Monitoring of cavity humidity levels at Canada life building
Canadian Building Envelope Science and Technology
1995
Prepared for Housing Innovation Division, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Canadian Building Envelope Science and Technology, (1995), Monitoring of cavity humidity levels at Canada life building, Prepared for Housing Innovation Division, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
| Abstract: |
| The purpose of this study was to carry out field monitoring of humidity levels in the rainscreen wall cavity at the Canada Life Building in Toronto during and after a rainstorm. Two west-facing wall panels were instrumented for measuring rainfall intensity, relative humidity, temperature and barometric pressure. The first panel was located near the centre of the building, while the second was located closer to the north corner of the building. During a monitoring period of four weeks, one significant rainstorm occurred. The centre panel received less rain than the one closer to the building corner. In a 15-minute rain period, the centre panel rain gauge registered 124 mm of rainfall compared to 205 mm registered by the other gauge.
The Humidity Ratio (HR) curves for each wall cavity and for both the exterior and interior ambient environments were plotted prior to, during and following rainfall. The obtained HR curves revealed that a Maximum Vapour Contribution (MVC) limit to the cavity's air moisture content was established prior to rainfall. Based on the HR/MVC concept, it was possible to detect the presence of free water which penetrated the wall panels. It was also possible to estimate each panel's drying time. The predicted minimum drying time was 2.25 hours for the centre panel and 10.0 hours for the other. |
|
|
|
Related Concepts
|
Related Resources:
|
