Publisher’s version / Version de l'éditeur:
Vous avez des questions? Nous pouvons vous aider. Pour communiquer directement avec un auteur, consultez la première page de la revue dans laquelle son article a été publié afin de trouver ses coordonnées. Si vous n’arrivez pas à les repérer, communiquez avec nous à PublicationsArchive-ArchivesPublications@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca.
Questions? Contact the NRC Publications Archive team at
PublicationsArchive-ArchivesPublications@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca. If you wish to email the authors directly, please see the first page of the publication for their contact information.
https://publications-cnrc.canada.ca/fra/droits
L’accès à ce site Web et l’utilisation de son contenu sont assujettis aux conditions présentées dans le site LISEZ CES CONDITIONS ATTENTIVEMENT AVANT D’UTILISER CE SITE WEB.
Proceedings Healthy Buildings '88 Conference, 1, pp. 61-69, 1988
READ THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS CAREFULLY BEFORE USING THIS WEBSITE. https://nrc-publications.canada.ca/eng/copyright
NRC Publications Archive Record / Notice des Archives des publications du CNRC :
https://nrc-publications.canada.ca/eng/view/object/?id=881564e1-b068-4686-9962-cc88cd0db254 https://publications-cnrc.canada.ca/fra/voir/objet/?id=881564e1-b068-4686-9962-cc88cd0db254
NRC Publications Archive
Archives des publications du CNRC
This publication could be one of several versions: author’s original, accepted manuscript or the publisher’s version. / La version de cette publication peut être l’une des suivantes : la version prépublication de l’auteur, la version acceptée du manuscrit ou la version de l’éditeur.
Access and use of this website and the material on it are subject to the Terms and Conditions set forth at
How tight is tight enough?
Ser
TI11
W21d
National Research
Conseil national
1
*
1
Council Canada
de recherches Canada
c. 2
B I a G
Institute for
lnstitut de
-
- - - . ,Research in
recherche en
Construction
construction
How Tight is
Tight
Enough?
by R.S. Dumont
Appeared in
Proceedings Healthy Buildings '88 Conference
Stockholm, Sweden 1988
,Vol.
I.
"State of the Art Reviews"
p.
61-69
(IRC Paper No. 1571)
Reprinted with permission
NRCC 29769
u'II
N R C-
C I S n I II
R
C
f
1L I B R A R Y
:( 4 t : aF
EB 20
1989
P
I R C
i'
/
B I B L I O T H ~ Q U E
i
5 1 CNRC - IClST3
Le document traite des fuites d'air dans les bltiment et des raisons de les rkduire au maximum. Les valeurs mesurdes au cours des essais d'ttanchCit6
P
I'air de maisons individuelles et de grands immeubles sont rapportCes. Pour les maisons individuelles, les fuites d'air varient de moins de 0.5 renouvellement d'air par heureP
50 P a 21 plus de 50renouvellements d'air par heure
P
50 Pa. Pour les grands immeubles, un plus petitkhantillonnage indique que le taux de fuite d'air par unit6 de surface &s immeubles variait de 0-6
P
5 ~ s * m 2P
75 Pa. U faut prendre soin, lors de 196tanchement d'un immeuble, deveiller B ce que les niveaux de ventilation soient bien maintenus. En gtntral, on doit
CIB Healthy Buildings
'88
Conf.
Stockholm September
1988
HOW TIGHT I S TIGHT
ENOUGH?
Robert S. Dumont
Institute for Research in Construction
National Research Council of Canada
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Canada
S7N OW9
Abstract
The
topic of air leakage in buildings is discussed. Reasons for
minimizing air leakage are presented. Measured values from tests of the
air leakage of groups of both detached residences and larger buildings
are given. ~or'detached
residences, air leakage measurements vary from
less than 0.5 air changes per hour at 50 Pa, to more than 50 air changes
per hour at 50
Pa.
For larger buildings, a small sample of measurements
indicated that the air leakage rate per unit surface area of the
buildings ranged from 0.6 to
5
~ / s * m ~
at
75 Pa. Care
must be taken when
sealing a building to ensure that adequate levels of ventilation are
maintained.
Most often this is accomplished
by
providing mechanical
ventilation.
There is general agreement among building scientists that it is
desirable to build tight building envelopes, that is, envelopes with a
low air leakage rate. Considerable disagreement, however, can still
be
found on the question "Wow tight is tight enough?"
In the latter part of this paper the question of the appropriate
level of airtightness will
be
discussed in some detail. The following
related topics are also dealt with:
1. Reasons for airtightness.
2.
Different methods of reporting air leakage
of buildings.
3. Comparative air leakage values for
detached residences.
4. Comparative air leakage values for larger
buildings.
K e n s o ~ ~ s For A i r t i ~ l l t r ~ e s s
--
A ~rtunbcr o f reasoils a r e u s u a l l y c i t e t l f o r buil.ding a low leakage envelope. Usually tlre o n l y r e a s o n otre might choose n o t t o 11ave a t i g l r t envelope i s t o p r o v i d e n a t u r a l c o o l i n g i n a s t r u c t u r e . The u s u a l r e a s o n s f o r p r o v i d i n g a t i g h t envelope i n c l u d e t h e f o l l o w i n g :
1.
Damage t o t h e envelope from c o n d e n s a t i o n e f f e c t s o f a i r - b o r n e c o n v e c t i v e flow o f m o i s t u r e c a n be minimized.2 . Energy consumption c a n be reduced by l i m i t i n g t h e amount of both s e n s i b l e and l a t e n t heat: t h a t must be provided t o temper t h e incoming a i r .
3 . H e a t recovery d e v i c e s - c a n b e used e f f e c t i v e l y on t h e
v e n t i l a t i o n a i r i f t h e envelope i s t i g h t .
4 . Noise t r a n s m i s s i o n through t h e envelope c a n be reduced.
Yet a n o t h e r advantage o f p r o v i d i n g a t i g h t envelope i s t h a t t h e t i g h t envelope c a n limit t h e e n t r y of d u s t , p o l l e n , and o t h e r a i r - b o r n e a l l e r g e n s and p o l l u t a n t s .
I n
a t i g h t b u i l d i n g , t h e a i r supply f o r t h e s t r u c t u r e c a n be c o n t r o l l e d more r e a d i l y , and i f d e s i r e d , t h e o u t s i d e a i r c a n be t r e a t e d b e f o r ei t
e n t e r s t h e occupied s p a c e .A i r Leakape Measurements Over t h e Years
Measurements have beerr made on t h e a i r leakap,e of envelopes and b u i l d i n g components f o r many y e a r s . The A i r I n f i l t r a t i o n and V e n t i l a t i o n C e n t r e ( A I V C ) h a s produced a s u b j e c t index ( 1 ) of p a p e r s on t h e a i r l e a k a g e of b u i l d i n g s . I n t h e i n d e x , t h e r e a r e 238 p a p e r s on t h e a i r l e a k a g e o f b u i l d i n g s , spanning t h e y e a r s from 1924 t o 1986. A graph showing t h e number o f papers w r i t t e n over t h e y e a r s on t h i s s u b j e c t i s shown i n f i g u r e
1.
A s c a n be s e e n , t h e r e c e n t y e a r s have s e e n a v e r y l a r g e amount of i n t e r e s t i n t h i s t o p i c , w i t h a peak of 38 papers p u b l i s h e d i n 1980. I n t h e A I V C s u b j e c t index d a t a b a s e t h e r e i s a l s o a breakdown of t e c h n i c a l p a p e r s on t h e a i r l e a k a g e of v a r i o u s b u i l d i n g components. A p i e c h a r t summarizing t h e d a t a i s g i v e n i n f i g u r e2 .
A s c a n be s e e n , t h e s u b j e c t o f windows h a s been t h e most p o p u l a r t o p i c , w i t h 55% o f e l l t h e p a p e r s .Measur
inn
A i r t i g l ~ t n e s s -There a r e many d i f f e r e n t ways t h a t t h e a i r l e a k a g e of b u i l d i n g s have been r e p o r t e d . A summary o f d i f f e r e n t s t a n d a r d s f o r measuring t h e a i r '
leakage o f b u i l d i n g s and b u i l d i n g components i s c o n t a i n e d i n a 1984 document by Thompson ( 2 ) . Values of a i r l e a k a g e a t
1
p a s c a l , 4 p a s c a l s , 1 0 p a s c a l s , 50 p a s c a l s , and 75 p a s c a l s can a l l be found i n t h e l i t e r a t u r e . Leakages have been r e p o r t e d i n e q u i v a l e n t leakage a r e a s a t 10 p a s c a l s , e f f e c t i v e l e a k a g e a r e a s a t 4 p a s c a l s , a i r f l o w s , a i r flows p e r u n i t s u r f a c e a r e a , and a i r flows p e r u n i t volume.done on smaller buildings such as detached residences. An equation of
the following form can be used to describe the air leakage:
where
Q
-
volumetric air flow (m3/s)
C
-
constant depending on size of
the openings (m3/s .pan)
~p
-
pressure difference (Pa)
n
-
exponent, ranging-between
0.5and
1.0
On most pressure tests done on buildings, the index of determination
(
R
'
)
on the best fit linear regression of equation
(1)can be measured
to 0.98 or better. Readings are usually taken over the range from about
5
pascals to about 100 pascals. Care must be taken during a pressure test
of
a component not to induce too great a positive or negative pressure on
Ithe building, as some components can distort or fail under higher
'
pressure levels.
Perhaps the most comnon air leakage parameter that is reported for
houses and small buildings is the air changes per hour at 50 pascals.
Researchers in Sweden appear to have been the first to popularize this
number. This ntunber is convenient in that it is an air leakage number
normalized by the building volume. Comparisons between one building and
another can be readily made. A second advantage is the air leakage at
50Pa is readily achievable in houses; a fan with a capacity of about 3 m3/s
can pressure test most houses to the
50Pa level. Another advantage of
the 50 pascal number is that it can be used to estimate the approximate
air change of the building under natural conditions. Liddament(3) makes
the following observation: "Numerous experimental tests have shown that
the approximate air infiltration rate (in the absence of mechanical
ventilation) will be of the order of one twentieth of the measured air
change rate at
50 Pa
...
This provides a useful 'rule
of
thumb' should
pressurization test data be available."
A
disadvantage of the air changes per hour at 50 pascal number is
that the parameter is not a very useful one for larger buildings. In a
large building, the volume to surface area ratio is much larger than in a
detached residence, and the envelope leakage parameter that is of greater
value is the air leakage per unit surface area of the building. A more
popular parameter that has been used to report the air leakage of larger
buildings is the air flow per unit surface area at
a
pressure difference
of 75 Pa.
Is There a Universal Goal for Air Leakage for BuildingsZ
In this paper the author will not argue for a universal goal for air
leakage for buildings. Differing energy prices and climates often make it
i m p o s s i b l e t o s u g g e s t a s i n g l e s t a n d a r d f o r one c o u n t r y , l e t a l o n e f o r a l l c o u n t r i e s . Yet a n o t h e r confounding v a r i a b l e i s t h e use t o which t h e b u i l d i r ~ g is p u t . B u i l d i n g s w i t h moderate t o h i g h i n t e r i o r r e l a t i v e h u m i d i t i e s i n c o l d c l i m a t e s need t o be much b e t t e r s e a l e d t o l i m i t
c o n d e n s a t i o n problems t h a n do b u i l d i n g s w i t h low i n t e r i o r h u m i d i t i e s . I n s t e a d o f s u g g e s t i n g a u n i v e r s a l g o a l of a i r t i g h t n e s s , t h e a u t h o r w i l l p r e s e n t some measured v a l u e s o f a i r l e a k a g e f o r b o t h houses and l a r g e r b u i l d i n g s , and from t h e s e measurements one c a n g e t a f e e l i n g f o r tile a i r l e a k a g e v a l u e s t l l a t a r e a c h i e v a b l e under f i e l d c o n d i t i o r r s .
A i r Leakage Values f o r Residences
For d e t a c h e d r e s i d e n c e s , a l a r g e number o f a i r l e a k a g e measurements have been made. P e r s i l y ( 4 ) p r e s e n t s p r e s s u r e t e s t r e s u l t s from
11
d i f f e r e n t groups o f houses t e s t e d i n t h r e e c o u n t r i e s i n t h e Northern Hemisphere. The ..values a r e shown i n f i g u r e 3. A s mentioned e a r l i e r , t h e v a l u e s a r e commonly r e p o r t e d a s a i r changes p e r hour a t 50 Pa ( n 5 0 ) . A s may be s e e n from t h e f i g u r e , ' t h e n50 v a l u e s range from l e s s t h a n 0 . 5 t omore t h a n 50 a i r changes p e r hour a t 50 Pa. ( I t s h o u l d be n o t e d t h a t 50 I p a s c a l s i s a l a r g e p r e s s u r e compared t o t h e p r e s s u r e t h a t
i s
e x e r t e d on a I l o w - r i s e b u i l d i n g by wind and - s t a c k e f f e c t s.
For average c o n d i t i o n s t h ep r e s s u r e d i f f e r e n c e a c r o s s t h e envelope o f a d e t a c h e d house i s u s u a l l y
l e s s t h a n about 5 p a s c a l s . ) A s c a n be s e e n from t h e f i g u r e , most of t h e I groups of houses have average v a l u e s l e s s t h a n about 15 a i r changes p e r
hour a t 50 Pa, w i t h t h e e x c e p t i o n o f t h e group of 204 "low-income" houses i n t h e United S t a t e s . Houses i n t h e samples of Swedish and Canadian
houses b o t h e x h i b i t much lower v a l u e s o f a i r l e a k a g e . S i n c e 1977, new
i
detaclred houses i n Sweden have had a maximurn a l l o w a b l e a i r leakage r a t eo f 3 . 0 a i r changes p e r hour a t 50 p a s c a l s . I n Canada, a f e d e r a l government sponsored v o l u n t a r y program ( t h e R-2000 program) f o r energy- e f f i c i e n t new houses h a s a maximum a l l o w a b l e a i r l e a k a g e r a t e o f 1 . 5 a i r changes p e r hour a t 50 P a . For program c o n t r o l p u r p o s e s , each i n d i v i d u a l house i n t h e Canadian R-2000 program is checked f o r compliance t o t h e a i r l e a k a g e s t a n d a r d by h a v i n g a p r e s s u r e t e s t done.
A s i l l u s t r a t e d by t h e s e t e s t r e s u l t s , i t i s p o s s i b l e t o reduce r e s i d e n t i a l a i r l e a k a g e v a l u e s t o l e s s t h a n
3
a i r changes p e r hour a t 50 Pa on a widespread b a s i s , a s i s t h e c a s e i n Sweden. Under a program of t r a i n i n g and q u a l i t y c o n t r o l , i t i s p o s s i b l e t o f u r t h e r reduce t h e a i r l e a k a g e v a l u e s t o l e s s t h a n 1 . 5 a i r changes p e r hour a t 50 Pa.I t s h o u l d be n o t e d t h a t i n b o t h t h e newer Swedish houses and i n t h e . Canadian R-2000 programs t h a t t h e use o f c o n t r o l l e d mechanical v e r l t i l a t i o r l f o r r e s i d e n c e s i s a l s o mandated. A house w i t h an n50 v a l u e of 1 . 5 would t y p i c a l l y have a n a t u r a l a i r change r a t e l e s s t h a n about 0 . 1 a i r changes p e r h o u r , and t h i s i s about 1/3 t o 1/5 o f t h e recommended v e n t i l a t i o n r a t e f o r d w e l l i n g s . I n t h e absence of mechanical v e n t i l a t i o n , such t i g h t houses would be s e r i o u s l y u n d e r - v e n t i l a t e d .
detached houses is that such houses will be under-ventilated if
mechanical ventilation is not used. Although continuous mechanical
ventilation of larger buildings is very common in most countries these
days, continuous mechanical ventilation is not widespread in detached
residences in most countries.
For well-sealed houses that use a balanced mechanical ventilation
system with a heat recovery device such as an air to air heat exchanger,
it would seem prudent for energy conservation reasons to limit the amount
of uncontrolled air flow through the envelope.
If
the envelope is
tiglltened to an n50 value of 1.0, the approximate value of the
uncontrolled infiltration will be about 0.05 air changes per hour, or
approximately 1/10 of the total ventilation rate supplied (usually about
0.5 air changes per hour) by the heat recovery ventilator system. An
unbalanced heat recovery ventilator system as used in Swedish houses also
requires that the building envelope be tightly sealed. The slot vents
that are used on the windows rely on a relatively uniform negative
pressure throughout the house. If the envelope is leaky, under-
ventilation of some rooms can occur.
Air Leakage Values for Commercial Buildin~s
Far fewer measurements have been made of the air leakage rates of
buildings larger than detached residences. The U.S. National Association
of Arcllitectural Metal Manufacturers specifies a maximum leakage rate of
0.3 ~/s.ln~
at a pressure difference of 75 Pa for wall systems, exclusive
of leakage througl~
operable windows.
Such
alow rate has rarely been
measured in actual buildings.
Measured air leakage in eight Canadian
office buildings (5) with sealed windows (assuming a flow exponent of
0.65 in equation 1) ranged from 0.61 to 2.4 ~ / s . m ~
at 75 Pa. More recent
measurements (6) in eight U.S. office buildings ranged from 1.1 to
5
~ / s - m ~
at
75Pa.
ITamura and Shaw (5) list typical air leakage values as follows:
L/s.m2 at 75 Pa
Tight
0.51
Average
1.5
Loose
3.1
For comparison purposes, a detached residence of size
8x 12.5 x 5 m
(volume
-
500 m3; surface area
-
405 m2) with an air change rate of 1.0
air changes per hour at 50 Pa would have a leakage rate of 0.44 L/s m2 at
I
75 Pa. (assuming an exponent of 0.65 in equation 1.) Such a residence.
I
would be considered very well'sealed, and it is interesting to note that
I tl~e
envelope would also
beconsidered tight using the above criteria
suggested by Tamura and Shaw (5).
Measurements indicate that large variations exist in the measured
air leakage rates of buildings.
For detached r e s i d e n c e s , t h e most commonly quoted v a l u e is t h e a i r changes p e r hour a t 50 p a s c a l v a l u e . Measured v a l u e s o f n50 range from l e s s that1 0 . 5 t o Inore than 5 0 . Programs i n Sweden have shown t h a t i t i s
p o s s ~ b 1 . e t o llroduce detncllcd 11ouses on a widespread b a s i s tllnt: have 1150 v a l u e s l e s s t h a n 3 . 0 .
For l a r g e r b u i l d i n g s , a r e l a t i v e l y common v a l u e t h a t i s quoted i s
t h e a i r l e a k a g e p e r u n i t s u r f a c e a r e a a t 75 p a s c a l s . Measurements on a s m a l l sample
01
b u i l d i n g s i n Canada and t h e United S t a t e s have been i n t h e range £;om 0 . 6 t o 5 L/s a m 2 . a t 7 5 Pa.Care must be t a k e n w i t h t i g h t b u i l d i n g s t o e n s u r e t h a t adequate v e n t i l a t i o n i s m a i n t a i n e d . I n w e l l s e a l e d b u i l d i n g s , some form o f
mechanical v e n t i l a t i o n i s normally r e q u i r e d . I n such b u i l d i n g s , h e a t r e c o v e r y and t r e a t m e n t of t h e v e n t i l a t i o n a i r i s p o s s i b l e .
L i s t o f References
I.
B l a c k n e l l , J . "A s u b j e c t a n a l y s i s of t h e A I V C ' s b i b l i o g r a p h i c database--AIRBASE," T e c h n i c a l NoteA I V C
2 2 ,
A i r
I n f i l t r a t i o n and V e r i t i l a t i o n C e n t r e , Old B r a c k n e l l Cane West, B r a c k n e l l , B e r k s h i r eR G 1 2
ItAll, G r e a t B r i t a i n , 1987.2. Tllompson, C . "A review of b u i l d i n g a i r t i g h t n e s s and v e n t i l a t i o n s t a n d a f d s , " T e c h n i c a l Note A I C 1 4 , A i r I n f i l t r a t i o n and V e n t i l a t i o n C e n t r e , Old Brackrlell Lane West, B r a c k n e l l , B e r k s h i r e , RG12 4All, Grcnt B r i t a i n , 1984. 3. L i d d a m e n t
,
M . " A i r irlf i l t r a t i o n c a l c u l a t i o n techrriques-An a p p l i c a t i o n s g u i d e . " A i r I n f i l t r a t i o n and V e n t i l a t i o n C e n t r e , Old B r a c k n e l l Lane West, B r a c k n e l l , B e r k s h i r e , RG12 4N1, G r e a t B r i t a i n , 1 9 8 6 .4 .
P e r s i l y , A . K . "Measurements of a i r i n f i l t r a t i o n and a i r t i g h t n e s s i n passivtt s o l a r homes." MeasuredA i r
Leakage of B u i l d i n g s , ASTM STP 904, H . R . T r e c h s e l arld P . L. Lagus, e d . P h i l a d e l p h i a : American S o c i e t y f o r T e s t i n g and M a t e r i a l s , p . 4 6 , 1986.5 .
Tamura, G.T. and Shaw, C . Y . " S t u d i e s on e x t e r i o r w a l l a i r t i g h t n e s s and a i r i n f i l t r a t i o n of t a l l b u i l d i n g s . " ASHWE T r a n s a c t i o n s , Vol 82, P t . 1 , p122, 1976.6 . G r o t , R . A . and P e r s i l y , A . K . ,
"
Measured a i r i n f i l t r a t i o n and v e n t i l a t i o n r a t e s i n e i g h t l a r g e o f f i c e b u i l d i n g s . " Measured A i r Leakage of B u i l d i n g s , ASTM STP 904, H.R.Trechse1 and P.L. Lagus, e d . P l l i l a d e l p h i a : A~nerican S o c i e t y f o r T e s t i n g arld M a t e r i a l s , p . 151, 1986.PERCENTAGES OF
AIR
LEAKAGE PAPERS
ON VARIOUS BUILDING COMPONENTS
Total
number
of
papers
=
121
F i g u ~ e
2 .
P e r c e n t a g e s o f a i r l e a k a g e ? a ? e r s o n v a r i o u s b u i l d i n g c o n p o n e n t s .P a s s i v e s o l a r houses
6 9 I-
-
-
-
Townhouses,
1 9 7 2 I 1-
-
-
-
Detached homes, v a r i o u s a g e s
-
I I I 1 I II
w---
Freehold, Mid-1960's
w ~ o n v e n t i o n a l w ,
v a r i o u s a g e s
I
M ~ n e r g y - e f f i c i e ~ l t "
v a r i o u s
a g e s 2 0 4l~Low-incomew homes
I
50
V)8
4 0low-energy detaciled
$ 2
homes i n Saskatoon
1 9 7 7 - 1 9 8 1a:
0
7
a
2
5 0
OG
k 9 7detached homes
cU PCi n Saskatoon,
1 9 6 1 - 1 9 U 00
205 wood-frame homes
I
Mean p l u s and minus one standard d e v i a t i o n
I
1 2
l i g h t w e i g h t c o n c r e t e homes
Mean p l u s and minus one staqdard d e v i a t i o n
1
A I R L E A K A G E
AT 5 0 Pa
(HOUSE
V O L U M E S
/ H O U R )
T h i s p a p e r i s b e i n g d i s t r i b u t e d i n r e p r i n t form by t h e I n s t i t u t e f o r Research
i n
C o n s t r u c t i o n . A l i s t of b u i l d i n g p r a c t i c e and r e s e a r c h p u b l i c a t i o n s a v a i l a b l e from t h e I n s t i t u t e may be o b t a i n e d by w r i t i n g t o t h e P u b l i c a t i o n s S e c t i o n , I n s t i t u t e For R e s e a r c h i n C o n s t r u c t i o n , N a t i o n a l Research C o u n c i l of C a n a d a , Ottawa, O n t a r i o ,KIA
OR6.Ce document e s t d i s t r i b u h sous forme d e
t irG-;-part p a r