Air Leakage and Fan Pressurization Measurements in Selected Naval Housing

Abstract

Data from detailed tracer concentration decay and induced pressurization measurements were obtained in tests of duplex and row apartments at Norfolk, Virginia and Pensacola, Florida to accurately determine air leakage characteristics of selected naval housing. Local meteorological information also was collected to facilitate comparison of predicted versus measured air leakage rates. For the Norfolk data, the 4-Pa leakage areas inferred from pressurization/depressurization measurements are uniformly lower than those calculated from the measured tracer dilution air leakage rate via the Sherman air leakage model. Considerable tracer dilution testing was performed on a single unit of duplex housing at Pensacola. Air leakage testing within rooms of this unit disclosed a uniformly low air leakage rate. The data also illustrated the directional nature of air leakage in a duplex. Of particular additional interest were two measurements taken over a 24-h period utilizing a single tracer injection followed by monitoring of dilution decay. Samples were taken by the container method and analyzed.

Building Air Tightness: Research and Practice

“…Using this method, the internal air leakage between apartment units were found to account for 12% to 33% of the total air leakage at 50 Pa. Similar relative leakage to internal walls has been reported by Lagus and King (1986), Reardon et al (1987), and Love (1990) in Canada, and Cornish (1989) in the UK, of which the test dwellings were all row house type. Borman and Lyberg (1986) analyzed 150 units from some 3-story buildings and found that they were similar to single-family dwellings in air tightness.…”

Quantifying air leakage through party walls in Toronto semidetached and row-home dwellings

“…Although similar studies have been done since this report was published, it highlights the lack of research for this typology. The report summarizes that the leakage rates of 7 to 52% was reported by (Lagus & King, 1986), (Reardon, Kim, & Shaw, 1987), (Love & Sherman, 1990), and (Cornish et al, 1989). These are all pioneering studies in the field of guarded blower door testing that highlighted the significa,nce of party wall air leakage in row homes.…”

“…A second approach to quantifying air leakage characteristics in MURBs is using multiple blower doors to create pressure boundaries between zones. Lagus & King (1986) tested this method by performing both tracer gas measurements and multi-fan measurements on the same dwellings and verified that the method is accurate. Love (1987) also verified the use of multiple blower doors against Nylunds Method on 14 attached dwellings.…”

“…These are all pioneering studies in the field of guarded blower door testing that highlighted the significa,nce of party wall air leakage in row homes. Lagus and King (1986) performed air tightness testing on a total of 24 naval housing units in Norfolk, Virginia and Pensacola, Virginia. The housing units were row-homes in six blocks of four units.…”

“…Resulting data indicates that between 17 to 52% of the total leakage is through the party all, with an average of 37%. When comparing the results to the results from Lagus and King (1986), it's suspected that the percentage of airflow through the party wall is much greater because overall the envelopes tested in Calgary were tighter, causing the party wall to be the path of least resistance under induced pressurization. Bohac et al (2007) focused on the reduction in airflow between units in various MURBs preand post-retrofit with the intention of reducing second-hand tobacco smoke being transmitted between dwellings.…”