DOE Building America Project Phase 1: Minnesota Report
Project Overview:
The goal of this project is to determine the best stage(s) of construction to apply AeroBarrier sealing and any current air sealing methods that can be eliminated when AeroBarrier is used. The objective is to reduce construction costs, improve house tightness, and seamlessly integrate AeroBarrier sealing into the construction process. The research project tasks have been designed to provide a step-wise, iterative procedure so that experience from initial houses is used to improve the approach for later houses. Results from the initial house assessments and demonstration of AeroBarrier sealing will be used to identify the first two sealing approaches that will be used for five to six of the builder’s houses.
As part of the house component leakage assessment, we evaluated which current sealing methods could likely be eliminated with the application of AeroBarrier sealing. This was based on an understanding of how each building component is currently sealed, whether the component air leaks would be accessible during the AeroBarrier process, and whether the leakage gaps would be small enough to be sealed by the AeroBarrier process. Table 2 below lists the 13 components that were judged to have current sealing methods that might be eliminated by AeroBarrier sealing.
This is a list of current sealing to consider for elimination for the first two approaches for this project. Other factors (e.g. likely cost savings, level of confidence in AeroBarrier sealing to achieve similar or improved tightness, impact on construction process) should also be evaluated. The meeting with project staff and builder representatives will discuss all these factors and agree on a stage of construction and what sealing will be eliminated for the next sets of houses
Table 2: Current Air Sealing That Could Possibly be Eliminated with AeroBarrier
Component | Category | Contractor | Material Used for Sealing | Quality of Seal Work |
---|---|---|---|---|
Shower/tub on exterior wall | Other | Carpentry | OSB/Polyethylene Sheet | Excellent |
Stair stringer on exterior wall | Other | Carpentry | Polyethylene Sheet | Excellent |
Interior Partition Wall to Exterior Wall | Walls | Carpentry | Polyethylene Sheet/Caulk | Excellent |
Sill Plate | Walls | Carpentry | Sill Seal/Caulk | Acceptable |
Top Plate | Walls | Insulation | Polyethylene Sheet/Caulk | Acceptable |
Rough Openings | Windows, Skylights and Doors | Insulation | Can Foam | Excellent |
Plumbing Penetrations | Shafts & Penetrations to Unconditioned Spaces | Insulation | Can Foam | Excellent |
Piping Penetrations | Shafts & Penetrations to Unconditioned Spaces | Insulation | Can Foam | Excellent |
Wiring Penetrations | Shafts & Penetrations to Unconditioned Spaces | Insulation | Can Foam | Excellent |
HVAC Register Boots that Penetrate Building Thermal Envelope | Other | Insulation | Can Foam | Excellent |
Rim Joist | Rim Joist | Insulation | Closed Cell Spray Foam | Excellent |
Electrial/Low Voltage Boxes on Exterior Walls | Other | Insulation / Electrician | Polyethylene Sheet/Caulk/Gasketed Boxes | Excellent |
Recessed Lighting Fixtures | Ceiling / Attic | Insulation / Electrician | Polyethylene Sheet/Gasketed Fixture | Excellent |
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