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Performance of Two Experimental Houses at Ottawa Goodwin, M. J.
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL CANADA
PERFORMANCE OF TWO EXPERIMENTAL HOUSES AT OTTAWA
by M. J. Goodwin
ANALYZED'
(NOT FOR PUBLICATION)
(Prepared for Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation)
July,
1953
Research Report No. 2 of the
Division of Building Research Ottawa 1
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....セ .."'._-,...PREFACE
A General Comment and Statement of Policy Concerning Future Division of Building Research Housing Research
by Robert F. Legget
Director
When the Division of Building Research was established in
1947,
facilities were lacking for the testing of new productsand procedures proposed for house construction. At the same
time there was need for additional rental units in the National Research Council housing area at the Montreal Road Laboratories,
Ottawa. It was considered logical that some of the new products
and procedures in which Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation and the Division were jointly interested might be incorporated
in two new rental units which were to be erected. This report
is an account of the two experimental housing units which were, therefore, constructed in this early phase of the work of the Division.
The report was prepared by Mr. M. J. Goodwin, an
assistant research officer who was for a time.a tenant in one
of the buildings. Naturally, many workers have been connected
with the experimental houses but the correlation of the results
obtained was placed in the hands of セセN Goodwin. The detailed
account was prepared in 1951 but was not reproduced at that
time because of the pressure of more urgent work upon the
Publications Section of the Division. A further reason for the
lack of priority assigned to this report will be obvious when
the rather meagre results are studied. At the same time the
experience which the two houses gave to the Division has been a great value and it did assist materially in the development of the programme of housing research which the Division is
following and which is outlined in the following notes. One of
the most significant of the observations made in connection with these test houses was that omission of sheathing resulted
in no structural damage to the buildings. Bracing supplied by
the methods which are described in this report is apparently sufficient to withstand the physical forces to which the
buildings have been subjected. This observation has encouraged
the Division of Building Research in its decision to give careful engineering scrutiny to the strength requirements for
small structures. A start has been made at a thorough study of
the methods by which adequate strength can be obtained in houses with greater economy of material than at present.
Mortgage and Housing Corporation and to this Division. In most cases, however, results might have been more conclusive and might have been obtained in much shorter time if laboratory
facilities had been available. Such laboratory facilities will
become available. when the new building which is to house the
Division is completed early in
1953.
Whenever suitable performance standards and laboratory techniques are not available, an attempt will be made to develop such standards and techniques in order to assess untried materials
or methods in the laboratory. In some cases, particularly where
climatic effect is an important factor, a period of outdoor
exposure may be required as part of the testing of new materials
or methods of construction. Small test huts are being erected
for this purpose as the need arises.
The Division has already started on a test hut programme
with
6
huts at Saskatoon,8
at Ottawa, 1 at Churchill, and oneat State College, Pennsylvania. For fUll-scale investigations
of new methods and materials of construction test buildings of
one or more good-sized rooms may occasionally be required. Use
of such test buildings has been started in connection with the Division's study of concrete floor slabs for basementless houses.
It is believed that the building of experimental houses (such as those described in this report) will seldom be required
in the future. They may be built, for example, in connection
with the Division's study of the strength requirements for small structures or in connection with the stUdy of heating and
ventila-ting requirements. An experimental house will be erected only
when the cost of its construction is justified by its potential usefulness and only when it will provide research facilities which
cannot be obtained by the means outlined above. The Corporation
has agreed to accommodate this phase of the work whenever the need may arise on the extensive property upon which they have
now erected their own head office building, close to the Council's Montreal Road Laboratories.
Four phases are thus envisaged for technical research
in housing. The Division of Building Research, in association
with Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation, has embarked upon
this programme and looks forward to its full implementation. To
a considerable extent this programme is the result of experience
with the two test houses described in this report. Despite
their limitations, therefore, the two houses have been useful in this direction as well as by reason of the factual evidence which they have provided, regarding their special features, as herein recorded.
The building of test houses is an obvious way of
carrying out housing research. The interested public expects to
see houses as evidence of housing research in progress but, while experimental houses certainly have their place in this field, their use must be limited to highly specialized lines
of inquiry. The influence of the living habits of the occupants
of test houses is so marked that for all but exceptional cases the human factor is likely to be of more effect than the factor
being investigated. The influence of the occupants can only
be statistically eliminated by studying the performance of a large number of houses and only in this way can much be gained
from having research carried out in occupied houses. This calls
for field surveys on an extensive scale in the well-recognized
manner of operational research. To this activity, the Division
looks forward in association with Central Mortgage and Housing
Corporation. Work of this character will be a further result
of the experiments with the two experimental houses at the Montreal Road Laboratories of the National Research Council.
July,
1953.
by M.. J .. Goodwin
One or the rirst projects undertaken by the Division arter its formation in August, 1947, was the building of two experimental houses on the grounds of the Montreal Road
Labora-tories of the National Research Council. The purpose or these
houses was to observe, under normal operating conditions, the performance of new products developed by Canadian manufacturers
for the house-building industry. Secondary to this, these
houses added two more units to the small number or rental units (now totalling 48) which have been made available to staff
members of the National Research Council. The 2 houses built
for experimental purposes were reserved for occupancy by members of the Division of Building Research and their families as they were to be available at all times for test purposes and the development of testing techniques.
As the Division works very closely with Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation in all matters pertaining to houses
(serving the Corporation as its "research wing" in matters concerning technical aspects of residential construction) the
experimental houses were designed and built in close collaboration
with the Corporation. House No. 1 is a one-and-one-half storey
wood-frame dwelling without sheathing and with flat asbestos-cement
board as exterior rinish. House No. 2 is a one-storey wood-frame
dwelling without sheathing, and with aluminum siding as exterior
finish (Fig. 1). Construction was started by Wartime Housing
Limited (then a subsidiary of C.M.H.C.) on November 24, 1947. House No. 1 was completed and occupied on June 19, 1948, and No. 2 on June 24, 1948.
DESCRIPTION OF EXPERIMENTAL HOUSES: House No.1
House No. 1 is a basementless one-and-one-half storey, wood-frame dwelling covering a ground area of 24 reet 4 inches
by 28 feet 8 inches. Ground-floor rooms are living room, utility
room, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. Two additional bedrooms
are on the upper floor.
Fbundation walls are of monolithic concrete and extend
down to rock which is
3
or4
feet below grade. About one-half thearea under the house has been excavated down to rock. Access to
the partial excavation is gained through a door in the foundation wall.
2
-Floors - The ground floor, supported by 2- by 8-inch joists at l6-inch centres, was insulated with 2-inch rock wool
batts, with separate vapour barrier. A subfloor, 13/16 inch
thick, was laid diagonally over the joists.
In the ground-floor bedroom and the hallway, building paper was placed qver the subfloor and 3/4 inch hardwood
flooring (a mixture of birch and maple) was laid.
Three-ply plywood flooring, 3/8 inch thick, was laid
in the living room. The subfloor was covered with building
paper and then with masonite board, which was nailed down. The plywood flooring, in sheets 4 by 6 feet, was glued to the masonite with casein glue and nailed at edges with finishing
nails. Nail heads were concealed with plastic wood. The wearing
surface of the plywood was of birch 3/32 inch thick.
Asphalt tile was laid in the kitchen, utility room,
and bathroom. Fbrthe kitchen and utility room installations,
masonite board was nailed to the subfloor, and building paper
was glued to the masonite. The asphalt tile was then glued
to the bUilding paper.
All floors in house No.1, except in bathroom, kitchen and utility rooms (where asphalt tile had been used) were treated with two brush applications of a recently introduced resin-type
floor finish. The floor finish was a cold-setting plastic made
from phenol formaldehyde and other synthetic resins. According
to the manufacturer, the plastic film would provide a good
finish and had better イ・ウゥウエセセ」・ to abrasion than ordinary floor
varnishes.
Upper floor joists were 2 by 8 inches at 16-inch centres, over which I-inch finished hardwood flooring had been laid directly.
Bathroom - The bathroom was built up around a prefabri-cated core which was a factory-produced unit (Figs. 2 and 3). This core consisted of the three standard plumbing fixtures
fastened to a sheet metal floor and supplied with piping in place. The unit also had sheet metal walls about four feet high, which
were painted in the factory, on the room side of the unit. This
unit was secured to the floor joists, pipe connections were completed, and framing and finish for the top of the walls and
for the ceiling were completed in the usual manner. The floor
was insulated with 2-inch rock wool batts and the exterior wall
was insulated with a double al uminum foil insulation. Asphal t
tile was laid on the floor by fixing building paper to the metal surface with hot tar and SUbsequently glueing the tile to the building p aper-,
Heating System - The house was heated by a warm air
furnace, built directly into the chimney. The furnace consisted
of a JO-inch-high fire box, with burner and controls. This was
topped by a porcelain steel stack, 14 inches in diameter, which acted as a heat exchanger to return air forced down and around
it by a blower located on the upper floor. Heated air was
del i vered at the bottom of the unit to ducts. Poll ution of
circulating air by combustion fumes of the furnace was prevented by a steel collar around the top of the heat exchanger which seals off the plenum chamber below from the upper part of the flue.
Framing Details - The exterior wall was faced with 1/4 inch flat asbestos board, the gable ends and roof with corrugated
asbestos board o Studs, 2 by 4 inches at 16-inch centres, were
sheathed with 12-pound saturated fel t, after which flat
asbestos--cement sheets 4 by
8
feet were nailed to the studs; the jointswere filled with a caUlking compound. As sheathing was not used,
the frame was braced by 1- by 4-inch diagonal wood members let into the studs at each corner of the house, extending across
three sheetsD and braced by 2- by 4-inch horizontal wood members
inserted between studs in a line approximately at mid-height of the studs.
Rafters were 2 by
5
inches at 16-inch centres and solidbridging between rafters consisted of 2 by 4 feet at 24-inch
centreso The corrugated asbestos-board was applied directly
to this framewcrko
Insulation and Interior Finish - The roof and exterior walls were inSulated with a Alfol Type 2 foil insulation except where the foil would have been crossed by electric wiring; such
areas were insulated with 2 inches of rock woolo All wall and
ceiling finish was 1/2-inch laminated fibreboard, over which (as a separate operation at the job) a thin fibreboard was pasted to cover joints and nailheads (Fig. 16).
Kitchen and bathroom walls and ceilings were painted
with lead and oil painto All other walls and ceilings were
given a priming coat followed by a finishing coat of a recently introduced emulsion-type paint.
Windows - Window sash and frames made by several
different manufacturers were installed in this house. Thrae
windows having aluminum sash and frames were used; one in the bathroom, one in the kitchen, and one in the downstairs bedroomo A second window of aluminum sash and wood frame waB installed
in the downstairs bedroomo All other windows in the house were
of wood sash and wood frames; of these, the windows at the front of the house were doub l e-egl az e d ,
セ
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-House No.2
House No. 2 is a basementless one-storey wood-frame
dwelling covering a ground area of 36 feet
8
inches by 24 feet4 inches. There are three bedrooms, a utility room, kitchen,
living-room, and bathroom.
Foundation walls are of concrete block and extend
down to rock which is 3 or 4 feet below grade. About one-half
the area beneath the house has been excavated down to rock.
Access to this partial excavation is by a door in the foundation wall.
Floors - JoistsD 2 by
8
inches at QVセゥョ」ィ centres wereoverlaid diagonally by a 13/16-inch subflocr. The floor was
insulated with 2-inch mineral wocl batts, and a vapour barrier
was providede
In the bedrooms, hallway, and liVing room, building paper was placed over the subfloor and 3/4 inch hardwood
flooring (a mixture of birch and maple) was laid.
A newly introduced floor tile was used for the
bathroom floor. Each tile composed of compressed sawdust and
magnesia-based cementing material, was 9 inches square and 1/4
inch thick. To prepare the floor for tile, masonite waS nailed
to the subfloor» and bUilding paper waS glued to the masonite. The tile was then glued to the building paper ..
Asphalt tile was laid in the kitchen and utility room. The procedure followed was the same as that described in the preceding paragraph.
Heating System - A warm air furnace similar to that used in house No .. 1 ,was installed.
Framing Details - Framing details of house No. 2 were based on the A 62 Guide to Modular Co-ordination and were much
more economical in use of lumber than house No .. 1 (Fig .. 4). The
difference in detail was striking at window and door framing. Exterior walls were covered on the outside by aluminum
siding and the roof by V-crimp aluminum roofing.. Wall studs
were 2- by 4-inch wood members at 16-inch centres.. The studding
waS covered on the outside with 12-pound saturated felt, after which interlocking aluminum siding 6-7/8 inches wide, was nailed
to the studs. Sheathing was not used, but the frame was braced
by 1- by 4-inch diagonal wood members let into the studs at each corner of the house, and extending across these studs; it Was also braced by 2- by 4-inch horizontal wood members mid-height
Rafters were 2- by 4-inch members at 16-inch centres.
Collar ties, 1 by
4
inches, were also used at l6-inch centres.Battens, 1 by 6 inches, were nailed to the rafters at approxi-mately 6-inch intervals, and were covered with l2-pound
saturated felt. The V-crimp aluminum roofing was applied in
sheets 30 inches wide, running parallel to the rafters and of
full rafter length. Sheets overlapped one another
7
inches andwere doubly V-crimped at the overlap.
Insulation and Interior Finish - Ceiling joists were
2 by 6 inches at l6-inch centres. Three-inch rock-wool
insulation, vapour barrier, and
318
inch gypsum board on theunderside of the joists completed the ceiling construction. Joints between boards were taped and cemented.
A central bearing partition, running parallel to the long side of the house and made of two-by-four's at l6-inch
centres was clad on both sides with 1/2 inch fibreboard;
3/8
inch gypsum board was applied over the fibreboard; joints between the gypsum board were taped and cemented (Fig. 17). All other partitions were constructed in the same way, except
for 3 walls which divided one bedroom from the rest of the
house. These three walls were of solid plaster, built as follows:
Sheets of gyproc 8-feet long and 4-feet wide were keyed into grooved strips of wood nailed to the floor and ceiling.
Adjacent sheets were fastened together with metal clips. Plaster
(using vermiculite instead of sand for the rough coat, in the
proportion of 1 bag of vermiculite to 3 bags of hard-wall plaster)
was applied to both sides of the gyproc to build up a solid 2-inch
plaster wall. Corners were reinforced and protected by strips
of wood. Where closet walls were of solid plaster, shelves and
clothes poles were supported by wooden hangers nailed to the ceiling joists.
Kitchen and bathroom walls and ceiling were coated with
lead and oil paint. All other walls and ceilings were given a
priming coat followed by a finishing coat of a recently introduced emUlsion-type paint.
aluminum. aluminum.
Windows - Sash and frames of all windows were of Front and rear doors and door frames were also of
Sewage Disposal - Since proper slope to existing sewers could not be obtained, septic tanks were installed to service both houses.
HISTORY OF OCCUPANCY
Observations on the performance of new products were recorded in log books by the tenants of the experimental houses. Tenants have been professional staff members of the National
- 6 =
House Noo 1 セ。ウ occupied by the following tenants for the
periods indicated:
Mr. E.V.G. and family (two adults, three children) June 19, 1948
to July Yセ 1949.
Mr. R.A.S o and family (two adults» one child) July 11, 1949 to Sept. 15, 1949 ..
Nro D.Fo and family (two adults£, four children) Sept. 23» 1949
to pre sent date.
House No.2 was occupied ty the following tenants for the periods indicated:
Mr. M.J.G. and family (three adults» one child) June 24» 1948 to Sept. 17, 1949.
Mr. T.E.So and family (two adults, two children) Oct. 1, 1949
to Nov.
7,
1949.Mr. ToRo ffild family (two adults, two children) Jano RRセ 1950 to
I18rch, 19530
OBSERVATIONS ON EXPERIMENTAL PEATURES House Ho .. 1
Prefabricated bathroom unit セ the floor of this unit
was found to be sonewhat colder than the other floors in the
house. The metal walls made fastening of towel racks and other
accessories difficult. Such items had to be either put in with
a metal drill and self-tapping screws or placed high enough to be above the metal wall s ,
Plywood flooring .. The plywood flooring presented a
pleasing appe ar anc e , was easy to keep pelLshed, .and seemed to
wear satisfactorily (Fig. 5).
Asphalt floor tile - This type of flooring was satisfactory, since it showed no undue signs of wear and was
neither slippery nor tiresome to walk on. It was somewhat
colder to touch than the wood floors.
Newly introduced resin-tyPe floor finish - Within the first year after the floor finish had been applied, signs of wear became evident in areas exposed to heaviest traffic, ioe o,
downstairs ィ。ャャセ upstairs landing, and door entrances (Fig.
6).
The finish was apparently too hard and scuffed easily. The
hall floor had to be revarnished with a different, more elastic
finish. The living room also needed revarnishing. Where floor
areas were exposed to light, the finish turned noticeably darker than on floor areas conce aled from light by rugs or f urni ture.
others dull, application of the floor finish appeared to have soaked into the wood more in some places than in others.
Newl introduced warm air furnace - The furnace was
equipped to burn propane gas dur ng the
19 8-49
heating season,but changes were made in September
1949
to permit the burningof fuel oil during the
1949-50
heating season.During the first year, operation of the furnace was found to be satisfactory, except that the original arrangement of duct-work, whereby all heat for the bathroom, kitchen and the downstairs bedroom was being discharged into the hall,
resulted in poor heat distribution for these rooms. The duct-work
was altered in September
1949
to provide a split duct servingthe utility room and bathroom and another spIlt duct serving the kitchen and downstairs bedroom.
Use of propane gas for fuel presented no operational difficulty; its cost in the Ottawa area, however, was nearly
twice that of fuel oil. A record of heating costs is attached
as Appendix
"A"
to this report. .The operation of the furnace was not nearly as
satis-factory during the
1949-50
heating season as it had been theprevious year. Mr. D.F. entered the following note in his log
book:
"Furnace is very difficult to light when cold. Motor
and blower can become eccentric in mount, resulting in jamming of blower, with consequent lack of air for efficient combustIon. At present two-speed regUlation of blower not operating, so that
blower is running at low speed continuously. Furnace dismantled
this fall. Burner pot full of carbon which took an hour to chip
out. Half of the holes in burner pot were completely choked,
with the remainder partially choked. Blower fan choked with dust
between blades."
He added that the following servicing was required once a week:
"(a) Oil motor (why are seated bearings not used?)
(b) Clean grid over air intake to blower. (Grid is not
visible gets choked with dust and restricts flow. Being inaccessible, it can only be cleaned with a
to ot hbr-ush , )
(c) Clear oil passage with plunger. Oil passage gets
choked with carbon if furnace has long period of
idling. Frequent use of plunger causes oil leak at
gland. Gland is inaccessible and can only be
tightened either by using special tools or by
dismantling furnace.
I'
He .concluded wi th the comment that the hot air blower was noisy.
8
-Omission of sheathing - There has been no indication to date of any structural damage resulting from the omission
of sheathing in the exterior walls. The siding itself did not
prove very suitable but it is unlikely that its performance was affected by omission of sheathing.
Flat asbestos cement board for exterior wall facin
Soon after the house was occupied in June 19 , several sheets
of asbestos cement board had to be replaced because cracks had
developed in them. Cracking was usually vertical, running the
full length of the board, along the line where holes were
drilled to allow for nailing to studs (Fig. 8). The material
was brittle and would shatter under sudden impact; for example, a hole was knocked in the siding by the latch of the storm door,
when the door blew back against the wall (Fig. 9). The caulking
compound used to seal the vertical joints between boards shrank
in many instances, leaving an open joint. Some joints were open
their entire length, others for a length varying from a few inches to 2 or 3 feet.
Mr. DoF. also noted that the exterior finishing was
not windproof. "At -30op. with no wind, the house is easily
maintained at a comfortable temperature. On some days last
winter (1949-50) at +25°F. to +30op. with a strong wind the
furnace was at full blast day and night."
On March 3, 1950, a section of one wall was examined
for evidence of condensation. Throughout the previous month
the thermostat serving the heating unit had been kept at 68°F., while outside temperatures varied from a high of 38°F. to a low
of -19°F. On the day the house was examined, the thermostat was
at 68°F., while the outside temperature was at about -22°F. There was no artificial control of humidification in the house, humidity being created by the normal activities of a family of
two adults and four children. A section, approximately
4
by 4feet situated in the lower front corner of the east wall, was
opened from the outside (Fig. 18). The 1/4-inch flat asbestos
「ッセイ、 was removed exposing the 12-pound sheathing felt. The
board was examined and appeared to be free of moisture. The
sheathing felt was then carefully removed and on one piece in the centre stud space a small amount of frost was evident on the
paper. No evidence of condensation was found where the Alfol
Type II Lnau l e td on had been used. Moisture readings, taken at
various points on the wood framing members showed a moisture concentration in the wood members adjacent to an electrical
outlet box. No other evidence of condensation could be found.
The tenant noted that quite often frost appeared on the plate of this box which was situated in the living room.
Corrugated board - The corrugated asbestos-board used on gable ends and for roofing appeared to be in
good condition and no cracks were observed. Shrinkage of the
caulking 」ッセーッオョ、ウL however, was noticed around the gable-end
windows.
On March
3,
1950, (when weather conditions were asセッエ・、 previously) the insulation on both the south and north
sides of the roof, between the dwarf partitions and the eaves,
was ・ク。セゥョ・、 for evidence of condensation. There was no sign
of condensation on the south side, while on the north side a
glight stain was noted on the laps of the reflective insulation
at one rafter. Moisture readings on the partition studs and
roof rafters adjacent to this stain showed a moisture content
of only 7 to 8 per cent. On taking moisture readings of the
rafters above the second floor, those on the south side showed 9 to 10 per cent moisture content and those on the north side
10 to 11 per cent moisture content.
Thin fibreboard, for interior wall finish - This
fibreboard was easily scuffed. Walls were dented and scraped
whenever furniture was moved against them. Smudges on walls
could not be cleaned off without damage to the wall finish
(Fig. 10).
Newly introduced emulsion-type paint - This paint was easily applied and presented a satisfactory appearance initially. When washed it did not protect the wall finish and allowed it
to become scuffed.
This same paint was subsequently used on the walls of experimental hou se No.2 and was found to withstand repeated washing reasonably Hell.
Window frame s and sash - The al,uminum window a were
found to operate with good mechanical efficiency. Condensation
on frames and sash was frequently noted, more so in the autumn
than in the winter. During the autumn months some condensation
occurred on the frame and sash of the double-hung, double window in the bathroom, but never to the extent that condensate'was
free-flowing. Condensation waa more serious in the case of the
leitchen wl.ndow (double-hlL'1g, and Hi th removable storm sash),
small pools of water occasionally collecting on the sill. The
1 arger of the two windows in the downs t.a Lr-s bedroom (double-glazed, double-acting) operated most easily of the four aluminum windows. Condensation was frequently observed on the frame and sash of this window in spite of the fact that an attempt had been made to
insulate the interior and exterior faces of sash members from one another and to avoid metallic contact between frame and sash. Pools of water occasionally collected at the sill from condensate
run-off. Whenever the outside temperature was about zero degrees
10
-The four double-glazed windows with wood sash and frames were entirely free of "fogging" in the air space and of condensation on glass surfaces.
Wood storm sash for the upstairs bedroom windows was difficult to install because the householder in placing the heavy sash had to cope with awkward fastenings while perched
high on a ladder. Installation of the two-piece aluminum storm
sash for the kitchen window was somewhat awkward because the sash was slightly distorted.
House No.2
Floor tile made up of wood waste - This floor was found unattractive in appearance and difficult to clean and
wax properly. Because of its porosity, dirt became ingrained
in the tile (Fig.
11).
Asphalt floor tile - This floor was found satisfactory. It was not slippery, was comfortable to walk on, and was kept clean without undue difficulty.
Newl introduced warm-air furnace - The furnace was
equipped to burn propane gas during the
19 8-49
heating season,but changes were made in September
1949
to permit the burningof fuel oil during the
1949-50
heating season.During the
1948-49
heating season the furnace gavesatisfactory service, except that the operation of the hot air
blower was noisy. Use of propane gas for fuel presented no
difficulties from the performance standpoint.
During the
1949-50
heating season (after conversionto oil) it was found that some leakage of oil continually occurred at the gland and that much dust collected between blower fan
blades and on the grid over air intake to blower. Operation of
the hot air blower continued to be noisy.
A record of heating costs is attached as Appendix "A" to this report.
Omission of sheathing - There has been no indication
to date of any damage resulting from the omission of sheathing
in the exterior walls.
Aluminum siding - The aluminum siding and roofing for experimental house No. 2 had been cut and shaped in the factory of the manufacturer to fit the dimensions of this house, so that a minimum amount of work would have to be done on the site in
applying the material. It had been anticipated by the
manufac-turer that the aluminum material would be completely applied in
approximately 30 man-hours. In this instance, however, the job
required approximately
400
man-hours, since much cutting, filing,and fi tting was unexpectedly required.' The tolerances used by
metal workers in the factory were at great variance; moreover, some slight movement may have occurred in the wood framework
which had been exposed to the weather from many weeks. The
initial stage of applying the aluminum so as to "box in" the framework at roof edges and corners was slow, difficult work; whereas the large, flat areas of roof and walls were covered
more easily and rapidly (Fig. 12). The aluminum siding was
not painted nor has it required any maintenance to date.
During the summers of
1948
and1949
simplecompara-tive tests were performed using two adjoining Wartime Housing
mlits. Results of this investigation are given under the
section of this report entitled "Summer Temperature Tests"
On March I,
1950i
a section of one wall was examinedfor evidence of condensation. Throughout the previous month
the thermostat serving the heating unit had been kept at 70°F. while outside temperatures varied from a high of 38°F. to a
low of
-19°F.
On the day the house was examined, the thermostatwas at 70°F. while the outside temperature was at about 25°F. There was no artificial control of humidification in the house, humidity being created by the normal activities of a family of
two adults and two children. A section,
4
by4
feet, was openedfrom the inside of the front wall] which was frequently exposed
to high winds during the winter months. No evidence of
condensation was found within the キ。ャャセ despite the fact that
there were gaps in the vapour barrier where the paper backing
of the batts failed to overlap properly. Condensation was
probably prevented by the high degree of ventilation provided by the aluminum siding.
Aluminum roofing - The aluminum roofing gave trouble-free
service and has required no maintenance to date. On March
1, 1950,
(when セセ。エィ・イ conditions were as noted previously) the attic
space was examined, and it was observed that on the north side of the roof from approximately the collar tie joint to the eaves
there "Here rips in the saturated felt between the battens. At
these points a great many ice globUles were noted on the underside
of the aluminum roofing. In many cases, even though there was
venting, melting was taking place and the drip was collecting on the ceiling insulation or joists below.
Solid plaster partition walls - With the beginning of cold, autumn weather9 about three or four months after the house was first occupied, it was noted that the solid plaster partitions had developed horizontal, straight-line cracks where they met the
ceiling, and vertical ウエイ。ゥァィエセャゥョ・ cracks where they met the
exterior walls (Figs. 13 and QlセI .. It was subsequently noted that
these cracks would partially close in the summertime and re-open
again in the wintertime. In September
1949
the house wasredeco-rated and the cracks completely filled. Cracking occurred again
during the winter in the same partitions and to the same extent as it had pr-e vt ousky , "Other than these straight-line cracks" the
12
-Newly introduced emulsion-type paint - This paint was easily applied, was satisfactory in appearance, and withstood frequent washings reasonably well.
Aluminum window frames and sAsh - The aluminum windows, which were all double-hung, were found to operate
well, inasmuch as they easily opened and closed. Condensation
was frequently observed on the frames and sash. In mid-autumn,
1949, condensation was so pronounced that all metallic parts were wet and small pools occasionally collected at the sills. This condition was most marked on the large living-room windows;
which faced the north. Ranges of temperature and humidity
during this period were ァ・ョ・イ。ャャセ as follows: inside
tempera-ture 65° to 75°, outside 80 to 98 per cent. In mid-winter of
1949 condensation frequently occurred but to a lesser extent. Tiny droplets were formed, or at most a thin film of moisture
on the metallic parts. Whenever the weather turned quite COld,
hoar appeared on the frames and sash. Typical readings during
this period were as follows: inside temperature, 65° to 70°,
outside 15° to 20°; inside relative humidity, 35 to 40 per cent,
outside 50 to 80 per cent. It was noted again the following
year that condensation was more serious in the autumn エィ。セ in
the winter. Screens and storm windows were easily installed
and easily removed.
Aluminum doors and door frames - Condensation occurred
セョ the front and rear aluminum door and door frame, this
condition being more pronounced in the autumn than in the winter.
In cold weather these doors were cold to touch. The spring-type
metallic weatherstripping originally used for these doors, proved
ineffective, giving only spot contacts. Improper fit of doors
was a contributing cause to this defect, allowing wind-blown rain to wet floors in the vestibule and in the utility room.
This condition was corrected by removing the metallic
weatherstrip-ping and applying rubber weatherstripweatherstrip-ping in such a way that the closed doors butted firmly against the rubber (Fig. 15).
SDl1MER TENPERATURE TESTS Purpose and Procedure
During the summers of 1948 and 1949 tests were conducted to determine what effect the use of aluminum siding and roofing (coupled with the omission of sheathing) might have on temperatures
within house No.2. Fer t.hf.s pur-po se 20-gauge copper-constantan
thermocouples were installed to measure outside air temperature, attic and living-room temperatures, and attic and living-room temperatures in two adjoining houses of more conventional
construction, henceforth referred to as houses Nos. 3 and 4. These
thermocouples were connected to multiple-point electronic recording potentiometers and readings were taken continuously
from August 20 to September 11 in 1948 and from July 6 to AUGust 23 in 1949.
The temperature-time relationships thus obtained for the three houses were compared, consideration being given to all significant differences in construction details between
house No. 2 and houses Nos. 3 and
4.
Comparison of House No. 2 with Houses Nos. 3 and
4
The floor plans of houses 3 and
4
were identical butreversed. The living-room of house No. 3 was in the northwest
corner of the house while that of house No.
4
was in thenortheast corner. The floor-plan of house No. 2 was considerably
different from that of the conventional houses, but the living-room
was also in the northwest corner. In all living-rooms windows
were in the two exposures with total window area for each of the three houses about the same.
The attics of the two conventional houses were vented
by means of
8-
by l6-inch louvred openings in each gable end.The attic of house No. 2 was vented by similar louvred openings in each end plus continuous louvred openings under both eaves.
The construction details are summarized in Table A. Results and Conclusions
From this study the following conclusions were drawn:
1. The attic of house No. 2 generally experienced a lower
maximum air temperature than the two conventional houses. The aluminum roofing was apparently more effective than the conventional roofing in reflecting solar radiation, thereby resulting in lower maximum attic temperatures.
2. The attic of house No. 2 in all cases experienced higher
minimum air temperatures than the two conventional houses. The higher minimum temperature s in all pr-ob abt Lt ty occurred because of the lower rate of heat loss during the night as a result of the low emissivity of the aluminum roofing.
3.
The method of operating the houses, particularly with regardto opening and closing windows, appeared to have had more effect on living-room temperatures than differences' in
construction features. The aluminum siding appeared to have
had little effect in reducing daytime living-room temperatures
when windows were left open most of the time. Under the same
condition, the aluminum siding did not appear to result in appreciably higher night-time living-room temperatures; that is, it apparently did not reduce appreciably the rate of cooling during the night.
4.
With a minimum number of windows open house No. 2 had lowmaximum and high minimum living-room air temperatures, as
indicated by very flat time-temperature curves. This was
typical of a house with reduced ventilation, but the aluminum siding might be effective in producing even less than normal variation between night and day temperatures.
14
-TABLE A
Summary of Construction Details CONSTRUCTION Exterior finish Sheathing Framing Insulation Interior finish Ceiling Fr?ming Insulation Interior finish Exterior finish Sheathing HOUSE NO. 2 Aluminum siding on building paper None 2 X ャセB studs 16" o.c , 2" r.W. bl"tts Flasterboa.rd 2 X 8" joists 16" o.c. 3" r.w. batts Flasterboard Aluminum roofing on building paper Wood slats (nominal
1" TG) ..lith 4"
spaces between slats
!-lOUSE NO. 3 Asbestos shingles on building paper ":ood (nominal 1") 2 X 4" studs 16" o.c. 2" r,w, batts PIFsterboard 2 X 8" joists 16" o.c. 2" r .», batts Flasterboard Asrhalt shingles on roofing paper Ivood (nominal 1" TG) HOUSE NO. 4 Asbestos shingles on building paper Hood (nominal 1") 2X 4" studs 16" o.c. 2" r.w. batts Plasterboard 2 X 8" joists 16" o.c. 2" r.w. batts Plasterboard Asphalt shingles on roofing paper Wood (nominal 1" TG)
Heating Costs and Fuel Consumption by A. Grant Wilson
The warm air chimney furnaces used in both houses were equipped originally with gas burners and during the
winter of 1948-49 bottled propane gas was used as fuel.
During the summer of 1949 the se gas burners were removed and
replaced by vaporizing pot-type oil burners with mechanical
draft. During subsequent heating seasons fuel oil was burned.
No. 1 stove oil was supplied to house No. 1 while No. 2 furnace oil was supplied to house No.2.
Records of fuel deliveries and fuel costs were kept for both houses during the first three years of operation. Similar records for subsequent years were kept for house No. 1
but were not available for house No.2. In the case of the
propane gas these records probably account quite accurately
for the fuel consumed during the heating season. On the other
hand the fuel delivery records for the fuel oil do not neces-sarily give an accurate record of the fuel consumed during any heating season as no attempt was made to determine the amount of fuel left in the oil tanks at the end of Mayor at the beginning of September.
During the 1948-49 heating season, house No. 1 was
used by E.V.G. and family; during subsequent winters it was
used by D.F. and family. The house was under continuous
occupancy during each heating season, with the thermostat set
for a ャゥカャョァセイッッュ temperature of approximately
70°F.
Throughoutthe 1948-49 heating season house No.2 was used by M.J.G. and
family, who left the house unoccupied for three weeks in October
and for several weekends throughout the winter. The
living-room thermostat was setback to
55°F.
during these unoccupiedperiods. Under normal occupancy the thermostat was set for a
living-room temperature of
70°F.
during the day, with nightsetback to
67°F.
Throughout the1949-50
heating season houseNo. 2 was vacant until January 18 and was subsequently used by
T.R. and family, who occupied the house continuously for the
following seasons. During these periods the thermostat was
set for a living-room temperature of approximately
70°F.
Both houses were equipped with storm windows during each heating season except in the case of house No.2 during
the 1949-50 season when the storm windows were not installed.
Tables 1 and 2 summarize the fuel consumption and heating
costs for both houses. The "quantity of fuel used" and the
"total cost of fuel per period" were determined from the records of fuel delivery and may be subject to some error for the reason
mentioned previously. The "calorific value of fuel" was
A2
-period" was obtained by mu'l t LpLyl ng the quantity of fuel used
by the calorific value of the fuel, and is expressed in エィ・イュウセ
one therm being equal to
100,000
B.t.u. The "degree-days forperiod" were obtained from records of the Meteorological Division, Department of Transport and represent official
records for Ottawa.
The figures for "therms input per degree-day" in Tables 1 and 2 were determined by dividing the total fuel heat
input figures by the degree-days for the period. These figures,
having degree-days as a common denomination, provide a means of comparing directly the fuel consumption data for the different loss from a house, the heat loss per degree-day would be
essentially the same for any period, provided that the house
was always operated in exactly the same way. Further if the
heating system efficiency remained the same, the "therms input
per degree-day" would be the same for any period. Conversely,
if changes were made in operating the house or the heating system from one period to another, a comparison of the "therms input per degree-da.y" would provide a means of determining the
effects of these changes on fuel requirements. Although the
degree-day does not take into account all climatic factors affecting the heat loss from a house, it still provides a useful index and it is interesting to compare the values for
"therms input per degree-day" for the two 'houses, keeping in'
mind the limitations of degree-day figures.
The figures of therms input per degree-day for the three heating seasons in the case of house No. 1 are remarkably
similar. This would lead one to believe that there wa.s little
difference in the efficiency of combustion between the propane gas and No. 1 stove oil as burned in the chimney furnace.
There is the possibility however that there were differences in combustion efficiency but that these were compensated for by differences in operating the house, since a change in occupancy was made at the same time the change in fuel was made.
Comparing generally the "therms input per degree-day" figures for houses No. 1 and No. 2 it will be noted that during
the
1948-49
season when propane gas was used in both houses, thefigures for house No. 2 are lower while in subsequent seasons when fuel oil was used in both houses, the figures for house
No. 2 are higher. It will be shown later that the actual heat
loss characteristics of the two houses are almost identical. The low value of "therms input per degree-day" for house No. 2
in
1948-49
can then be explained by the relatively large numberof unoccupied periods when the thermostat was set-back to
55°F.
The high value of "therms input per degree-day" for house No. 2
in
1949-50
is probably caused by the absence of storm windows.Comparing the two houses for the
1950-51
and1951-52
seasons,the higher values of. ,"therms input per de.gree-day" for house No. 2 might be due to lower combustion efficiencies of the chimney furnace when burning No. 2 furnace oil.
Fuel Consumption and Heating Costs for House No.1 Hea.ting Season Sept. -MayQYャセXMTY Sept.-May 1949-50 s・ーエNMmセケ 1950-51
Type of fuel Pr-opane gas No. 1 stove oil No. 1 stove oil
Quantity of fuel used 40,994 cu. ft. 706 imp. gal. 644 imp. gal. Cost of fuel per unit $7.25/1000 cu. rt. 19.6¢/imp. gal. 20.2¢/imp. gal. Total cost of fuel for
period $297.21 $138.60 $130.00
Calorific value of fuel 2500 B.t.u./cu. ft. 163,800 B.t.u./imr. gal. 163,800 eNエNセNOゥューN gal. Total fuel' heat input
for period 1025 therms 1155 therms 1052 therms
d・ァイ・・M、セケウ for period 7720 8574 8134
Therms input per
degree-day 0.133 0.135 0.130
TABLE 2
Fuel Consumption and Heating Costs for House No.2 Heating Season Sept.-May 1948-1,9 Jan. 18-r':ay 1949-50 Sept.-May 1950-51
Type of fuel Propane gas No. 2 furnace oil No. 2 furnace oil
Quantity of fuel used 33,338 cu. ft. 555 imp. gaL 73':' imp. gaL,
Cost of fuel per unit セLWNRUOQPPP cu. ft. 16.94¢/im
r .
gal. l8.l¢iimp. gal. Total cost of fuel forperiod セRTQNWP セGYS .92 $132.56
Calorific value of fuel 2500 B.t.u./cu. ft. 172,000 B.t.u./imp. gal. 172,000 B.t.u./imp. gaI., Total fuel heat input
for period 834 therms 955 therms 1259 therms
Degree-days for period 7720 4724 8134
Therms input per
degree-day 0.108 0.202 0.155
Sert.-May 1?51-52 No. 2 furnAce oil 840 imp. gal. 19.4¢/imp. gal. $162.96 172,000 B.t.u./imr. gal. 14/..5 therms 8314 0.174
AJ
-It is possible to calculate the theoretical fuel heat input requirements for the two houses for the different heating
seasons if some assumptions are made. A simple method utilizing
degree-day data can be expressed by the following equation:
Qs
=
24Ds x Uh x 1 - - - (1) eh Where Qs=
Ds=
Uh=
eh=
fuel heat input requirements per season, B.t.u.'s degree-days per season
overall heat loss factor for house, B.t.u. per hr. per of.
overall house efficiency of heating system
FUllowing are heat loss factors in B.t.u.'s per hour per of. for house No. 1 determined by calculation and based on the
methods and heat transfer coefficients outlined in the A.S.H.
&
V.E.Guide, 1952:
Gr-o unr' i'loor: walls - - - 101.0
floor - - - -
69.8
ceiling -37.4
windows (transmission)- - 29.0 windows (infiltration)- - 21.5 doors (transmission)- - - 29.8 doors (infiltration)- - -38.0
Second floor: dwarf walls - - - 25.8
gable walls - - - 11.6 sloped ceiling - - -
27.6
flat ceiling - - - - 22.4 windows (transmission)- - - - 12.0 windows (infiltration)- - - -10.6
Total (Uh)=
436.5
Similar figures for house No.2 are as follows:
walls - - -
97.5
floor - - -
89.0
」・ゥャゥョセ - - - 72.0
doors (transmission)- - - -
42.6
doors (infiltration)- - - -
38.3
Window factors without storm windows:
(transmission)- - - - 122.7
(infiltration)- - - - 97.0
Total (Uh) without storm windows =
559.1
Window factors with storm windows:
(transmission)- - セ -
48.8
(infiltration)- - - -
44.7
These calculations indicate that the heat loss characteristics of both houses are essentially the same when both are equipped with
storm windows. The overall heat loss factor for house No. 2
without storm windows is more than 25% higher than that for
house No.1.
Using the se overall heat loss factors together with the degree-day data from Table 1 and Table 2, it is possible from equation (1) to calculate Qh for the two houses for each
of the heating seasons, if values for the overall house efficiency
of the heating systems are known. No determinations of combustion
efficiency for the furnaces were made from which overall house efficiencies of the heating system might have been estimated.
It is therefore necessary to assume values for efficiency in order
to complete the calculations of the total fuel heat input. The
following overall house efficiencies for the heating systems are considered not unrealistic:
(a) House No. 1
Propane gas -No. 1 fuel oil (b) House No. 2
Propane gas
-No. 2 fuel oil
-- 80% - 75%
Xセ
70%
Table 3 and Table
4
give values of the calculated totalfuel heat input for the two housesJ determined from equation (1)
and based on the appropriate overall heat loss factors, degree-days
and assumed efficiencies. Fbr comparative purposes, values of the
total fuel heat input from Tables 1 and 2 are also given.
TABLE 3
Calculated and Measured Fuel Heat Input for House No.1
Sept .-May Sept.-May Sept.-May
Heating Season 1948-49 1949-50 19$0-$1
Calculated fuel heat input,
therms 1010 1200 1136
Measured fuel heat input,
AS
-TABLE
4
Calculated and Measured Fuel Heat Input for House No.2
Sept. -Hay Jan. 18 to l1ay Sept.-May Sept. -May
Heating Season 1948-1949 1949-1950 1950-1951 1951-1922
Calculated fuel'
heat input, therms 1,000 905 1,208 1,234
Nee.sur-e d fuel heat
input, therms 834 955 1,259 1,445
The calculated values of total fuel heat input agree fairly closely with the values determined from measurements of fuel consumption and generally lend some support to the
interpre-tations of the results made previously. It appears that with the
chimney furnace used in house No. 1 there was ITttle difference
between the overall house be st Lng efficiencies with propane gas
セセ、 with No.1 fuel oil. These efficiencies are of the order of
75% to 80%. There is little difference between the overall heat
loss factors of the two houses and it appears that the low value of fuel consumption for house No.2, when both houses were being heated by propane gas, resulted from the method of operation -particularly the unoccupied periods when the thermostat was
set-back to 55°F. The suggestion that the high value of "therms input
per degree-day" for house No. 2 during the 1949-50 season was due to the absence of storm windows is supported by the close agreement
of calculated and measured values of fuel heat input. The calculated
value was of course based on the overall heat loss factor with no
storm windows. It would also appear that the overall house heating
efficiency for house No.2 heated with No. 2 fuel oil, was
considerably less than that f'o r- house No.1 heated with No.1 fuel
oil. The overall house heating efficiency for house No. 2 with
the chimney furnace fired with No. 2 fuel oil was of the order of
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Fig.
14
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