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1) Which statement about heat is false?
a) Heat is the amount of thermal energy in a body.
b) Heat is measured in degrees Fahrenheit.
c) Sensible heat is one type of heat.
d) Latent heat is one type of heat.
e) Heat always moves from an area of high energy to an area of low energy.
2) Which statement about thermal insulators is false?
a) Thermal resistance is the inverse of thermal conductivity.
b) Good insulators have low R-values.
c) Good insulators have very low thermal conductivity.
d) Good insulators are typically low-density.
e) Good insulators hold air still.
3) Pick the false statement about air leakage in houses. Air leahage-
a) Allows heat to escape from the house.
b) Is necessary to provide fresh air.
c) Depends on the wind.
d) Cannot be partially controlled with air/vapor barriers.
e) Out of a house always exceeds air leakage into a house.
4) All of the following are moisture sources except -
a) People washing themselves
b) People cooking
c) Drying clothes in a vented clothes dryer
d) People breathing
e) Drying firewood inside a house
5) Condensation in building can cause all of the following except -
a) Increased air leakage
b) Rotting wood
c) Expanding and shrinking wood
d) Rusting steel
e) Reduced thermal resistance of insulation
(With 5 being a questionable question as rot and wood changes can lead to more gaps, which leads to air leakage).(drying clothes is a moisture source if the outdoor humidity is above the indoor humidity, and moist outdoor air is brought into the building by the negative pressure of a dryer fan: a condensate dryer would not be a moisture source under any circumstances).
Bryce I think you missed a point with # 5. In my neck of the woods, CA, all attic insulation has a moisture barrier facing the living space. This would prevent condensation from entering the insulation. The answer to Number 5 is E.
In my neck of the woods the majority of insulation is blown in cellulose or fiberglass, with no vapor barrier. The next most common are fiberglass batts with kraft paper, invariably placed with the kaft paper side up and poorly detailed with a variety of gaps. There’s not much vermiculite or other types in use.
There’s no local requirement to seal attic gaps prior to insulating, though the better companies do. Attic hatches are typically unsealed with no gasket. Thus the attic sees quite a bit of vapor, hopefully then vented out through eave vents (if the insulator used baffles). Insulation is a time of sale requirement for single family, but not for multifamily. There’s no new construction requirement for gaskets at the top of drywall (or at least nobody checks, only the better companies do it).
I work in the San Francisco Bay Area, so practices elsewhere may be different. Nearly 90% of the homes I work on are over 40 years old, with an average age more like 70 years.
B is false. Heat is measured in joules or calories, whereas temperature is measured in degrees Fahrenheit or Celsius.
B is false. Good insulators have high R-values, which indicate better insulating properties.
B is false. While controlled ventilation systems are essential for providing fresh air in homes, uncontrolled air leakage is not necessary and is generally undesirable. Properly designed ventilation systems can provide fresh air without the energy losses associated with air leakage.
C, because vented dryers expel moisture outside the house.
A is false because condensation does not directly cause increased air leakage, conversely condensation can be a direct result of condensation, which can lead to other issues like rotting wood, expanding and shrinking wood, rusting steel, and reduced thermal resistance of insulation.
I’m not clear who wrote the questions here, and who is scoring.
I just have to disagree with E, however, as an answer. Condensation inside insulation is a big deal. In climates with freezing weather condensation can be arranged inside of solid foam or whatever, but for fluffy stuff… no.
Here are some quotes from the Internet, for what that’s worth:
"The same holds true for insulation exposed to moisture; its thermal performance (R-value) drops because water displaces the insulating air that is trapped in insulation. Further, water’s thermal conductivity is nearly 20 times higher than the conductivity of the average thermal insulation, according to Steve Badger, Ph.D.
How serious is the problem? “Absorption of only 20 percent moisture can cause up to 55 percent loss of insulation value,” according to Professional Service Industries Inc., a division of construction materials testing firm Intertek."
