house

Gives answers to practical problems encountered when retrofitting older Canadian houses. The first section gives an overview of a typical house both before and after retrofitting. The second section gives detailed answers togeneral questions covering ventilation, moisture and condensation, air barriers (sealing a house), vapour barriers, insulation, basements, walls, attics, roofs, windows, doors, weatherstripping, caulking, air quality, heat recovery and heat loss testing.

Describes a technique for measuring air flows between internal zones of houses. Gives the theory of measuring one and two directional flows and describes the equipment used for practical measurements. Uses Freon 12, Freon 114 and BCF as tracer gases, and measures their concentrations using a gas chromatograph. Includes specimen results of one and two directional flows between a house and its roof. Discusses the possible applications of the method in houses.

An air infiltration computer program, developed earlier, has been further refined by the inclusion of the effects of door openings and vent-fan usage in house air infiltration. The model has also been further verified for its accuracy and precision by comparison to actual air infiltration data from both conventional construction dwellings and also from two advance design homes. A program listing and user manual of the computer program have also been developed.

Reports on a project carried out in the Caswell Hill and Riversdale areas of Saskatoon to investigate the effectiveness of sealing with caulking and weatherstripping to reduce air leakage. This involved sealing 10 homes, and also insulating the attics and basements of five of these houses after thesealing work. A control group of 10 homes which had been insulated without particular attention being given to sealing procedures were also monitored. The homes were pressure tested by the National Research Council before and after sealing to measure the reduction in air leakage.

Describes the results obtained and the problems encountered in the sealing and testing of 15 homes in Ottawa Ontario, for the Ontarion Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Gives a data summary for the 15 homes, outlining house characteristics, reductions in air leakage, materials and time needed. Finds that the average air leakage reduction is 38.7%, and the average time taken to perform the sealing and testing is 31 hrs. Covers:

Uses a multi-channel infra-red gas analyser to measure nitrous oxide tracer gas concentration at six points round a house. Combines concentrations to give overall house ventilation rates and to estimate the air exchange between individual rooms. The gas analyser is also used to measure air movement between the house and its roof (with 5 sampling points in the house and one in the roof). Results show that typically 20-30% of the air that enters a houseleaves via the roof space through gaps in the ceiling.

Describes the application of a model that relates infiltration to a quantity called the effective leakage area. This quantity scales the infiltration to local weather conditions and major design features of the house. The model isused to calculate the ratio of infiltration to leakage area averaged over the heating season, for a large number of sites in the US. It provides an effective tool for builders and designers who need a rational basis for assessing compliance with construction quality standards in ventilation.

Proposes a simple equation derived using a more complex theoretical model for use in the prediction of the infiltration performances of houses over a range of meteorological conditions. Initial comparisons have been made with the results from field measurements in a range of typical modern UK house types.

Gives instructions for weatherstripping and caulking houses, indicating which materials are best for different jobs, and comparing prices. Covers jamb weatherstripping for doors and windows, weatherstripping for door bottoms, sealing the joist and attic spaces, and sealing around window and door openings.

Defines types of condensation occurring in houses and describes practical ways for the householder to control surface and concealed condensation. Gives instructions to builders for installing air/vapour barriers to meet the required standards, and shows ways in which ventilation can control condensation.