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Air leaking through the home's envelope wastes a lot of energy and increases energy costs.

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Technology Solutions Case Study: Complete and Fully Aligned Air Barrier

Case Study

Case study describing the elimination of excessive humidity in the attic of a multi-floor, single-family home that was causing condensation and water damage along the roof and eaves.

Right – This attic knee wall and the floor joist cavity openings beneath it are being sealed and insulated with spray foam.

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Spray foam provides a critical seal between the subfloor, rim joist, and sill plate

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Wrong – These plumbing penetrations have been cut larger than needed, making them difficult to seal.

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Gaps at shared common walls can be a significant source of air leakage in multi-family buildings

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The attic kneewall and the open floor cavities under kneewall are both sealed and insulated in one step with spray foam insulation

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Smoke generators are used to identify air leakage sites during depressurization testing

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Seal all wood framing joints surrounding the chase with sealant and lay a bead of sealant on top edge of chase framing

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Marriage joints between modular home modules at all exterior boundary conditions fully sealed with gasket and foam

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Moisture Management in Residential Construction Series - Building Enclosure: Managing Air Flow

Video

Video describing the management of air flow within the building enclosure focusing on air pressure differences from Home Innovation Research Labs.

Seal all wood framing joints surrounding the chase with sealant and lay a bead of sealant along top edge of chase framing

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Balloon-framed walls have no top plate to prevent air flow into wall cavity

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Fill in the hole left by the missing top plate with a rigid air blocking material or rolled batt insulation that is spray foamed in place

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Wrong - This IR image is showing that cold air is entering the home at the window frame and the sill plate at the base of the wall.

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Install continuous top plates or blocking at the tops of walls adjacent to conditioned space to minimize air leakage.

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This kneewall has no top plate and the resulting gap provides a wide-open pathway for air and vapor to travel between the living space and the attic

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Wrong – The blower door is installed improperly with a gap at the corner and along the side of the frame that will allow air leakage and could allow the frame apparatus to become dislodged during testing

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Right - New flashing has been installed to complete the air and water control layers at the window openings of this wall retrofit that includes insulating the wall cavities with spray foam

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ANSI/RESNET/ICC 380: Standard for Testing Airtightness of Building, Dwelling Unit, and Sleeping Unit Enclosures; Airtightness of Heating and Cooling Air Distribution Systems; and Airflow of Mechanical Ventilation Systems

Reference

This ANSI/RESNET/ICC standard provides a consistent, uniform methodology for evaluating the airtightness of building, dwelling unit, and sleeping unit enclosures and heating and cooling air distribution systems, and the air flows of mechanical ventilation systems.

Certified Insulated Siding: Quality, Comfort and Energy Performance

Presentation

This presentation will help you define insulated siding, understand R-value testing of insulated siding, describe proper installation of insulated siding, comply with energy codes and understand building energy performance program and software recognition.

Air leaking through the home's envelope wastes a lot of energy and increases energy costs.

Technology Solutions Case Study: Complete and Fully Aligned Air Barrier

Right – This attic knee wall and the floor joist cavity openings beneath it are being sealed and insulated with spray foam.

Spray foam provides a critical seal between the subfloor, rim joist, and sill plate

Wrong – These plumbing penetrations have been cut larger than needed, making them difficult to seal.

Gaps at shared common walls can be a significant source of air leakage in multi-family buildings

The attic kneewall and the open floor cavities under kneewall are both sealed and insulated in one step with spray foam insulation

Smoke generators are used to identify air leakage sites during depressurization testing

Seal all wood framing joints surrounding the chase with sealant and lay a bead of sealant on top edge of chase framing

Marriage joints between modular home modules at all exterior boundary conditions fully sealed with gasket and foam

Moisture Management in Residential Construction Series - Building Enclosure: Managing Air Flow

Seal all wood framing joints surrounding the chase with sealant and lay a bead of sealant along top edge of chase framing

Balloon-framed walls have no top plate to prevent air flow into wall cavity

Fill in the hole left by the missing top plate with a rigid air blocking material or rolled batt insulation that is spray foamed in place

Wrong - This IR image is showing that cold air is entering the home at the window frame and the sill plate at the base of the wall.

Install continuous top plates or blocking at the tops of walls adjacent to conditioned space to minimize air leakage.

This kneewall has no top plate and the resulting gap provides a wide-open pathway for air and vapor to travel between the living space and the attic

Wrong – The blower door is installed improperly with a gap at the corner and along the side of the frame that will allow air leakage and could allow the frame apparatus to become dislodged during testing

Right - New flashing has been installed to complete the air and water control layers at the window openings of this wall retrofit that includes insulating the wall cavities with spray foam

ANSI/RESNET/ICC 380: Standard for Testing Airtightness of Building, Dwelling Unit, and Sleeping Unit Enclosures; Airtightness of Heating and Cooling Air Distribution Systems; and Airflow of Mechanical Ventilation Systems

Certified Insulated Siding: Quality, Comfort and Energy Performance

Attic Knee Walls

Garage Rim/Band Joist Adjoining Conditioned Space

The top plate is missing where the lower wall meets the upper wall

Install a sill gasket between the sill plate and the foundation wall

Cantilevered Floor

Install an ENERGY STAR labeled insulated door with an automatic closer. Weather strip the door frame

Caulk or glue along top plates before installing drywall

Floor Above Garage

Ducts in Raised Ceiling Sections