ABOUT US
Fence Vent discs were launched in 2015. Fence Vent are an innovative product, being a ventilation system to be fitted to a range of panelled fence constructions to improve useful life of a fence.
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The ventilation disc has been developed following several years of prototyping. The thickness of the disc has been optimised so as to create an unobtrusive air space between the lower edge of a wooden fence panel and the underlying gravel board.
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The designer (Ken Whittaker), spent many years working in the engineering and product design fields, and noticed that generally the first signs of fence panel rot and failure occur along the bottom edge of the panels.
On investigation this was generally due to accumulated debris on and around this area from ground splashes, general environmental dirt and trapped dampness under the panel construction timbers.
This debris was preventing effective natural flushing as would occur on other parts of the panel via wind and rain. The dirt build up leads to the blocking of any natural drainage gaps in the panel construction as exit is initially blocked by an accumulation of dirt on the underlying gravel board having been trapped by the fence panel sitting on top. This in turn leads to moss build up in these areas, further trapping wetness and creating an ideal environment for wood damaging rot and invertebrates.
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The solution appeared to be to separate the lower edge of the panel from the underlying gravel board to such an extent as to allow drips of water to fall freely away from the lower edge of the fence panel. Creating this gap also allowed air to pass freely under the timbers of the fence panel which allows for natural drying as well as removing dirt particles that would normally be trapped between the two surfaces.
Due to the pressure difference between the windward and leeward sides of the fence panel, this gap causes accelerated air movement or draught as it passes through, increasing its effectiveness. The fence vent spacer achieves this.
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The conical upper surface of the spacer guides water away from the area of fence panel above it and the radiating ribs support the weight of the fence panel onto the gravel board. The remainder of the underside of the fence panel is spaced clear of the gravel board. Generally fence panels are positioned over a gravel board of either timber or pre cast concrete.
When fitting the spacers in conjunction with a timber gravel board it is a simple matter of positioning 3 or 4 fence vent spacers along the span of the gravel board and nailing in position by means of the stainless steel pins supplied. When fitting the spacers in conjunction with concrete gravel boards or over a wall section, then the spacer is nailed to the underside of the fence panel using the stainless steel pins supplied. To accommodate these dual fixing methods and enable the cone to remain correctly orientated, the spacers are formed so as to allow the pin to be inserted from either the top or the bottom.
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With routine treatments of the timber panels the fence vent can extend the useful life of the fence by up to 50% by eliminating the source of the major cause of fence panel failure.
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The fence vent can be used on any form of pre constructed fence panel with a bottom rail construction and has been successfully tested on various woven, log-lap and close boarded fence panels. Fence vent spacers can also be used in conjunction with arias rail mounted close boarded fencing. In this instance it gives intermittent support to the palings and prevents droop over time which often occurs. This type of fencing is routinely constructed with an ideal gap, say 6mm, between the palings and the gravel board.
However, unsupported and subject to the environmental forces the weight of the timbers over the span between posts causes the arias rails to sag and eliminate this gap. Again this allows dirt and dampness become trapped and to penetrate the timbers leading to rot.
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Rain and wind are allies in maintaining a good looking, damp free fence when using fence vent spacers. They work together to intermittently wash out and dry the timber interfaces that would normally trap wetness and dirt. These two factors are the enemies of timber preservation as they together create the ideal environment for rot and damaging invertebrates to become established.
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By using this product a landscaper or fencing contractor can ensure an extended life and good appearance of any suitable timber construction fence. It is low cost and simple to fix and totally unobtrusive.
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Fence Vent is currently available at our online store (www.fencevent.co.uk) and enables them to be purchased at highly competitive rates for professionals, adding only pence to each section of panelling. Stockists will be added to the site. We offer retail pricing for those wishing to stock the product.
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The fence vent is produced in the UK from 100% recycled high quality reinforced nylon, (a by-product of automotive component manufacture) and fitted using stainless steel pins supplied.