airtightness

Describes how substantial differences resulted from performing a 'Duct Blaster' test during the framing stage and at completion. Outlines the tests used to pinpoint the problem. The tests included: frame-stage leakage - unit untaped; frame-stage leakage - unit taped; finish-stage leakage - face taped; finish-stage leakage - complete-taped; subtraction method; leakage to outside. The data obtained allowed the quantification of leakage at air handler units, at metal supply boots to outside and at supply registers to inside.

Most dwellings in the United States are ventilated primarily through leaks in the building shell (i.e., infiltration) rather than by whole-house mechanical ventilation systems. Consequently, quantification of envelope air-tightness is critical to determining how much energy is being lost through infiltration and how much infiltration is contributing toward ventilation requirements. Envelope air tightness and air leakage can be determined from fan pressurization measurements with a Blower Door. Tens of thousands of unique fan pressurization measurements have been made of U.S.

The government is set to crack down on leaky buildings in 2001. So what's likely to happen and what should the construction industry be doing?

This work presents a field measurement study, investigating the airtightness of 64 French dwellings less than ten year old. Buildings have been classified according to the type of construction (masonry or timber frame) and of occupancy mode (multi- or single- family). Using a fan-depressurization technique, we assessed the air leakage rate of each dwelling, based on a theoretical flow model that relates the infiltration airflow rate to the differential pressure .

mechanical ventilation is needed to avoid indoor air quality problems. Many new conventional houses have low natural air change rates ...... and are tight enough to require mechanical ventilation, but most have none.

A systematic analysis of recently constructed dwellings in the Flemish Region has been undertaken within the SENVVIV-project (1995-1998). In total 200 dwellings have been examined in detail. The study involved various aspects: energy related building

Airtightness measurements are not yet common in the Italian dwelling stock. In the frameworkof the MICA-ENEA contract, three dwellings were chosen to study the energy performanceon the influence of natural agents. The majority of the dwellings in Italy still nowdays rely onnatural ventilation and records of the fluidynamic and energy performance are not contractualdocuments among the parties involved.