AU699999B2

AU699999B2 - Penetration sealing member

Info

Publication number: AU699999B2
Application number: AU50420/96A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Robert Kenneth Moule; Verity Jean Moule
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1995-03-31
Filing date: 1996-04-01
Publication date: 1998-12-17
Anticipated expiration: 2016-04-01
Also published as: AU5042096A

Description

This invention is for a penetration seal used to prevent or at least minimise moisture penetration into walls, and/or wall cavities such as plasterboard through an aperture constructed to allow for an element to protrude through the wall, especially in relation to plumbing such as taps.

TECHNICAL FIELD Current building practice and in fact various government legislation governing the commercial, industrial or the home building industries requires waterproofing of wet areas and there has generally been some success in this regard with respect to floor/wall intersections. A variety of products have been 1 0 developed as a substitute for ceramic tiles, such as plastic or stainless steel trays, or membranes designed to be fixed under ceramic tiles. Other improvements have included using flexible adhesives which allow some expansion between the floor/wall join without compromising the waterproof sealing.

1 5 With respect to waterproofing penetrations through either the walls or the floor, such as taps or drains or even electrical cables, current building codes requires that any gap between the penetration and the wall be sealed with a flexible sealant, although in practice it has been found that this regulation is very often not complied with.

1. 20 In areas where the wall is manufactured from generally impervious materials to moisture, such as solid brick and/or concrete together with dampproofed mortar, the occurrence of water seepage may not be a severe problem even though it is still desirable to be avoided. In the case where, however, the wet area lining board is a non-impervious material such as wood, compressed 2 5 sheet or water resistant plasterboard, any water seepage into that material or its lining (if there) and/or the wall cavity may cause severe problems both short "and long term.

Adequate and long-term waterproofing of wet areas is therefore highly desirable, especially in relation to penetrations through walls which are 3 0 subjected to environments with moisture.

It is however to be understood that the invention be not limited to waterproofing. Although the rest of this specification concentrates on prevention of water penetration this invention could equally well be used for noise, light and dust protection. It could also be adapted to act as a dampener for vibrations, such as water hammer by acting as a clamp to hold the penetration member in place. A further adaptation could be to adapt the penetration seal to act as an insulator or even conductor of electricity if such a need ever arose.

BACKGROUND ART 1 0 As discussed above, current building practice requires that the gap between fixtures such as plumbing fixtures that penetrate a wall, be filled with a flexible sealant which not only waterproofs the area, but also allows for relative movement between the plumbing fixture and the wall. This is especially relevant where the wall is a typical construction such as plaster board or 1 5 wallboard. This relative movement may be caused by a variety of factors such as temperature expansion or by structural movement of the walls.

Manufacturers of wallboards quite correctly stipulate that any protrusion *il through the wallboard be cut to an appropriate size thus providing a useable aperture which can then be waterproofed. In practice, though, it is still very 2 0 common to find that holes are unduly large or that they are formed by impact, (for example by using a hammer) which also results in the hole being oversized, but can also shatter the back of the aperture, and thus offer little or at time nothing to which sealant can successfully be attached.

a° Furthermore, since the construction is undertaken by individual tradespersons 2 5 where there is usually no common teamwork a plumber may, for example, pay little attention to the setback of tap bodies. If the tap body protrudes too far out that is not of concern, but if the tap body does not protrude sufficiently from the wallboard, there is nothing to seal against other than the tap spindle which needs to be able to be removable to allow for changing tap washers. In this 3 0 scenario it is easy to see that once a tap washer is replaced the effective seal, a sealant if it was ever there, has been broken and one would need to not only refill the gap with new sealant but should also remove the old sealant to avoid any pockets and or cracks through which moisture may seep. Obviously the more steps a process takes the greater the probability that the steps are not carried out or are performed poorly resulting in a loss of quality.

In general water may find its way into a wall cavity through two sources; from a running shower, especially if the shower head is leaking, and/or from a faulty spindle washer.

The damage that may be caused by long term water seepage may be enormous. The first thing that is usually affected is wallboard such as plasterboard even if it is water resistant. Plasterboard is usually constructed 1 0 with a sandwich type layer where in between sheets of moisture resistant paper lies a gypsum core. An aperture constructed in such a wall allows any seeped water direct access to the core. Once the gypsum core has been moistened it becomes crumbly, offering little or no support to the sheets (paper facings) and to the ceramic tiles attached to its surface and used to line wet 1 5 areas. After some time bottom framing members of the wall construction to which the plasterboard is fixed rot or corrode, vertical framing members follow, and floor coverings in the adjacent areas deteriorate. On multi-storey structures additional damage may occur in ceilings and soft furnishings and may also effect electrical wiring and introduce a dangerous environment.

2 0 The environment as described above may then further lead to termite infestation where the combination of soft wood framing, moisture and darkness may cause, and which has been well documented, walls with all the timber housings consumed and the wall cavity filled with termite mud.

It is therefore obvious even to the worker not skilled in the field that the 25 damage and thus the repairs to areas caused by water leakage may be substantial and that the repair bill can run into millions of dollars annually. If one were also to take into account the inconvenience and loss of revenue from commercial and/or industrial buildings one can appreciate that water leaking though wallboard penetrations is a serious problem which has yet to 3 0 be satisfactorily addressed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore in one form of the invention though this need not be the only or indeed the broadest form there is proposed a penetration sealing member to prevent moisture contacting an aperture through a wall or entering a wall cavity, said penetration sealing member adapted for the protrusion of a penetration member through said penetration sealing member said penetration sealing member including a flange to engage a surface of a wall and of such a configuration to lie flat against it said sealing member 1 0 having a further sealing means to seal against the protruding member whereby any moisture entering the penetration sealing member is diverted down the surface of said wall.

In a further form of the invention there is proposed a penetration flange for sealing between a surface, such as a wall, a wall cavity, and an element, 1 5 such as a tap, wherein the element protrudes from said wall cavity through an aperture in and out of said surface, the said penetration flange including; a sleeve with a front and a rear portion; an external flange extending radially outwardly from the front 20 portion of said sleeve and of such a configuration that in use it lies flat against the surface; an internal flange extending radially inwardly from the rear portion of said sleeve; S"wherein in use the external flange is adapted to be positioned flat on the surface so that the sleeve and the internal flange extend into said ~wall cavity through the aperture the protruding element extending from said wall cavity, through the internal flange the sleeve and the external flange and outwardly from said aperture, and where there is caused to be a seal .against moisture penetrating into said wall cavity through said aperture in 3 0 the surface with a sealing means between the internal flange and said element.

4 k In preference the sealing means is effected by the internal flange adapted to engage the protruding element.

In preference the internal flange is constructed at least in part of a flexible material adapted to sealingly enclose the element.

In preference the seal between the internal flange and said element is effected by the use of a flexible sealant.

In preference the flexible sealant is moisture resistant silicon.

In preference the flange may be adapted to be longitudinally separable so 1 0 as to allow it to enclose over an element rather than slide onto it.

In preference there is an 0 ring adapted to effect a seal between the internal flange and the element.

In preference the external and internal flanges are substantially in a planar parallel orientation and wherein the longitudinal axis of the sleeve is substantially perpendicular to the planar orientation of the external and internal flanges.

S. In preference the external and internal flanges are substantially in a planar parallel orientation and wherein the longitudinal axis of the sleeve is not substantially perpendicular to the planar orientation of the external and internal flanges.

SIn preference the external and internal flanges are not in a substantially planar parallel orientation and wherein the longitudinal axis of the sleeve is S• not linear along its length.

In a yet further form of the invention there is proposed a tap penetration flange for sealing around a protruding element extending from a wall cavity through an aperture in said wall the flange including; */Au 6a an external flange of a flat configuration; a sleeve; an internal flange; wherein the internal flange is fed over the protruding element until the sleeve is substantially within the wall cavity and the external flange sits flat on the surface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS To further aid in the understanding of this invention reference is made to the following drawings where: *4 *esy m Fig. 1 is a cross-section indicating the current problems of waterproofing a typical tap body which protrudes through an oversized hole in a wallboard; Fig. 2 is a cross-section indicating the current problems of waterproofing a typical tap body which protrudes through a hole in the wallboard which has been created by impact and results in a part of the edge of the aperture being shattered; Fig. 3 is a cross-section indicating the current problems of waterproofing a typical tap body when the tap body does not sufficiently 1 0 protrude through a hole in the wallboard; Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the tap penetration flange, which enables the waterproofing of a typical tap body by using the tap penetration flange to seal against a water pipe by using a suitable sealant; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the front of the tap penetration flange 1 5 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the back of the tap penetration flange of Fig. 4; Fig. 7 is another embodiment of the tap penetration flange where the total length of the flange is substantially shorter than that shown in Fig. 4 allowing the seal to occur along the tap body; Fig. 8 is a front perspective view of the tap penetration flange of Fig.

7; Fig. 9 is a front perspective view of a further preferred embodiment of the tap penetration flange with a square external flange; Fig. 10 is a rear perspective view of a top penetration flange with an inclined sleeve where the external flange is of a hexagonal shape; Fig. 11 is a schematic view of the invention in use showing the tap penetration flange adapted to seal against a water pipe and when mounted in a wall cavity; 3 0 Fig. 12 is a cross-section view of the invention in use when the tap o" penetration flange is of a broader and shallower depth allowing sealing against the tap body; Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the tap penetration flange of Fig.

11 when used in conjunction with an ring acting as a seal against the internal flange; Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the ring used in Fig. 13; Fig. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing the tap penetration flange when an ring is used not so much as a sealant but rather as a fluid diverter; 8 Fig. 16 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the tap penetration flange including a flexible lip so as to act as a seal; Fig. 17 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the tap penetration flange including a separate internal and sealing flange which accommodates a particular diameter of a water pipe but may accommodate varying sizes of the water pipe; Fig. 18 is a perspective view of the separate internal and sealing flanges which can be used for varying diameter pipes; Fig. 19 is a cross-sectional view of another preferred embodiment of 1 0 the invention where separate internal and sealing bottom flanges may be used to accommodate varying diameters of the water pipe; Fig. 20 is a cross-section of another preferred embodiment of the tap penetration flange which is quite shallow; Fig. 21 is a perspective view of a typical penetration flange that has 15 been found to satisfactorily work in experimental trials; Fig. 22 is a perspective view of a penetration flange wherein the sleeve is a curved path resulting in the planar orientation of the external to the internal flanges to be not substantially parallel; and 23 is as Fig. 22 but with the sleeve following a discrete change 2 0 in its longitudinal axis.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Turning now to the drawings in detail there is shown in Fig. 1 a water or liquid 00go carrying pipe 1 contained within a cavity 2, a tap body 3 being in communication with pipe 1, the tap body 3 protruding through a wall 4, said 2 5 wall including framework 5, wallboard 6 and tiles 7 the tiles being affixed to the surface of the wallboard 6 as is common in the building practice when waterproofing a wet area. A spindle 8 is adapted to be engageably fixed to the tap body 3, usually by a thread system, the spindle 8 further adapted to allow for the use of a tool such as a wrench or a spanner (not shown) to aid in the 3 0 screwing the spindle 8 fixedly to tap body 3 by including along at least part of the spindle an appropriate corresponding shape such as hexagonal shape 9 allowing for the use of the wrench or spanner. To provide a water resistant seal in between the spindle 8 and the tap body 3 there is further included a washer 10 which may be of a fibre type.

3 5 The usual practice in the building industry to accommodate tap bodies and the like through wallboards is to create an aperture 11 in the wallboard through which the tap body 3 may then protrude. A typical wallboard, whose crosssection is shown in the Figures consists of two layers of moisture resistant material 13 in between which is located in a sandwich-type manner a layer of plaster 14. That feature is greatly exaggerated in Fig. 1, the rest of the Figures only showing the wallboard 6. The plaster 14 is generally substantially thicker than the two external layers 13 and acts so as to give the wallboard the desired properties of strength as well as thermal and acoustic insulation.

A sealant is then commonly introduced into the space 12 between the tap 1 0 body 3 and the inside edge 15 of the aperture 11 so that any moisture leaking either through the fibre washer 10 or down the spindle 8 is prevented from reaching and wetting edge 15 of the wallboard 6 defining the aperture 11.

This is extremely important since edge 15 is exposed plaster 14 and does not have any moisture resistant material 13 and is therefor not very resistant to water (or any fluid). However, when aperture 11 is substantially larger than the dimensions of tap body 3 (this shown in Fig. or the tap body 3 is asymmetrically fitted within the aperture 11, then space 12 between the tap body 3 and edge 15 defining aperture 11 is relatively large and it is difficult to provide a good seal by using sealant as it generally collapses under its own 2 0 weight before an effective seal can be made.

Another problem of current building practices and shown in Fig. 2, occurs when aperture 11 has been made in an improper way such as by impact forcing. This may be done with a tool such as a hammer (not shown) or even the tap body 3 itself. If the aperture 11 is manufactured by impact forcing then 2 5 it is quite common for at least part of the edge 15 of the aperture to be ragged and sharp 23 thus not providing a good surface against which a sealant can be applied.

In Fig. 3 it is shown how when tap body 3 has been set too far back into the wall cavity 2 leaving insufficient surface area to allow for the successful 3 0 application of a sealant. Although the spindle 8 does protrude beyond the aperture 11 it is not advisable to affix any sealant to the spindle 8 as it needs to be removable for servicing changing a tap washer). This scenario often leads to problems when a sealant is not properly reapplied or applied at all.

Fig. 4 shows the one embodiment of this invention where a tap penetration flange 16 is used to enable a sealant 20 to be effectively used regardless of the problems some of which were outlined above. The tap penetration flange 16, which can be manufactured in various desirable sizes overcomes the problems of too large apertures, ragged edges, or tap bodies set too far back by providing an internal flange 19 against which sealant 20 can be effectively applied The tap penetration flange 16 includes an external flange 17 which is placed on top of the wallboard 6 and held flush against the wallboard 6 and which is subsequently covered by tiles 7. The tiles are affixed to the wall by a 1 0 suitable means such as glue or plaster. The centre of the tap body 3 which is not tiled is naturally covered by a suitable washer/protector 21 which covers any remaining visible portion of the tap penetration flange 16. The flange further includes a sleeve 18 wide enough to allow sufficient room for a suitable tool such as a wrench within the tap penetration flange to, for example, allow removal of the tap spindle 8. The tap penetration flange 16 further includes an internal flange 19 whose size is sufficiently large to allow for the passage of articles such as pipe 1 and small enough to allow for the successful application of a suitable sealant 20 to seal in between the internal flange 19 and the pipe 1.

2 0 Figs. 5 and 6 show a perspective front and rear view of one type of tap penetration flange 16 used to seal in Fig. 4 and clearly showing the external flange 17, the sleeve 18 and the internal flange 19.

.This invention is not intended to be limited to a particular aspect ratio or geometry of the tap penetration flange 16. As shown in Fig.'s 7, 8, 9 and 2 5 the sleeve of the tap penetration flange may be substantially short (although it may be longer) whilst still allowing for sufficient room for the use of a tool to remove spindle 8. In addition, Fig. 7 shows how the tap penetration tap flange 16 can be effectively used to account for an extra gap 22 in the aperture 11.

The geometry of the external flange may also be varied such as a square 3 0 shape 25 of Fig. 9 or hexagonal shape 26 of Fig. Fig. 10 shows another preferred embodiment of the tap penetration flange 16 wherein the internal sleeve is not substantially perpendicular to the external flange 17 and internal flange 19 but is at some angle. This angle may be chosen for ease of manufacture, use, or even storage by allowing stacking.

11 Fig. 11 shows the application of the tap penetration flange 16 when used in a standard brick veneer construction clearly showing the placement of the external flange 17 against the wallboard 6, the external flange 17 then being tiled by tiles 7. The size of the sleeve 18 both in diameter and depth allows for the easy access of the spindle 8 whilst the internal flange 19 closely fits around the pipe 1 leaving a relatively small space that can then be sealed by a suitable flexible sealant 20 (not shown in Fig. 11) Obviously the tap penetration flange 16 can be manufactured to different sizes and as can be seen in Fig. 12, it may at times be desirable to use one where 1 0 the diameter of the sleeve 18 is much wider compared to its depth. Fig. 12 also indicates the use of the tap penetration flange 16 when the edge 15 of the aperture 11 is ragged at wallboard at point 23. The relative size of the external flange, the internal flange and the sleeve can be tailor made, the critical factor being to have the ability to effectively seal the internal flange 19 5 against the water pipe 1 so as to prevent moisture entering into the wall cavity 2. The flange may be affixed by glue 24 to the wallboard 6.

However, it may be that other sealing systems besides a flexible sealant may be employed. As shown in Fig. 13 and Fig. 14 it may be that a suitable 'O' ring 27 may be placed on the pipe 1, the ring 27 overlapping the internal flange 19 and thus providing an effective seal against moisture. Although this type of seal is not effected by any glue, it can prevent moisture seepage which is the main problem and is not intended to prevent mains pressure leaks. This S'O' ring 27 may be manufactured using suitable rubber or fibre or other materials with the desired properties. In fact, as illustrated in Fig. 15, the 'O' 2 5 ring 27 may not be used to effect a seal against the internal flange of the tap penetration flange at all but rather, acts to assist moisture penetration into the cavity by providing as an obstacle to any water 28 that may be flowing along the pipe and causing it to be diverted onto the sleeve 18 of the flange.

Because of the vertical extent of the internal flange water under gravity flows 3 0 out the front of the tap penetration flange thus causing no damage to the internal cavity or the wallboard. Normally the washer/protector 21 is not sealed against tiles 7 and a gap 29 exists that allows water to be diverted through it down the outside over the tiles.

A further alternate construction for sealing is shown in Fig.'s 16 and 17.

12 Fig. 16 shows a tap penetration flange with a circular flexible lip 30 which is an extension of the internal flange. The flexible lip 30 may be sufficiently flexible to allow for varying diameter pipes to be moisture sealed. As the tap penetration flange 15 is placed over the pipe 1 the flexible lip is naturally bent towards the inside of the tap penetration flange and provides a more effective seal than if it was bent into the cavity.

In Fig. 17 the ring is now constructed in a pyramid fashion 31. The internal flange 19 is of a larger aperture size with the ring 31 separable from the sleeve 18 and of a pyramid cross-section. Each of the individual pyramid 1 0 sections of ring 31 are removable and thus the ring 31 is compatible with varying diameter sleeves. For example, whereas in Fig. 17 section 32 is in touch with the sleeve 18 and internal flange 19, this can be easily removed leaving section 33 to be in contact with the sleeve 18 the sleeve was of a smaller diameter. This embodiment is however used when the pipe is of a 1 5 constant diameter. The ring 31 is shown on its own in Fig. 18.

An alternate geometry of an ring that may be used is one where the ring is adapted to accommodate only one size tap penetration flange but can accommodate varying pipe diameters. This is seen in Fig. 19 where the 'O' 00 ring is still designed in a pyramid fashion but instead of the external sections of the ring being removable to accommodate varying sleeve sizes, it is the internal sections that are removable to accommodate varying pipe sizes. If the size of the pipe and the ring are slightly mismatched one can simply use flexible sealant to prevent any leakages. It is also to be remembered that the ring may be a combination of both and act so as to accommodate both varying 2 5 sizes of the tap penetration flange and pipe.

Fig. 20 shows a tap penetration flange wherein the sleeve 18 is relatively short and angles with respect to both the external and in internal flanges 17 and 19. The use of such a shallow tap penetration flange is used in situations where the tap protrudes sufficiently through the wall that a deep access for a 3 0 tool is not required.

Fig. 21 shows a perspective view of the tap penetration flange used in Fig. One can see that such a construction has the added advantage of storage in that the tap penetration flanges may be stacked on top of each other thus minimising space wastage. This is feasible due to the relative shape of the 13 sleeve in relation to the external and internal flanges which allows one tap penetration flange to effectively sit on top of the other. Other shapes may also equally well be used and it is not intended that this invention be limited to the particular embodiment herein described.

Fig. 22 shows a tap penetration flange wherein the sleeve does not extend in a longitudinally linear orientation but in fact follows a curved path. This could be useful in situation where the element protruding from the wall cavity follows a curved path and is not linear over the suitable distance. Similarly Fig. 23 shows the scenario where the pipe may in fact have discrete linear orientations and 1 0 thus the sleeve also follows these discrete changes in its longitudinal axis. In this case a better seal can be effected if the external flange is always flush to the wall whilst the internal flange is relatively perpendicular in its planar orientation to the longitudinal axis of the element such as a pipe.

The tap penetration flange is also clearly not limited to taps but to any element 1 5 protruding through a wall such as a pipe or an electrical cable. Furthermore it is not intended to be limited to water leakage but may also be used or adapted to protect as mentioned initially against dust or aid in the thermal and acoustical insulation.

The flange may be manufactured in a variety of suitable materials chosen for 2 0 the particular requirements at hand. It may be constructed of moulded plastic or rubber, and may in the cases where strength is required, be made out of metal. It may even be manufactured from wood. It is most likely though that moulded plastic may be most suitable due to economic considerations.

Therefore, it can be seen that this invention provides a penetration flange and 2 5 in particular a tap penetration flange, for the prevention of moisture, dust and noise into an undesirable area through an aperture accommodating a protruding element. It is fitted after all the protruding elements and the wallboards have been installed but before any tiling is done. It overcomes the problems of unwanted water seepage caused by oversized apertures, ragged 3 0 and sharp holes, insufficient penetration of the element. It provides a means of applying sealant to two surfaces although, as mentioned above gaskets could very well be used. It protects the core of plasterboard wall sheets and prevents the passage of water into the wall cavity through tap penetrations.

This invention also allows for the use of suitable tools to remove parts to 14 enable servicing without compromising the sealing of the flange.

Throughout this specification various indications have been given as to the scope of this invention but the invention is not limited to any one of these and may reside in two or more of these combined together. The examples are given for illustration only and not for limitation.

Throughout this specification and the claims that follow unless the context requires otherwise, the words 'comprise' and 'include' and variations such as 'comprising' and 'including' will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or 1 0 group of integers.

eq THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1. A penetration sealing member to prevent moisture contacting an aperture through a wall or entering a wall cavity, said penetration sealing member adapted for the protrusion of a penetration member through said penetration sealing member said penetration sealing member including a flange to engage a surface of a wall and of such a configuration to lie flat against it said sealing member having a further sealing means to seal against the protruding member whereby any moisture entering the penetration sealing member is diverted down the surface of said wall.

2. A penetration flange for sealing between a surface, such as a wall, a wall cavity, and an element, such as a tap, wherein the element protrudes from said wall cavity through an aperture in and out of said surface, the said penetration flange including; 1 5 a sleeve with a front and a rear portion; an external flange extending radially outwardly from the front portion of said sleeve and of such a configuration that in use it lies flat against the surface; *an internal flange extending radially inwardly from the rear portion of said sleeve; eo ~wherein in use the external flange is adapted to be positioned flat on the surface so that the sleeve and the internal flange extend into said wall cavity through the aperture the protruding element extending from said ~wall cavity, through the internal flange the sleeve and the external flange and outwardly from said aperture, and where there is caused to be a seal against moisture penetrating into said wall cavity through said aperture in So..

the surface with a sealing means between the internal flange and said S5 element.

o 3. A penetration flange as in Claim 2 wherein the sealing means is effected by the internal flange adapted to engage the protruding element.

q f .o

Claims

4. A penetration flange as in any one of Claims 2 or 3 wherein the internal flange is constructed at least in part of a flexible material adapted to sealingly enclose the element.
5. A penetration flange as in Claim 2 wherein the seal between the internal flange and said element is effected by the use of a flexible sealant.
6. A penetration flange as in Claim 5 wherein the flexible sealant is moisture resistant silicon.
7. A penetration flange as in any one of claims 2 to 6 wherein the 1 0 penetration flange may be adapted to be longitudinally separable so as to allow it to enclose over an element rather than slide onto it.
8. A penetration flange as in Claim 2 wherein there is an O ring adapted to effect a seal between the internal flange and the element.
9. A penetration flange as in any one of Claims 2 to 8 wherein the external and internal flanges are substantially in a planar parallel orientation and wherein the longitudinal axis of the sleeve is substantially perpendicular to the planar orientation of the external and internal flanges.
10. A penetration flange as in any one of Claims 2 to 8 wherein the external and internal flanges are substantially in a planar parallel 2 0 orientation and wherein the longitudinal axis of the sleeve is not substantially perpendicular to the planar orientation of the external and ~internal flanges.
11. A penetration flange as in any one of Claims 2 to 8 wherein the external and internal flanges are not in a substantially planar parallel S2 5 orientation and wherein the longitudinal axis of the sleeve is not linear along its length. 16a
12. A tap penetration flange for sealing around a protruding element extending from a wall cavity through an aperture in said wall the flange including; an external flange of a flat configuration; a sleeve; an internal flange; wherein the internal flange is fed over the protruding element until the sleeve is substantially within the wall cavity and the external flange 1 0 sits flat on the surface.
13. A penetration flange substantially as herein before described and with reference to Fig's 4,5,6 and 11.
14. A penetration flange substantially as herein before described and with V V. V V V r :iii 17 reference to Fig.'s 7 and 8. A penetration flange substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to Fig 9.
16. A penetration flange substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to Fig.
17. A penetration flange substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to Fig. 11.
18. A penetration flange substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to Fig. 12.
19. A penetration flange substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to Fig.'s 13, 14 and 4*
20. A penetration flange substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to Fig. 16.
21. A penetration flange substantially as hereinbefore described and with 1 5 reference to Fig. 17.
22. A penetration flange substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to Fig. 18. :23. A penetration flange substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to Fig 19. 2 0 24. A penetration flange substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to Fig.'s 20 and 21. 18 A penetration flange substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to Fig.'s 22 and 23. Dated this 1st day of April 1996 ROBERT KENNETH MOULE AND VERITY JEAN MOULE By their Patent Attorneys, COLLISON CO. *o ABSTRACT This invention is for a tap penetration flange for sealing between a surface, such as a wall, a wall cavity, and an element, such as a tap, wherein the tap protrudes from said wall cavity through an aperture in the wall. The tap penetration flange includes a sleeve with a front and a rear portion, where the sleeve has an external flange extending radially outwardly from the front portion of the sleeve and an internal flange extending radially inwardly from the rear portion of the sleeve. In use the external flange is adapted to be positioned on the surface of the wall so that the sleeve and the internal flange extend into the 1 0 wall cavity through the aperture in the wall, resulting in the protruding element protruding through the tap flange and out from the wall. One can then effectively seal the aperture from the wall cavity by sealing between the protruding element and the internal flange. This can be done by either using a suitable sealant or choosing the size of the internal flange to effectively enclose the element 1 5 passing through the penetration flange. The latter can be done if the internal flange is somewhat flexible so that when one pushes the tap flange over the tap it grips around the tap or pipe in a fairly tight manner. .6. fino a* 0 0.00 •to o C S oo o 0