AIR LEAKAGE DETECTION AND ANALYSIS METHOD

This method can be used to determine if air leakage is occurring in an exterior wall.Temperature sensors are used to record the interior temperature, the temperature in the insulation cavity, and the exterior temperature. A pressure transducer is used to measure the pressure difference across the wall. All sensors are connected to a data logger, which should be set to a monitoring interval of 15 minutes. Data should be collected for one to two weeks. It is recommended that the analysis be completed with nighttime data only (12:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.) to eliminate temperature effects due to solar radiation.

The temperature index is calculated from the collected data. The temperature index is the fractional temperature drop in the wall due to conductive heat losses and the thermal resistance of the wall elements. The actual temperature index is then compared to the expected or theoretical temperature index. An actual temperature index higher than the expected index indicates that indoor air is exfiltrating through the wall. Conversely, a temperature index lower than expected indicates that outdoor air is infiltrating through the wall to the inside. Since air leakage is driven by an air pressure difference, comparing the measured temperature index with the monitored air pressure difference will confirm if air leakage is occurring.

• condensation and evaporation : exterior wall, field
• rain penetration, water intrusion : exterior wall, field
• solar energy, radiation
• ventilation: airtightness, air leakage, : exterior wall, field

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