Wind creates a heterogeneous pressure distribution around the building and induces a pressure difference between indoor and outdoor even when the fan is turned off. The impact of wind can be partly compensated by measuring and subtracting this zero-flow pressure and … Continue reading →
Duct tester systems designed to conduct air tightness tests on duct systems can sometimes be used to test building air tightness. The fans used in these systems have a much lower flow capacity than a standard blower door system, which means … Continue reading →
TightVent Europe has published a list of applicable standards for building and ductwork airtightness. The detailed list can be found here.
Continue reading →Good building airtightness is achieved in 3 steps: Plan – Build – Check. The building airtightness requirement is defined in the design phase of the building. The fundamental principle for designing good airtightness is to specify a combination of materials … Continue reading →
In most European countries the building preparation is based on ISO 9972 requirements. However, the interpretation of these requirements may differ from one country to another, and based on different building preparation rules. Building preparation errors are probably the dominant … Continue reading →
Airtightness durability is a growing issue in Europe and the US. In the long-term, it seems that some specific sealing products have durable performances but on-site studies have shown that many factors can deteriorate the airtightness durability of wall assemblies … Continue reading →
TAAC is the TightVent Airtightness Associations Committee, launched in September 2012 by the TightVent Europe platform, with the primary goal to bring together national associations and experts in order to promote reliable testing/inspection and reporting procedures. The scope of TAAC … Continue reading →
France, Belgium (Flemish Region) & the United Kingdom have national databases that gather most of measurements performed by qualified testers in their countries. Other initiatives also exist in Spain, Germany, Czech Republic, Estonia, Canada and the US ([1], [2], [3]). Spain … Continue reading →
Building airtightness (also called envelope airtightness) is a general descriptive term expressing the resistance to inward or outward air leakage through unintentional leakage points or areas in the building envelope. This air leakage is driven by differential pressures across the … Continue reading →
Infiltration/exfiltration is the uncontrolled inward/outward leakage of outdoor/indoor air through air permeable materials, joints, cracks, interstices and other unintentional openings of a building envelope, caused by the pressure effects of wind, the stack effect or operation of HVAC-systems [1]. Infiltration/exfiltration causes convective … Continue reading →
