Building pressurization - The single most important characteristic for a avoiding moisture problems in hot, humid climates.

Positive building pressure with respect to outdoors has been shown to be a positive step to reduce the likelihood of wall moisture problems in hot, humid climates. Exterior wall moisture problems usually result in microbial growth, reducing the health of the building as well as structural degradation of the wall components. However, the test instruments, procedures and reporting methodologies are not provided or recognized in the building design and construction community. This paper describes the reasons why positive building pressurization in hot, humid climates is the single most important characteristic of building performance that will reduce the risk of moisture problems in exterior wall assemblies. It will further describe simple techniques that can be used to instantly determine overall building pressure with respect to outdoors and minimize mold potential while increasing building health. In situ test methods and results will be used to demonstrate how these methods could be used in existing and new construction, for all building types.