Attic Ventilation The International Residential Code specifies a 1 to 150 ratio of total net free ventilating area to area of space to be ventilated when it comes to ventilating attics. So, what exactly does this mean and why is it important to ventilate attics in the first place? We’ll start with the second
Insulating Pipes and Wires: Right vs Wrong What comprises a good insulation job? What should it look like? Where are the most common errors? We’ll take the next few months to look at some common installation issues. Insulating Pipes & Wires Let’s start with a sample job: Most of the insulation near the electric
This month’s installment of the Building Science overview – Indoor Air Quality In the June issue of the WABA Digest, two separate columns discussed some of the proposed changes to the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), particularly in reference to wall insulation. As a reminder, the proposed changes are from R-13 to R-15 in 2×4
Last month we discussed air flow and its causes. This month, we delve into heat flow. First, let’s cover the basics. Conduction, convection, and radiation are the three mechanisms by which heat moves. Conduction occurs between objects that touch each other, such as when your warm hand touches a cold window during winter. Convection is
This article is the first in a series on the Principles of Building Science – Air Flow If Uncontrolled Air is the enemy to comfortable, efficient and healthy homes, what causes air to flow in and around a home? First, some basic facts about air: air always moves from high-pressure areas to low-pressure areas. One of
Most of the time, installing window film will void the window manufacturer’s warranty but the film manufacturers have backup warranties. That is the simplest explanation of the relationship between window films and window warranties but it is also a completely unsatisfactory explanation of a subject that deserves at least a little more thought. For the
