US20240183162A1

US20240183162A1 - Vent for tile roof

Info

Publication number: US20240183162A1
Application number: US18/523,964
Authority: US
Inventors: Jakob D. Fiser
Original assignee: Lomanco Inc
Current assignee: Lomanco Inc
Priority date: 2022-12-02
Filing date: 2023-11-30
Publication date: 2024-06-06

Abstract

A passive vent balances the competing demands of high airflow and security against intrusion of unwanted debris, precipitation and pests. The vent sits proud of the tiles in its course, and protrudes forwardly over the tiles in the course below, such that a large airflow volume is provided. Vents are positioned and configured to prevent pest incursion, precipitation ingress, and debris buildup

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/385,777, filed Dec. 2, 2023 and entitled VENT FOR TILE ROOF, the entire disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a vent, and in particular, to a vent for allowing airflow between the interior of a building and the exterior of the building while providing a barrier to entry into the building of unwanted exterior environment elements, such as pests (e.g., insects and small animals), debris and precipitation.

2. Description of the Related Art

Venting can be used to provide a continuous circulation of outdoor air to an attic space of a home or other building. Vents can be used to provide air intake into the attic space and air exhaust from the attic space to provide for the desired continuous circulation of outdoor air to the attic.
Building ventilation fights the deleterious effects of high heat and moisture. Heat in unventilated attics may cause extremely high attic temperatures, which can cause damage to roof coverings, roof sheathing, and also radiate down into the living area, causing excessive air conditioning usage to maintain comfort. Moisture can cause rot, mildew, mold, paint blister and decrease the effectiveness of insulation.
Static roof vents can be utilized to provide desired airflow between a building and the surrounding environment. Static roof vents are installed over openings in a roof and allow rising hot air and moisture to escape the attic space. Static roof vents are passive vents that do not include moving parts to facilitate airflow, but rather simply define an airflow conduit through which air from the underlying structure can vent to the surrounding atmosphere.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides a passive vent which balances the competing demands of high airflow and security against intrusion of unwanted debris, precipitation and pests. The vent sits proud of the tiles in its course, and protrudes forwardly over the tiles in the course below, such that a large airflow volume is provided. Vents are positioned and configured to prevent pest incursion, precipitation ingress, and debris buildup.
In one form thereof, the present disclosure provides a vent including a body and a front cover. The body has a generally cuboid structure with an open lower end configured for fluid communication with a structure to be vented. The body has an upper wall opposite the open lower end, the upper wall including sets of laterally positioned louvers at left and right side portions thereof and a set of front louvers at a front portion thereof. The front cover is fixed to a front surface of the body. The front cover has a set of cover louvers.
In another form thereof, the present disclosure provides a vent, including a body and a front cover. The body has a generally cuboid structure with an open lower end configured for fluid communication with a structure to be vented. The body includes an upper wall opposite the open lower end, the upper wall including sets of laterally positioned louvers at left and right side portions thereof and a set of front louvers at a front portion thereof. The body also includes left and right sidewalls extending downwardly from the upper wall, a front wall extending downwardly to form left and right front corners with the left and right sidewalls, a rear wall also extending downwardly to form left and right rear corners with the left and right sidewalls, and a rear/upper flange extending rearwardly from a lower edge of the rear wall, such that the rear/upper flange is positioned to be placed under a tile above the vent. The front cover includes an upright flange including a set of cover louvers formed therein, and a lower flange positioned to be placed under at least one tile to the left or right side of the vent. The lower flange is disposed below and forward of the rear/upper flange. The front cover is fixed to a front surface of the body such that the upright flange and the lower flange extend generally parallel to the upper wall of the body upon installation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above mentioned and other features of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a vent made in accordance with the present disclosure, as installed onto a tile roof;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the vent and roof of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 is another top perspective view of the vent of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the vent of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 5 is a top perspective, exploded view of the vent of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation, cross-section view of the vent of FIG. 1 , taken along the line 6-6;

FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of another vent made in accordance with the present disclosure, as installed onto a tile roof;

FIG. 8 is a side elevation view of the vent and roof of FIG. 7 ;

FIG. 9 is another top perspective view of the vent of FIG. 7 ;

FIG. 10 is a bottom perspective view of the vent of FIG. 7 ;

FIG. 11 is a top perspective, exploded view of the vent of FIG. 7 ; and

FIG. 12 is a side elevation, cross-section view of the vent of FIG. 7 , taken along the line 12-12.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Unless stated otherwise the drawings are proportional and drawn to scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiments disclosed below are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed in the following detailed description. Rather, the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may utilize their teachings.
For purposes of the present disclosure, directional terms such as “forward,” “rearward,” “upper,” “lower,” “left,” and “right” are used to denote the relative positions of various structures with respect to the typically installed configuration and orientation of vent assembly 100, as shown for example in FIGS. 1 and 2 . “Forward” refers to the front or outwardly-facing end of the vent assembly 100 which faces outwardly upon installation, and “rearward” is the opposite of forward. “Left” refers to the side of the vent assembly 100 on the left hand side from the perspective of an installer facing the front of the assembly 100. “Right” is the opposite of left, i.e., the right hand side from the perspective of the installer facing the front of the assembly 100. “Upper” refers to surfaces and structures spaced further away from the decking of the roof relative to “lower” surfaces or structures. Alternatively or in addition, “upper” surfaces and structures can be above “lower” surfaces and structures with respect to gravity.
Referring now to FIG. 1 , vent assembly 100 is shown as installed on a roof having roof tiles 102. In the illustrated embodiment, roof tiles are flat tiles of a type commonly employed in the building industry, such as concrete or clay. Roof tiles 102 are shown schematically, it being understood that various designs of flat tiles may be used with vent 100 in accordance with the present disclosure.
Vent 100 includes a body 104 which may be a formed as a single monolithic component made from sheet metal. As further described below, body 104 is fixed to other components, including base screen 106, base latch plate 108, and front cover 110 to form vent assembly 100. Body 104 forms a generally cuboid structure with an open lower end, as seen in FIG. 4 for example. In particular, body 104 forms a “tray” structure with a main upper wall 136, left and right sidewalls 130 extending downwardly from the main upper wall 136, a front wall 132 extending downwardly to form left and right front corners with the sidewalls 130 (FIG. 5 ), and a rear wall 134 also extending downwardly to form left and right rear corners with the sidewalls 130 (FIG. 4 ). The corners may be fixed to one another, such as via clinch locks or welding, for example. This construction creates a downwardly-facing cavity within the “tray” of body 104 which serves as an airflow chamber, as further described below.
Upper wall 136 of body 104 includes three sets of louvers to facilitate airflow
A through vent assembly 100 (FIG. 2 ). In particular, left and right vents 116 are each formed as a set of laterally positioned louvers along the left and right sides of the upper wall 136, as shown in FIG. 1 , for example. Extending along the entire front portion of upper wall 136 is top front vent 118, formed as a set of front louvers which are positioned along the lower portion of body 104 upon installation. These louvers are all angled to allow rain to be channeled downwardly and forwardly along the outer surface of upper wall 136 to prevent falling rain from ingress into the cavity of vent assembly 100.
Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 6 , body 104 further includes rear/upper flange 122 extending rearwardly (and, upon installation, upwardly) away from the lower edge of rear wall 134. Thus, the rear/upper flange 122 is disposed below upper wall 136 of body 104 and adjacent the open lower end of body 104. Flange 122 is positioned to be placed under one or more of the tiles 102 installed above the vent assembly 100, as shown in FIG. 1 and further described below. Beads 146 may extend left-to-right across and along flange 122 to add rigidity to flange 122. Stiffening dimples 124, shown in FIG. 4 , may be provided at the junction between flange 122 and rear wall 134 to stiffen and reinforce the substantially perpendicular arrangement therebetween and prevent the rear wall 134 from bowing outwardly upon installation.
Base latch plates 108 connect to sidewalls 130 in the area of lateral vents 116, as seen in FIGS. 4 and 5 . Base latch plates 108 may include tabs 142 sized and positioned to interfit with tab receivers 144 formed in sidewalls 130, as best seen in FIG. 2 . A front flange 140 extends upwardly from the forward edge of base latch plate 108 to abut the undersurface of upper wall 136, as shown in FIG. 6 . A base screen 106 may optionally be interposed between each of the base latch plates 108 and the adjacent lateral vents 116, as seen in FIG. 4 , to provide additional weather protection while still allowing airflow between the cavity of body 104 and the ambient atmosphere around vent assembly 100.
Front cover 110 is formed as a generally U-shaped channel and is configured to be mounted on the front wall 132 of the body 104. Front cover 110 may include an upright flange 128 (FIG. 5 ) sized to overlay front wall 132, and is fixed thereto via any suitable fixation method, such as fasteners as shown. Front cover also includes lower flange 126 extending generally parallel to upper wall 136 of body 104 upon installation. Bottom front vents 120, shown in FIG. 4 , are formed by a louvered wall extending from the bottom of the upright flange 128 to the front of the lower flange 126. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 6 , the louvers of front cover 110 are arranged such that wind-driven rain is prevented from ingress by presenting a series of substantially vertical walls which stop any such wind-driven rain from “running uphill” along the outer surfaces of vent assembly 100. Top front vent 118, described above, may be similarly configured.
The arrangement of the front vents 118 and 120 also cooperate to protect against air-driven ingress of undesired ambient materials such as rain, snow or fire embers. For example, when wind is blowing against an upwind surface of the roof, it may drive undesired materials into bottom front vent 120. Should this happen, however, the louvered surfaces within vent 120 divert the flow of undesired material upward toward vent 118. The louvers of top front vent 118 are aligned with this upward flow, such that the undesired materials are allowed to exit vent assembly 100 harmlessly upward through vent 118. In addition to wind- driven flows, strong convective flows carrying undesired materials may also be harmlessly exhausted upwardly in a similar fashion.
Optionally, a front screen 112 may be provided behind front cover 110, as shown in FIG. 6 . Front screen 112 may have a lower end coupled (e.g., fixed) to lower flange 126 of front cover 110 and an upper end coupled (e.g., fixed) to the undersurface of upper wall 136 of body 104. As illustrated in FIG. 6 , screen 112 is positioned behind both the bottom front vents 120 and the top front vents 118 to provide for increased weather protection while still allowing airflow, similar to screens 106 described above.
FIGS. 2-6 show a pair of back straps 114 which are attached (e.g., affixed such as by welding or fasteners) to rear/upper flange 122. Back straps 114 extend further rearwardly and upwardly from the rear edge of flange 122 and may include a hole or aperture at a rear portion thereof which is positioned to be exposed to the installer after vent assembly 100 is initially placed in its installed location. As further described below, these apertures may be used to affix vent assembly 100 to the underlying surface, such as roof decking 103 shown in FIGS. 7-12 and further described below.
Installation of the vent assembly 100 will now be described. Vent assembly 100 is installed to a roof assembly as the roof is constructed in a traditional manner, starting with a lower course of tiles 102 near the eave the building and adding progressive courses of tiles 102 working upwardly/rearwardly until the top of the roof is reached. At a desired location, vent assembly 100 is installed in place of one or more of the tiles 102, as shown in FIG. 1 .
An installer can choose a location for vent 100 along a selected course of tiles 102. At this location, a hole is generally cut through the underlying decking. The hole may be equipped with a “primary” or other fitting to protect the hole and channel air across the decking. For example, primary fitting 250 is shown installed to decking 103 in FIG. 8 and described in further detail below.
For a course of tiles 102 built from right to left, vent 100 may be coupled to a first tile 102 by sliding the vent 100 over the tile starting from the right sidewall 130 and moving it rightward until a portion, such as about half, of the tile 102 is covered. This traps a rightward portion of lower flange 126 between the rightward tile 102 and the course of tiles 102 below it, as shown in FIG. 2 for example. Another, leftward tile 102 may then be slid into the space between upper flange 122 and lower flange 126, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 6 . At least a portion of each tile 102 captured by vent 100 may be fixed to the underlying roof deck in the usual manner, e.g., by nailing through a preformed hole at the top/rear of the tile 102.
As an alternative to sliding tiles 102 in along a sideways path, tiles 102 may be fixed in place at a desired location and lower flange 126 may be slid rearwardly underneath the tiles 102. Moreover, because only lower flange 126 needs to be slid underneath the left and right adjacent tiles 102, and no upper structures need to be placed underneath such tiles 102, lower flange 126 can generally be placed under the tiles 102 even if the upper/rear portions of the tiles 102 have already been fixed to the underlying decking, and without modification to the upper/rear portions of the tiles 102.
Advantageously, front cover 110 and particularly lower flange 126 may be flexible such that the distance between upper flange 122 and lower flange 126 can be easily manually adjusted by hand and without tools by an installer in the field. For example, the installer may simply bend lower flange 126 to accommodate a thick or thin tile.
Vent 100 may be initially fixed in place by fastening (e.g., nailing) through the apertures formed in back straps 114. For example, back straps 114 may be deformed by the installer, by hand and without tools, to meet the decking (e.g., decking 103 shown in FIG. 8 ) above and rearward of the adjacent tiles 102, as may be needed for various installation contexts and methods. The “hinges” formed by the creases in front cover 110 may also be slightly deformed by pulling the back straps 114 backwardly to put the entire vent 100 in tension for a secure attachment.
The next course of tiles, above and behind the course including vent 100, may then be installed. Tiles 102 are placed across flange 122 and back straps 114, compressing these between the tiles 102 and the adjacent decking as shown schematically in FIGS. 2 and 6 . Beads 146 may deform and/or bite into the undersurface of the tiles 102 to add security of fixation.
Advantageously, a large cavity is created between the open lower end of the body 104 and the upwardly-facing decking of the roof assembly. This creates an airflow chamber through which large volumes of airflow A, shown in FIG. 2 , can easily pass. In particular, vent 100 sits proud of the adjacent course of tiles 102, creating a large head space for airflow A. This elevated position also allows debris, rain and/or snow to pass below the vents 116 and 118 in many circumstances, further insuring against ingress or clogging.
Additionally, front cover 110 sits forward of the upper/rear edge of the lower course of tiles 102, as shown in FIG. 1 , creating extra interior space. In some embodiments, this forward protrusion over the lower course may be between 1 inches and 6 inches, for example.
This large interior volume further allows for large-volume airflow A even though the maximum airflow opening among the various vents 116, 118 and 120 are very small. In some embodiments, the largest uninterrupted cross-sectional area is substantially less than one square inch, such as between 0.1 and 0.9 square inches, for example. This small opening prevents pests from entering the interior volume of vent assembly 100 and thereby protects the building from pest ingress. This is accomplished while retaining a net free area (NFA) at least large enough to meet regulatory and industry standards.
The flexibility of the front cover 110 and front screen 112, described above, allows for vent assembly 100 to be vertically compressed for efficient transport and storage.
FIGS. 7-12 illustrate another vent assembly 200 made in accordance with the present disclosure. Vent assembly 200 is interchangeable with vent assembly 100 described above, and all the uses and applications of vent assembly 100 also apply to vent assembly 200. Except as otherwise described below, vent assembly 200 is similar in structure and function to vent assembly 100 described above, and reference numerals of vent assembly 200 are analogous to the reference numerals used in vent assembly 100, except with 100 added thereto. Elements of vent assembly 200 correspond to similar elements denoted by corresponding reference numerals of vent assembly 100, except as otherwise described herein. All systems and structures useable in conjunction with vent assembly 200 are also useable with vent assembly 100 except as otherwise described herein.
However, vent assembly 200 includes various features for enhanced strength/rigidity, manufacturability and shipping compactness.
As best shown in FIG. 9 , a stiffening rib 237 is formed into upper wall 236 of body 204. Stiffening rib 237 forms a closed loop near the outer periphery of upper wall 236, as shown, with a central portion 237A enclosed by the loop. In the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 12 , central portion 237A may be recessed (i.e., being below and having a lower elevation) relative to both the stiffening rib 237 and the outer peripheral portion of upper wall 236. Rib 237 may form an “O” shape with two long parallel sides, two short parallel sides, and angled corners therebetween, as shown. Rib 237 may take other enclosed-loop shapes as required or desired for a particular application.
FIG. 12 illustrates rear/upper flange 222 which is constructed similarly to flange 122 described above, including beads 246 analogous to beads 146 but lacking an analog to stiffening dimples 124. Instead, stiffening flange 223 is provided, which extends downwardly from the rear edge of flange 222 as shown. Stiffening flange 223 extends across substantially the entire left-to-right extent of flange 222, as best seen in FIG. 10 , such as at least 90% of the left-to-right extent, such that the stiffening effect of stiffening flange 223 is consistently applied to substantially all (e.g., at least 90%) of rear/upper flange 222.
Referring now to FIG. 11 , base latch plates 208 include both an upper front flange 240A and a lower front flange 240B. Flange 240A is positioned and configured to attach to body 204, and includes a fastener aperture which can receive a fastener (e.g., a screw or rivet) that also attaches to body 204 as shown in FIG. 12 . Flange 240B is positioned and configured to attach to front cover 210, and includes a pair of fastener apertures which can each receive a fastener 221 (e.g., a self-tapping screw) that also attaches to front cover 210 as shown in FIG. 12 .
Base latch plates 208 also include side flanges 241 extending upwardly from a laterally-outward edge thereof, as shown. Side flanges 241 have tab receivers 244 formed therein. Tab receivers 244 are sized and positioned to receive correspondingly formed tabs 242, which are formed as a part of body 204. Similar to the corresponding structures of vent assembly 100, tabs 242 and tab receivers 244 interfit and form a slide-locking interface to removably affix base latch plates 208 to body 204. Advantageously, the arrangement of tabs 242 and tab receivers 244 is efficient to produce using metal stamping and bending techniques amenable to high-volume production methods.
Front wall 232 of body 204 also has an array of tab receivers 233, such as five even spaced tab receivers 233 as illustrated in FIG. 11 . A corresponding array of tabs 229 are formed on upright flange 228 of front cover 210. This arrangement may also be reversed, i.e., tabs 229 may be formed on body 204 and tab receivers 233 may be formed on front cover 210. Tabs 229 and tab receivers 233 interfit and form a slide-locking interface to removably affix front cover 210 to body 204.
Front cover 210 is also fixed to body 204 via the fasteners 221 (e.g., self-tapping screws) that affix front cover 210 to base latch plates 208, which themselves are affixed to body 204 as described above. In this way, just a small number of screws (as illustrated in FIG. 10 , two sets of two screws at the left and right sides of vent assembly 200) can be used to lock the interfitting arrangements of tabs 229 and receivers 233, and of tabs 242 and receivers 244.
Back straps 214 perform the same function as back straps 114 described above. Back straps 214 may be pivoted inwardly, as shown in FIG. 11 , to avoid protruding beyond the rear edge of rear/upper flange 222. This facilitates compact shipping and transport of vent assembly 200. When ready to install vent assembly 200, back straps 124 can be pivoted outwardly, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 , such that back straps 214 protrude rearwardly beyond the rear edge and are thereby positioned for fixation to the underlying support structure as described in detail above.
Turning again to FIG. 11 , base screens 206 contain a single bend, rather than a pair of bends shown and described with respect to base screens 106. This allow base screens 206 to deflect slightly upon assembly of vent cover 200, creating a resilient deformation to serves to hold base screens 206 in place. Similarly, front screen 212 is shown to include upper and lower flanges which resiliently deform front screen 212 upon engagement with inner surfaces of body 204 and front cover 210, as shown in FIG. 12 .
In addition to vent assembly 200, FIGS. 8 and 11 also show primary fitting 250, which is fixed over an aperture formed in decking 103 (FIG. 8 ) to allow fluid communication between the space below decking 103 and the ambient air above tiles 102 via vent assembly 200 (or 100, as described above). Primary fitting 250 includes a base flange 252 which attaches to decking 103 (e.g., via screws or nails) and an upstanding flange 254 extending upwardly from the base flange 252 and encircling the aperture 256 formed in the center of the fitting 250. A rear/upper edge of upstanding flange 254 includes a flared portion 258, as best seen in FIG. 8 , which ensures any water or condensation which may be present on primary fitting 250 cannot build up on the high side of upstanding flange and potentially drip into aperture 256.
In the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 8 and 11 , all the features of primary fitting 250 are formed as a single, monolithic piece of material. For example, primary fitting 250 may be a stamped piece of metal, such as steel or aluminum. Upstanding flange 254 may be stamped into a blank piece, with the remaining non-stamped portion of the blank remaining as base flange 252. Flared portion 258 may also be a stamped feature. Advantageously, this arrangement allows all the features of primary fitting 250 to be formed from a single blank, rather than being made of multiple pieces, thereby ensuring highly efficient and inexpensive production.
While this invention has been described as having an exemplary design, the present invention may be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A vent, comprising:

a body having a generally cuboid structure with an open lower end configured for fluid communication with a structure to be vented, the body having an upper wall opposite the open lower end, the upper wall including sets of laterally positioned louvers at left and right side portions thereof and a set of front louvers at a front portion thereof; and

a front cover fixed to a front surface of the body, the front cover having a set of cover louvers.

2. The vent of claim 1, wherein the body comprises a rear/upper flange positioned to be placed under a tile above the vent, the rear/upper flange disposed below the upper wall of the body and adjacent the open lower end of the body.

3. The vent of claim 2, wherein the rear/upper flange includes at least one bead extending left-to-right across the rear/upper flange, the at least one bead configured to deform the undersurface of an adjacent tile placed upon the rear/upper flange.

4. The vent of claim 3, wherein the rear/upper flange further includes a stiffening flange extending downwardly from a rear edge of the rear/upper flange, the stiffening flange extending across substantially the entire left-to-right extent of the rear/upper flange.

5. The vent of claim 2, wherein the front cover comprises a lower flange positioned to be placed under at least one tile to the left or right side of the vent, the lower flange disposed below and forward of the rear/upper flange.

6. The vent of claim 1, wherein the body forms a tray structure defined by:

the upper wall,

left and right sidewalls extending downwardly from the upper wall,

a front wall extending downwardly to form left and right front corners with the sidewalls, and

a rear wall also extending downwardly to form left and right rear corners with the sidewalls.

7. The vent of claim 6, further comprising a rear/upper flange extending rearwardly from a lower edge of the rear wall.

8. The vent of claim 7, further comprising at least one back strap connected to the rear/upper flange.

9. The vent of claim 8, wherein the at least one back strap is pivotably connected to the rear/upper flange such that the at least one back strap may be pivoted inwardly to avoid protruding beyond a rear edge of the rear/upper flange, and such that the at least one back strap may be pivoted outwardly to protrude rearwardly beyond the rear edge.

10. The vent of claim 7, wherein the rear/upper flange includes at least one bead extending left-to-right across the rear/upper flange.

11. The vent of claim 6, wherein the front cover is formed as a generally U-shaped channel and is configured to be mounted on the front wall of the body.

12. The vent of claim 6, wherein the front cover includes an upright flange and a lower flange extending generally parallel to the upper wall of the body upon installation.

13. The vent of claim 1, wherein the upper wall of the body includes a stiffening rib forming a closed loop near the outer periphery thereof, the stiffening rib enclosing a central portion of the upper wall.

14. The vent of claim 13, wherein the central portion enclosed by the stiffening rib is recessed below the stiffening rib.

15. The vent of claim 13, wherein the stiffening rib forms an “O” shape with two long parallel sides, two short parallel sides, and angled corners therebetween.

16. The vent of claim 1, further comprising a primary fitting include a base flange configured to attach decking and an upstanding flange extending upwardly from the base flange, the upstanding flange encircling an aperture formed in the primary fitting, and a rear/upper edge of the upstanding flange including a flared portion, wherein the base flange, the upstanding flange and the flared portion are all formed as a single, monolithic piece of material.

17. The vent of claim 1, further comprising a pair of base latch plates coupled to left and right sides of the body respectively, wherein:

the body includes one of a first plurality of tabs and a first plurality of tab receivers,

the base latch plates each includes the other of the first plurality of tabs and the first plurality of tab receivers,

the first plurality of tabs and the first plurality of tab receivers respectively sized and configured to interfit with one another to form a slide-locking interface to removably affix the base latch plates to the body.

18. The vent of claim 17, wherein:

the body includes one of a second plurality of tabs and a second plurality of tab receivers,

the front cover includes the other of the second plurality of tabs and the second plurality of tab receivers,

the second plurality of tabs and the second plurality of tab receivers respectively sized and configured to interfit with one another to form a slide-locking interface to removably affix the front cover to the body.

19. The vent of claim 18, further comprising a plurality of fasteners which fix the front cover to the base latch plates, wherein the first plurality of tabs become fixed to the first plurality of tab receivers and the second plurality of tabs become fixed to the second plurality of tab receivers when the front cover is fixed to the base latch plates by the plurality of fasteners.

20. A vent, comprising:

a body having a generally cuboid structure with an open lower end configured for fluid communication with a structure to be vented, the body comprising:

an upper wall opposite the open lower end, the upper wall including sets of laterally positioned louvers at left and right side portions thereof and a set of front louvers at a front portion thereof,

left and right sidewalls extending downwardly from the upper wall,

a front wall extending downwardly to form left and right front corners with the left and right sidewalls,

a rear wall also extending downwardly to form left and right rear corners with the left and right sidewalls, and

a rear/upper flange extending rearwardly from a lower edge of the rear wall, such that the rear/upper flange is positioned to be placed under a tile above the vent; and

a front cover comprising:

an upright flange including a set of cover louvers formed therein, and

a lower flange positioned to be placed under at least one tile to the left or right side of the vent, the lower flange disposed below and forward of the rear/upper flange,

wherein the front cover is fixed to a front surface of the body such that the upright flange and the lower flange extend generally parallel to the upper wall of the body upon installation.