Indoor Air Quality Anyone can smell the air and tell if there are indoor air quality problems. However, many air problems may not stink now but will cause one later. There are five types of pollutants in houses: 1. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) – cleaning products, aerosols, pest killers, furniture finishes, fabrics and building materials
If you glance at a window film manufacturer’s list of statistics and your eyes may glaze over due to the sheer volume of data. All of this information is and has always been tested, verified and provided by the manufacturer itself. But third party verification is now on the horizon. Enter the NFRC: the National
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
