Water in Buildings: An Architect's Guide to Moisture and Mold

Preface xi

Introduction 1

Aim 1

Audience 3

Sources 5

Language 9

Units 10

Summaries of chapters 12

1 Building Science 15

Definition 15

Background: Building science Institutions 16

Building science and architecture 18

Building science and construction 19

Building science and engineering 20

Building science and the building codes 21

The methods of building science 22

The prerequisites of building science 25

2 Water 33

Molecular structure 33

Hydrogen bonds 35

Surface tension 36

Water vapor 37

Psychrometrics 45

Measuring temperature and humidity in the air 50

The fourth phase: an introduction 51

3 Water And Building Materials 57

Background 57

Post–world war ii 66

1952 condensation conference 68

The diffusion paradigm 70

The profile method 78

Fundamental rule of material wetness 87

Rethinking moisture control strategies: Moisture engineering 88

4 Roofs and Facades 95

Introduction 95

Rainfall intensity, slope, and watertightness 95

Roof surfaces 99

Ice dams 113

Parapets 118

Gutters 119

Building facades 121

Windows 130

Summary 131

5 Soils and Foundations 133

Water in soil 135

Hydraulic conductivity 142

Surface flow144

Drains 145

Basements 152

Crawl spaces 158

Slab construction 166

6 Walls 171

Introduction 171

Thermal wetting and drying 173

Solar vapor drive 174

Airflow in wall assemblies 175

Vapor barriers: Compact and cavity assemblies 178

Vapor retarder 179

Design for drying or against wetting? 182

Insulating historic buildings 184

Rising damp 185

7 Attics 189

Introduction 189

Historical background 190

Moisture 199

Ice damming 202

Shingle durability 203

Summer cooling 204

Vent design 204

Truss rise 205

Summary 206

8 Mechanical Systems 209

Comfort 209

Humidity standards for museums 212

Characterizing humidity 216

Moisture generation 217

Ventilation 220

Combustion 220

Air conditioning 226

Plumbing and pipe bursting 228

9 Rot And Mold 233

Introduction 233

Mold 235

Mold measurement 237

Dry deposition of mold material 240

Health effects of mold 241

Mold remediation 247

Summary and final comments 248

Appendix A ASHRAE Coefficients 253

Appendix B Unit Conversions 255

References 257

Index 265