**** Welcome to another round of Questions of The Week!
Please read the Introduction and requirements, changes may have been made.
A member of the Awards Committee will post questions, at a random day/time.
The competing member may make one post per question thread to answer the questions and the member’s winning entry must have all parts of the questions answered completely in that one post. Editing your one answer post allowed will result in disqualification.
Any disregard to the above and divulging the correct answers or giving hints/references will cause a disqualification.
Since I’ve seen so very many new members here, you are eligible if you have been a member for less than five years until at 0001 (CST) on Wednesday 17 July if a winner has not been announced the questions will be open to all members. I like that rule change, give the new guys/gals a chance since you old timers know so much!
First correct answers (as judged by the Awards Committee or Poster of the Questions) wins.
The lucky winner will get a case of “Now that you’ve had a Home Inspection Books” shipped to them at their address on file. Make sure your Address on File with Inachi is correct.
Winners of the Questions of The Week shall request their prize by emailing fastreply@nachi.org and submitting their Mailing address for shipping.
Allow 2 weeks for delivery.
GOOD LUCK! ~ GO!
With reference to energy conservation and construction what are the answers to the following questions.
• What is the “Continuous Air Barrier” and its purpose?
• Where is the “Continuous Air Barrier” located?
If a Builder is using National Shelter Products TSX Dryline sheathing, and/or Fibre Converters Thermo-Sheath sheathing, and/or Ox Engineered Thermo-Ply Sheathing as an “Air Barrier” method what step must be taken with these products to qualify as the “Air Barrier?
With the listed sheathings above which of the following seam tape(s) are acceptable for use?
A. Protecto Wrap Company’s Super Stick Synthetic Butyl Building Tape
B. Owens Corning HomeSealR Foam Joint Tape
C. Dupont Tyvek Wrap Seam Tape
D. Henry Company Fortiflash Tape
E. 3M Multi Use Duct Tape
The following are the particulars for this build. Given these particulars what is the problem at the stud bay pointed to by the arrow?
• This is the second floor.
• Walls are 2 X 4 at 16” On Center
• The foamed lines are for two air conditioning condenser units that sit outside of the first floor wall below this.
• Winter design temperature is 22 Degrees Fahrenheit.
• Wind Design speed is 115 MPH for 3 Second Gust and 76 MPH Fastest Mile
• Continuous insulation value required in external walls is R20 or R13 + R5
• Mean Annual Temperature 64.9 Degrees Fahrenheit
• Weathering Amount – Moderate
• Frost Line Depth 6”
At any access hatch or door leading from conditioned to unconditioned space, in general and barring any exceptions, what must be performed to ensure energy code compliance?
The following question is for extra credit. This will be used as a tie breaker between the first two people who answer all five questions (1 – 5) correctly or if nobody answers all five then the first two people who answer 4 of the questions (1- 5) correctly.
These are obviously items you can not visibly see most time (barring possibly question #5). However why and when would it be important to know the answers to these questions?
Air barriers are systems of materials designed and constructed to control airflow between a conditioned space and an unconditioned space.
The walls, floors, and roof/ceiling compose the physical shell of the home, also called the building enclosure or building envelope.
sealing all seams with a “thermaseal” tape.
B
the 2 AC lines are not supported, no vapor barrier (for condensation), no double insulation (for condensation), no plastic sheathing plates (for nails and screws)
Access doors from conditioned spaces to unconditioned spaces such as attics and crawl spaces shall be weatherstripped and insulated to a level equivalent to the insulation on the surrounding surfaces.
It is important to know the answers to these questions (why) because manufacturer installation requirements are vital to (when) ensure the building practices in each stage of building an energy efficient home are done correctly.
You are way over the top with your questions…
You don’t have to pay for the books do you?
Most will never spend the time to answer them…Yep!
Especially your deep integrated questions…Nope!
Just sayin’
Come down to the home inspectors level…
GREAT TRY GUYS!! Your answers certainly show you’re thinking about the issues and questions at hand. Never stop trying to answer questions whether here or on inspection jobs. Keep reading and researching and before you know it you won’t have to do a lot of that.
With reference to energy conservation and construction what are the answers to the following questions.
• What is the “Continuous Air Barrier” and its purpose? Continuous air barriers are methods to ensure that a building is protected from the effects of airflow and air leakage. They control a building’s moisture permeability, indoor air quality, thermal energy, and prevent the spread of smoke and fire
• Where is the “Continuous Air Barrier” located? Continuous air barriers should exists around the entire thermal envelope of the home and be in full contact with the insulation.
If a Builder is using National Shelter Products TSX Dryline sheathing, and/or Fibre Converters Thermo-Sheath sheathing, and/or Ox Engineered Thermo-Ply Sheathing as an “Air Barrier” method what step must be taken with these products to qualify as the “Air Barrier? Create an air tight seal to studs with 3/4” overlap and /or taped joints.
With the listed sheathings above which of the following seam tape(s) are acceptable for use?
A. Protecto Wrap Company’s Super Stick Synthetic Butyl Building Tape
B. Owens Corning HomeSealR Foam Joint Tape
C. Dupont Tyvek Wrap Seam Tape
D. Henry Company Fortiflash Tape
The following are the particulars for this build. Given these particulars what is the problem at the stud bay pointed to by the arrow?
• This is the second floor.
• Walls are 2 X 4 at 16” On Center
• The foamed lines are for two air conditioning condenser units that sit outside of the first floor wall below this.
• Winter design temperature is 22 Degrees Fahrenheit.
• Wind Design speed is 115 MPH for 3 Second Gust and 76 MPH Fastest Mile
• Continuous insulation value required in external walls is R20 or R13 + R5
• Mean Annual Temperature 64.9 Degrees Fahrenheit
• Weathering Amount – Moderate
• Frost Line Depth 6”
Pre-insulation foam has not been injected to insure an air-tight chase between floors (fire-stop, draft stop, and moisture barrier)
At any access hatch or door leading from conditioned to unconditioned space, in general and barring any exceptions, what must be performed to ensure energy code compliance? Access doors from conditioned spaces to unconditioned spaces such as attics and crawl spaces shall be weatherstripped and insulated to a level equivalent to the insulation on the surrounding surfaces.
The following question is for extra credit. This will be used as a tie breaker between the first two people who answer all five questions (1 – 5) correctly or if nobody answers all five then the first two people who answer 4 of the questions (1- 5) correctly.
These are obviously items you can not visibly see most time (barring possibly question #5). However why and when would it be important to know the answers to these questions?
As a home inspector, we would look for visible signs of moisture intrusion and associated issues (mold, rot, etc.). Knowing the potential for air leaks in a chase that goes between floors, and the associated building science of air movement between the two floors, would focus our attention to examining the bay with extra scrutiny in that area…
