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Air Tightness of Building Envelope Design System

Building air tightness refers to minimizing air leakage through the building envelope. Tighter buildings are more durable, comfortable, and have better air quality as they are designed to prevent air leakage. Various techniques can be used to detect air leaks, including the bubble test, pressure/vacuum decay, and tracer gas detectors. Important areas to test for air leaks include attic hatches, windows, doors, and cracks in foundations. Air sealing performed by professionals can lower energy costs by reducing indoor humidity and heat loss through air leaks. Window spacers are also important to consider, as non-metallic spacers help prevent heat transfer and reduce condensation compared to metal spacers. Installing a cool roof coating can help reduce a building

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99 views7 pages

Air Tightness of Building Envelope Design System

Building air tightness refers to minimizing air leakage through the building envelope. Tighter buildings are more durable, comfortable, and have better air quality as they are designed to prevent air leakage. Various techniques can be used to detect air leaks, including the bubble test, pressure/vacuum decay, and tracer gas detectors. Important areas to test for air leaks include attic hatches, windows, doors, and cracks in foundations. Air sealing performed by professionals can lower energy costs by reducing indoor humidity and heat loss through air leaks. Window spacers are also important to consider, as non-metallic spacers help prevent heat transfer and reduce condensation compared to metal spacers. Installing a cool roof coating can help reduce a building

Uploaded by

Yolanda Selga
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Air Tightness of Building Envelope Design System

Building air tightness refers to the amount of air leakage into and out of the building's
thermal envelope, which separates conditioned space from a natural setting. Uncontrolled flow
through the thermal barrier is known as air leakage enclosure because of pressure imbalances
brought on by the wind, stack effect, and mechanical equipment. A building's air leakage should
be minimum; thus, the aim is efficiently and reliably accomplished by using an air sealing
strategy.
Buildings that are more tightly constructed are designed to be more durable, comfortable
for occupants, and have better interior air quality. The tightness of homes has increased
significantly over the past few decades, but the most recent energy codes impose even stricter air
sealing and tightness testing standards. Lack of airtightness in the building envelope can result in
severe energy loss from air leaks or structural component deterioration from moisture.
Appropriate design and careful construction can prevent air leakage. Similar to an open window,
warm air leaking through numerous small holes in the building envelope results in a permanent
energy loss.

Detecting Air leakage


An unintentional crack, hole, or porosity in an enclosing wall or joint that must hold or
exclude various fluids and gases while enabling the departure of a closed medium is known as a
leak. In closed systems, connectors, gaskets, welded and brazed joints, material flaws, etc. are
frequently critical leak points. A leak test technique is typically a quality assurance step to ensure
the integrity of the device, and it should ideally be a single non-destructive test with no negative
effects on the environment or users.
There are many leak-testing methods available, ranging from extremely straightforward
methods to very intricate systems. The underwater bubble test, bubble soap paint, pressure and
vacuum decay, and tracer gas detectors (halogen, helium, and hydrogen) are the leak test
techniques that are most frequently utilized. Due to their characteristics and sensitivity, the first
three approaches can only be utilized for large leak detection (300 g/y (10.5 oz) or more
refrigerant leakages). Although the methods for testing for tracer gas leaks are far more accurate
than the preceding group, their theoretical sensitivity is frequently greater than what is needed.
However, in a practical sense, this is constrained by the working and environmental
circumstances.
Each method mentioned above and each its advantages and drawbacks are discussed briefly in
the following.
In annex A, a conversion chart for the most commonly used vacuum and leak rate measurement
units is provided.
In the diagram below, the performance of various leak-test techniques is summarized.
Important areas to look for while making a house airtight:

 attic access hatch (trapdoor) and ceiling lights;


 entry points for components that run through the ceiling to the attic (wiring, plumbing
pipes, ventilation ducts, etc.);
 doors;
 exhaust fans (kitchen range hoods);
 mail slots;
 the joint between the wall sole plate and the end joists at the outer edge of floors;
 inlets in exterior walls for conduits, wiring and pipes;
 the floor drain;
 cracks in the foundation;
 embedded fixtures (recessed lighting, electrical outlets, light switches);
 windows;
 chimney.
Air Sealing
Air sealing can lower indoor humidity, promote home comfort and health, and reduce the
energy required by your heating and cooling systems. It can also improve the general air quality
in your home. Although air sealing offers numerous advantages, it is also very complex,
specialized work that must be done in some difficult-to-reach areas of your home. So, when it's
done by a skilled professional, you'll obtain the best, most efficient outcomes.

Spacer
A window's many panes of glass are kept apart and maintained with spacers. Spacer
systems are made up of spacers and the sealants that hold them in place, and effective ones assist
in providing the advantages that consumers seek:
 To avoid fogging and stop efficiency-boosting gases from escaping, they seal the gap
between the glass panes.
 They change size in step with the rest of the window.
 To stop the loss of any unique low-conductance gas in the air space, provide a gas-tight
seal.
 Spacer systems help lessen heat loss, condensation, and water damage in cold areas.

Spacer Types:
a) Non-metallic – is the best spacer solutions for preventing heat and cold transfer and
lowering condensation. Because of their adaptability, windows can expand and contract
with them, protecting the seal from fractures.
b) Warm-edge – a spacer systems combine metallic and non-metallic elements to prevent
heat and cold from traveling through a window. This reduces condensation as well.
c) Metal – a spacer systems that are frequently used, heat and cold can easily flow through
them. This increases the risk of moisture and makes it harder for heating and cooling
systems to maintain interior temperatures.
Cool Roof Coating
In contrast to a typical roof, a cool roof is made to reflect more sunlight and hence absorb
less solar energy. In the same way that wearing light-colored clothing keeps you cool on a hot
day; this lowers the building's temperature. On a hot summer afternoon, conventional roofs can
achieve temperatures of 150°F or higher.
A reflective roof could remain more than 50°F (28 °C) cooler under the same
circumstances. By lowering heat movement from the roof into the inhabited space, this can save
energy and financial costs in buildings with air conditioning or increase comfort and safety in
structures without air conditioning.
The majority of cool roofs have a high "thermal emittance"—their capacity to dissipate
heat by radiating "thermal infrared" radiation. A cool roof can be advantageous for almost any
kind of building, but before installing one, consider the climate and other aspects.
Advantages of Cool Roof
A cool roof has several advantages for a structure and its occupants.

 Minimum surface preparation needed


 Available as ready to use
 High solar reflectance index (SRI) indicates high degree of cooling effect
 Crack-bridging
 High resistance to chloride penetration
 Algae and fungi resistant
 Highly flexible and Vapor permeable
 Simple and fast application
 Excellent adhesion to concrete, Ultra violet rays and weather resistant
 Reduces the surface temperature of roofs by 50% compared with a dark colored covering
 Reduced energy cost
 Eco friendly

References:
https://www.iccsafe.org/wp-content/uploads/proclamations/TN02-Building-Tightness_pdf.pdf
https://cdn.thomasnet.com/ccp/20106502/32497.pdf
https://transitionenergetique.gouv.qc.ca/en/residential/helpful-advice/air-tightness
https://sealed.com/resources/the-definitive-guide-to-air-sealing-your-house/#what-is-air-sealing
https://efficientwindows.org/spacers/
https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/cool-roofs
https://constrofacilitator.com/cool-roof-coating-advantages-products-and-applications/

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