BS Fundamentals by John Ring

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Knowledge for Building Right
in the 21st Century

ð

þ hearn what Building Science is and why we
need to understand it
þ Understand the basic physical principals of
Building Science
þ Be prepared to apply those principals to real
life building
Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 2

!
þ It is the study of the interaction between
Occupants
Building Components & Systems
Environment
þ Focusing on the flows through the building
enclosure of
Heat
Air
Moisture

"

þ We no longer accept indoor environmental

conditions that we used to tolerate
þ We demand more control of our indoor
environment
þ We have a limited supply of energy for
which demand & costs continue to
increase, so we must consider energy
conservation

#
#

# $%
!
þ -ighter building assemblies

þ More thermal insulation
þ More power vented furnaces & heaters
þ Air conditioning with flexible air duct
distribution systems
þ A multitude of new products to deal with
Often combined in new ways

&& #

' #
(!
þ Unsafe conditions
þ Unhealthy conditions
þ People are uncomfortable
þ Energy is wasted
þ Materials are wasted
þ Increased operating costs
þ Failure of components or systems
þ We damage the environment
- (

)

&

Î A building creates an interior
environment that is different from the
exterior environment ± it is an
Environmental Separator
Î Its function is to separate the inside
from the outside
as required by the local environment
according to the wishes of its occupants

þ A building provides shelter
From the elements
From other dangers
þ -he interior environment should be
controllable by the occupants in a
manner their meets their needs

- *
|

&

þ Studies the interaction of all of
these functional relationships
þ It tells us how buildings actually
work
þ It tells us how to design, build,
operate, diagnose, and fix them

(

+ -
þ Provide strength and rigidity
þ Control rain, wind & ground water
þ Control fire
þ Control heat flow, air flow, and
moisture flow
þ Control contaminants, environmental
hazards and odors, insects, rodents
and critters
þ Control light and solar radiation
þ himit noise and vibration
þ Provide comfort
þ Be durable
þ Be economical to purchase and
operate
þ Be aesthetically pleasing
- 1

þ ,|
þ ,--)
þ ð+|-,-
þ ./,-
þ 01) ||ð0-
þ 020+0-,--) |0.-)

-' #
þ is the study of
Heat Flow
Air Flow
Moisture Flow
through the building enclosure

þ ot all these forces are equal
þ All are important, but some more than
others
þ In buildings, aside from safety, control of
HEA-
AIR
MOIS-URE
stand above all other considerations

, #
# 3
- (

,+ ,0.ð
þ We have the bread on the outside ±
we call that the Building Envelope ±
and the
þ HAM on the inside
EA-
,IR
+OIS-URE

- -, | )ð

,-,)
0 2 00

-

þ Everything in a house interacts,

from the footing to the roof ± and
all components and systems in
between
CHA I OE PAR- OF -HE
SYS-EM WIhh AFFEC- O-HER
PAR-S OF -HE SYS-EM
-

þ In the 1970s, in response to the

energy crisis ± yes, we did have one
in the past ± the levels of insulation
were substantially raised in homes.
Also, following concepts transplanted
from cold climates, houses in cooling
climates were sealed tighter and
plastic was wrapped over that
insulation.
-

Yup, it did save energy and increased comfort, but
that plastic trapped a lot of moisture and many of
those houses have had problems with mold and
structural rot.
-hese problems came about because of a lack of
÷ ÷ ± no one considered the effect on the
house of the combination of all that added insulation,
plastic and the other changes.
While a few recognized the reasons for the problems,
it is only in the past 8 years that even the building
code has begun to change to reflect the need for
- ( .

þ If you build an airtight house (as you
should), and wrap it in a layer of
insulation, the rest of the house will
react as our bodies do if we were to
wear a winter coat year round. -he
airtight, insulated house will keep the
conditioned air in, but it will also keep
moisture and pollutants in as well.
Anyone who designs, builds or
remodels must always be aware of this.
-

#
& +
þ

@


-' #
þ Building Science strives to provide
houses that are ±
SAFE ± HEAh-HY ± COMFOR-ABhE ±
DURABhE ± EER Y EFFICIE- ±
EIROME-AhhY FRIEDhY
þ Of these, for most people, what issue

do you think is of primary importance?

ð
ð

!
U that
condition of mind in
which satisfaction is
expressed with the
thermal environment´
1993 ASHRAE
Handbook of Fundamentals
Chapter 8

ð

4

þ Many homeowners complaints grow out of
comfort problems
þ COMFOR- is the canary in the coal mine
þ What is causing the comfort problem may
also be causing problems with:
Safety & Health
Building durability
Energy efficiency

ð

2
þ Activity ð

þ Clothing
á
á

á á

þ -emperature á

á á

þ Air elocity
þ Moisture in the air (Rh)
þ Radiant Surface -emperatures
ow, let us discuss those things
that Building Science is all about
± the first is
!

HEA- FhOW
Heat flow is the movement of
heat from one surface to
another, or from one space to
another, through one or more
heat transfer mechanisms
+

+

Conduction
Convention
Radiation

÷
-he action of - moving to ð-

is V V ÷ trying to take place by one
or more of these mechanisms.
-he greater the temperature
differential, the stronger the
movement.
V÷
VV
V VO
! ð
4


ð

-he transmission of heat
through matter without
motion of the conducting
body as a whole.

ð

-his movement may be:

Between two objects in
contact with each other
Within an object

ð

Requires two solids to be in

contact with each other.

ð

-akes place within an object

ð

How do we control conductive
heat loss?
By slowing down the transfer
with
Insulation
-hat is
with the surface
it is insulating
ð

-he transfer of heat
when the motion of a
gas or fluid takes place

ð

þ Is caused by:
temperature differential
(natural)
mechanical action (forced).

ð

0

ð

|


ð

|

You run a ceiling fan or floor fan
to cool you
on a hot day.
!÷
÷
ð

0

works only by gravity;
that is, it works only up.
þ - #
|

can work in any
direction:
þ It can work down as when the driving force ± a
ceiling fan, for example ± moves air down.
þ It can work sideways, as with the fan in the
cartoon on the previous slide

ð

Controlling Convection can only

be done with a
Barrier

-he transfer of heat
through
empty space

Can
take eeds
place line of
in a sight
vacuum

You go up into your attic to store
some items on a sunny day in
summer. -he heat in the attic is
almost overwhelming. You get a
thermometer and find that the
temperature at the roof peak is
140º.
V÷V

from the sun is heating the shingles.
-he shingles, primarily through ð

heat
the roof sheathing below.
-he hot sheathing, primarily through
,
heats solid surfaces below that are
within the line of sight of the roof sheathing.
ð

also plays a role in keeping the roof
peak hotter than the space below.


#
-he previous example is illustrative of how a single
source of heat can result in all three heat flow
methods working at the same time to either cause
problems or do goodO

#
On a
winter day you sit in your favorite
chair six feet from a single pane window and
don¶t feel comfortable
even with the ther-
mostat set at 78º.
!V÷
÷

5 ð

Your body, and the clothing you have on,
are all at a higher temperature than the
window, and likely even the wall around it.
Your body moves by radiation to the

surfaces. You lose heat, making you
feel cool.

Because Radiation requires line of

sight to take place,
Blocking the hine of Sight

stops Radiation


-he next part of our building
UHAM´ sandwich is
£

, |
#
þ Air flow is the movement
of air -
within a space
from one space to another

, |
#
þ For air to flow into or out of a

building, or within two adjacent
inside spaces there must be
A
and
A


, |
#
þ Building Science is concerned with
two types of
that allow air
movement into, out off, or within a
building:
. - holes you pay for up front
Controlled by the occupants
/ - these are free but can
cost you a
later
O- occupant controlled
, |
#
þ Designed holes are ±
Ones we deliberately open & close
Doors and windows
Ones that are usually tightly dampered and
open only when needed
Kitchen exhaust fan vents
Dryer vents
haundry room fans
Bathroom fans
entilation air-in systems

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#
þ Undesigned holes - Attic entries
Any wall penetration
Under-eaves entries
hight fixtures
Band joist areas
Switches & receptacles
between floors
Plumbing lines
In-between floor chases
Bottom and top plates
Under door thresholds
Rough openings
Boots in ceilings/floors Dropped soffits
Fireplace inserts Joist cavities under attic
kneewalls
In back of fireplace
inserts Seams between rigid
Exterior walls behind exterior sheathing
tubs and showers Ceiling height transitions

, |
#
þ -he best houses are those with
the fewest undesigned holes
It is not possible to eliminate all
undesigned holes, but good
building practices will take care
of most of them

, |
#
It used to be that little attention was paid

to building well sealed ± Utight´ ±
houses. It was thought, and still is by
many, that a house needs to Ubreath´,
and the numerous undesigned holes
allowed it to do that.

, |
#
-oday we know
. We know
that all those undesigned holes decrease
comfort and increase energy costs.
-oday we understand that if the only
holes in the building envelope are the
ones we design, and the Ubreathing´ is
deliberately controlled, the house will
function much better.

, |
#
Is this your house? heaking all the air
you paid to condition!!
You have two choices:

1. Keep pouring in the conditioned air.
2. Plug the holes.
We now know, based upon ð0ð that we must:
/-. -1-
&
20--,- 1-
, |
#
þ harge undesigned holes must be
sealed first.
þ However, remember that small
holes add up.
For example: an average 1/8´ gap
around an attic stairs hatch cover is
the same as a 4´ x 5´ hole in the
ceiling!

, |
# |
þ When air enters or leaves

a space it can be:
Hot or Cold
Wet or Dry
Clean or Polluted
A combination of the above

, |
# |
þ Air flow, in building science

terms, is measured in
Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM) or
Cubic Feet per Hour (CFH)

, |
# |
When we think of air pressure we used to
thinking in terms of Pounds per Square
Inch (PSI). However, within a building we
are usually looking at very small pressure
differences. -hose units are called:
PASCAhS (Pa)

, |
# |
A Pascal is about the amount of
pressure exerted by a pat of butter on
bread, or the weight of couple of sticky
notes.
1 PSI = 6,894 Pascals
-here are 220,600 Pascals of
pressure in an auto tire at 32 psi!

, |
#
þ .
are:
(the chimney/stack effect)

| ± mechanical systems

, |
# 6
One unit in = one unit out
6 7

Air in the
house
6 7

( 89
þ Stack pressure is a function of
two things:
-he height of the building
A 2-story house has twice the stack
pressure of a 1-story house
-emperature difference (ù-)
indoors to outdoors

(
PP = eutral Pressure Plane



&

|
þ -here are a lot of fans in the modern
house. Some can cause serious
depressurization of a house if make-up
air is not provided.
Bathrooms
Kitchen range hoods vented to the exterior
Downdraft exhaust cooktops
Clothes dryers
Central vacuums
Whole house fans
Powered attic fans

|
þ -he effect of fans is
cumulative and if several of
the major ones are on at the
same time the house can
really suck!
þ It adds up quickly!

|
150 CFM + 700 CFM + 50 CFM

= 900 CFM
Where is the make-up air coming from in a tightly
built house? In a 2250 ft² house this situation
would change all the air in the house in 30
minutes. 6
* 6 :
| ; +
þ Houses ± spaces ± with a positive
pressure in them BhOW
þ Houses ± spaces ± with a negative
pressure in them SUCK
þ -he major consistent cause of houses
that BhOW or SUCK is leaking ducts

&

| ; +
þ If the dominant leakage is in the return
system, the house BhOWS

,
#
þ What happens when a house, or a
portion of a house blows?
Conditioned air is forced out of the house
replaced by unconditioned air resulting
in:
Increased energy consumption
Decreased comfort
Possible durability problems

+
þ If the dominant leakage is in the output
system, the house SUCKS.

,
#
þ What happens when a house, or a portion of
a house sucks?
Unconditioned air is drawn in and conditioned
air is forced out resulting in:
Potentially serious safety issues
Potential health problems if air is polluted
Possible durability problems
Increased energy consumption
Decreased comfort

, |
# <
Air, like water,
will tend to
move through
the nearest,
largest
opening with
the least
amount of
resistance.
ë

, |
# $
Air likes to be balanced. If there is a
pressure difference between two
spaces the air will move from the
area of high pressure
to the area of low
pressure to remove
the difference.

Remember that air pressure is
relative. You cannot simply say
that a room has high pressure in it.
It must be Uwith reference to´
(WR-) another space. For
example: Uthe master bedroom is
at a higher pressure than (WR-)
the adjacent hall.´

, |
# =
Heated air rises Cooled air falls

,
In order for a house to perform properly
and efficiently there must be
a continuous Air Barrier

surrounding the house. It provides one
part of what is known as the
-hermal Barrier
,
þ An Air Barrier is any interior or
exterior material that is 1. and
+2/ - , |- ± for
example:
Solid wood, Plywood, OSB, Drywall
Foam-board sheathing, -hermoPly, etc.
Housewrap is not an air barrier

unless it is enclosed by rigid surfaces.
-
&
-he Building Envelope is

defined as those systems
and components that
separate the interior
environment from the
exterior environment.

-
&
-he -

includes an unbroken ,
with a contiguous
layer of
in
contact with it.

- -

, |
# /++,)
þ For air to flow into, out of, or
within a building it needs:
An opening
A driving force:
Stack pressure
Wind
Fans
, |
# /++,)
þ Warm air rises, cool air falls
þ One unit of air in = one unit of air out
þ Air flows from high pressure to low
pressure
þ When trying to reach equilibrium, air seeks
the path of least resistance:
-he nearest, largest opening with the least
amount of resistance

ow we move to the last part of our
UHAM´ sandwich:
MOIS-URE
FhOW
+
|
#
þ Moisture Flow has great
significance with regard to how a
house performs and functions as
a system.
Most building performance
problems are caused by
moisture.

+
|
#
þ Affects:
Health: Durability &
Mold Safety:
Dust mites Wood decay
Cockroaches Corrosion
Bacteria -ermites

+
|
#
Moisture moves from
WE- to DRY
When materials get wet or they dry, it
is by moisture moving from the wetter
place to the dryer place in order to
achieve a balanced state.

+
|
#
þ -here are four moisture

transport mechanisms:
(
ð&
, -&
(Infiltration)
2&
.

+
|
#
(3
liquid water
(poor drainage,
water, roof,
siding &
plumbing
leaks

+
|
#
ð& 3

wicking through
porous materials
(concrete, wood,
brick, cellulose
insulation,
gypsum board)

+
|
#
,
-&

or
3
whenever air
moves,
whatever is in
it moves with it,
including water
vapor.

+
|
#
þ 2&
.
3
-

º

;

&
&

# &

&

Because we know that in a mixed humid
climate (most of C) building materials and
walls often get wet, it is essential that they be
able to dry in both directions usually by vapor
diffusion. -hus, except in very cold climates,
the only place in a house where there should
be a vapor is
under the slab
or on the crawl space floor.

+
.
þ Moisture Damage is caused by:
Wet conditions (100% Rh) for a short time
ery high humidity (80%+) over a long time
þ -ime Duration for damage depends on:

-he material affected
-emperature
-he higher the temperature the more
accelerated the process

+
.
þ -hree basic rules for deterring
moisture damage in absorbent
building materials:
Keep the material dry!
Don¶t let the material get wet!!
=& # #

:::
+
|
# ; /++,)
þ Moisture is transported four ways ± listed in
the order of wetting:
Bulk Water Flow (liquid)
Capillarity (liquid)
Air -ransported (liquid or vapor)
apor Diffusion (vapor)
þ In terms of the HEAh-H & DURABIhI-Y of a
house, moisture control is of the greatest
importance.

Everything we do in reen Building and
Remodeling should be based upon sound
Building Science principles. Without under-
standing these principles and how the house
works as a system we will not achieve the goal
of providing homes, schools and workplaces that
are Safe, Healthy, Comfortable, Durable, Energy
Efficient and Environmentally Friendly.

BS Fundamentals by John Ring

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Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 2

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 3

þ We no longer accept indoor environmental

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 4

þ -ighter building assemblies

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 5

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 7

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 8

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 9

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 10

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 13

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 14

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 15

- -, | )ð

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 17

þ Everything in a house interacts,

þ In the 1970s, in response to the

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 20

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 22

þ Of these, for most people, what issue

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 23

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 25

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 26

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 28

-he action of - moving to ð-

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 32

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 33

-his movement may be:

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 34

Requires two solids to be in

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 35

-akes place within an object

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 36

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 38

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 39

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 40

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 41

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 43

Controlling Convection can only

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 44

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 45

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 46

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 48

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 49

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 50

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 51

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 52

Because Radiation requires line of

Blocking the hine of Sight

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 53

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 54

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 55

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 56

þ For air to flow into or out of a

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 57

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 59

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 60

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 61

It used to be that little attention was paid

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 62

Copyright Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. 63

You have two choices:

|

- -, | )ð

-he action of - moving to ð-

PP = eutral Pressure Plane

-he -

ð& 3