliary plug 77 in 
the fourth plug embodiment can be modified to provide a portion of the 
head portion with a line of material weakness which can be ruptured, if 
desired, to permit the passage of air through the plug. 
FIG. 15 illustrates the provision of a line of weakness in the dome head 81 
of auxiliary plug 77 used with the FIG. 11 embodiment of the invention. 
The line of material weakness is formed by molding the head portion 81 
such that it includes an area 85 where the plastic is thinner than over 
the remainder of head portion 81. With the thinner material, one can use a 
screwdriver or other tool to apply pressure to the head adjacent the line 
of weakness to cause a separation of portions of the head illustrated as 
87 and 89 in FIG. 15 to provide a ventilating passageway. In order to 
inhibit the passage of water through this ventilating passageway, it is 
desired that the line of weakness be marked to ensure that the plug is 
installed with the line of weakness in a horizontal direction so that a 
bottom portion of the plug head below the line of weakness can be pressed 
in. In this way, any water dripping over the plug head will fall past the 
ventilation passage without entering the plug to any significant extent. 
Of course, if such a ventilation passage is desired in the embodiments of 
the plug illustrated in FIGS. 1-10, one would forego the interior sealing 
material (gasket 25 in FIGS. 1-8 and sealing material 149 in FIGS. 9 and 
10). Also, suitable ventilating holes would be needed in plate 13 of FIGS. 
1-5 or in the inner plug 143 of FIGS. 9 and 10. In the plugs shown in 
FIGS. 1-10, the line of material weakness would be provided at a portion 
of the plug head removed from aperture 12 passing the drawing device, 
e.g., rod 15, as illustrated in FIG. 16. 
Although fluid-tight plugs for exterior walls have been described, the 
plugs can also be used on interior walls in which case the fluid sealing 
material described can be eliminated. 
Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in some 
detail, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely exemplary 
and that many modifications can be made therein without departing from the 
spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is limited 
solely by the following claims.