English

Air leakage characteristics of 192 new windows installed in new residential construction representative of those units commonly installed in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Metropolitan Area have been measured and evaluated. The tested windows represented all major operation types, window material types and manufacturers represented in this market segment. The air leakage data obtained in the field were compared to industry and government standards and manufacturers reports for reference.

Describes case studies of two sick Canadian buildings. The first illustrates a comprehensive programme of measuring air quality, ventilation and thermal conditions as well as monitoring the performance of the heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems. The second illustrates use of a standard survey questionnaire with back-up field monitoring of environmental parameters. In the first building the ventilation system was found to be malfunctioning. In the second building the humidity was very low.

Effects of a coniferous windbreak on electrical energy use in a 66-unit mobile home park in central Pennsylvania were studied during the winters of 1981-82 and 1982-83.

A water vapour mass balance technique that includes the use of common humidity-control equipment can be used to determine average air infiltration rates in buildings. Only measurements of the humidity inside and outside the home, the mass of vapour exchanged by a humidifier/dehumidifier, and the volume of interior air space are needed. This method gives results that compare favourably with those obtained with standard methods using tracer gas.

The heating of air infiltrating through cracks around doors and windows forms an important part of the heat balance of buildings. The complexity of the problem makes it difficult to calculate. Describes the development of an insitu method for measuring the infiltration of buildings.

Presents four short articles treating aspects of building ventilation: 1) Achieving a balance - the work of the AIC, 2) House full of horrors - indoor air pollution and progress in eradicating hazards, 3) Letting off steam - test houses with ventilation system for condensation control, and 4) High and dry - condensation in the roof, eaves to eaves ridge ventilation.

Describes validation of a simple technique for infiltration measurement in large, multicelled, naturally ventilated buildings by reference to a computer model study and by field measurements in two naturally ventilated office buildings. The salient features of the technique are: 1) a single tracer gasis used, 2) measurements need only be carried out in part of the building, 3) an initially uniform distribution of tracer is not needed, and 4) artificial mixing of the tracer with the internal air is not essential.

An exposure chamber for testing passive dosimeters suitable for measuring indoor air pollutant concentrations has been designed. A simplified version of the chamber was constructed and formaldehyde passive sampling devices were exposed within this chamber. Both CSC prototype and AQRG dosimeters were tested, and an attempt was made at calibrating the devices by verifying their theoretical sampling rates. The sampling rate for CSC devices was found to behigher than expected.

Tests were performed in 3 homes for 1) carbon monoxide, 2) nitrogen dioxide, 3) nitric oxide, 4) total hydrocarbons and 5) formaldehyde. Total particulate matter, by a numerical counting method, was also measured in Homes 1 and 2.

A study was conducted to determine the air leakage rates in Skymark 1, a high rise condominium in Toronto, particularly air leakage rates of the exterior walls of "Florida Rooms" which were constructed by the enclosure of original open balconies.