Library

Practical guide describing the management of moisture during a building's design, construction and maintenance.

EPA guidance document providing information on moisture control in buildings.

Article discussing moisture control in buildings as well as building design and construction strategies for keeping buildings dry and allowing buildings to dry out if they do get wet.

The next generation of building enclosures is a key step toward achieving high-performance goals through decreasing energy load demand and enabling advanced space-conditioning systems. Yet the adoption of high-R enclosures and particularly high-R walls has been a slow-growing trend because...

Website providing guidance about mold and moisture for homes, schools, multifamily and commercial buildings.

Online course providing an overview of mold prevention and mold remediation.

Report on a study monitoring moisture conditions of double-stud wall assemblies with different insulation in Devens, Massachusetts.

Article describing mulch requirements and benefits.

Building science insight into crawlspaces.

A list of EPA federal regulations regarding stationary sources of air pollution.

Standard containing requirements for carbon monoxide (CO) detection and warning equipment intended to protect lives by warning occupants of the presence of CO in sufficient time to allow occupants to escape or take other appropriate action.

Report describing a field study to measure pollutant concentrations in 324 homes in California.

Article describing particulate matter (PM), what it is, how it can be harmful, and what can be done about it.

Website describing particulate matter (PM) pollution.

Fact sheet from Wisconsin Focus on Energy explaining how to prevent future ice dams on homes by learning about their formation and mitigation of contributing factors.

Website from the EPA containing information for homeowners and renters about how to identify asbestos in the home and how to deal with it to reduce exposure to it.

List of recommendations from IBHS on how to protect homes from ice dam formation.

Website explaining the risks associated with radon in homes and how to protect homes against radon.

An example of a form a building codes department created to ensure builders are fully aware and have taken steps to provide drainage so that water doesn’t accumulate behind siding. This example is from the city of Newberg, Oregon.

A website explaining the benefits of recycling compact fluorescent lightbulbs and how the process can prevent the release of mercury into the environment.

Article describing moisture and ice dam issues in attics and how to air seal the attic floor.

Fact sheet describing best practices in installing leak-free refrigerant systems, including specifics on creating flare joints and brazed joints, pressure testing, vacuum testing, and charging the system with refrigerant.

Report providing guidance on indoor air quality in single-family and multifamily housing for designers, builders, property managers, homeowners, buyers, and renters.

Fact sheet describing methods for flashing and air-sealing windows and doors.

Factsheet from HUD describing how homeowners can retrofit homes following natural disasters in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Factsheet from HUD describing how to rebuild following natural disasters in Puerto Rico.

Factsheet for builders from HUD on how to rebuild homes following natural disasters in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Guidance from HUD on how to restore homes following natural disasters in Puerto Rico.

Guidance from HUD on how to restore homes following natural disasters in Puerto Rico.

Report from FEMA describing techniques for floodproofing structures.

Standard describing a simple, relatively cost-effective approach to evaluating the ability of a variety of materials to support microbial growth using a small chamber method. A preview of the standard is available at the link, with the full version available for purchase.

Standard describing methods for installing radon mitigation systems in existing residential buildings three stories or less in height which was published in the year 2021 and is available for preview and purchase at the reference link.

Detailed requirements for testing, exposure modeling, and allowable limits for modeled indoor air concentrations.

Specification describing criteria for manufactured polymeric materials used to provide a rainscreen function, a means for the drainage of liquid moisture and the ventilation of vapor moisture that enters an above-grade exterior wall assembly which was published in the year 2019, and is available for...

Test method that measures the capture efficiency of wall-mounted domestic range hoods under controlled conditions in a test chambers which available for preview and purchase at the link and was published in the year 2018.

Fact sheet describing water management in a residential building.

Article describing a field study that test ventilation performance in nine homes and found current ventilation was inadequate to remove PM2.5 and CO2 levels; however, a directly exhausting range hood can reduce peak PM2.5 concentrations by 75% or more.

Article describing the evolution of the IRC to permit class 3 vapor retarders (latex paint) in walls coupled with exterior continuous insulation to allow drying and reduce condensation risk.

Guide providing information on controlling attic ductwork sweating.

A presentation about the need for rainscreens including the damage water and moisture ingress into a home’s siding and framing can cause, and ways to design a resilient wall that drains and ventilates well.

Resource that provides a checklist of program criteria for water-efficient new homes under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) WaterSense program.

An article written by Don Jackson of The Journal of Light Construction on how to detail brick veneer siding wall.

Web-based manual providing guidance for removal and preventing entry of nuisance wildlife.

A website explaining the connection between using compact fluorescent lightbulbs and the amount of mercury released into the environment.