1.1 This test method determines the amount of water retained (including surface water) by rigid block and board thermal insulations used in building construction applications after these materials have been partially immersed in liquid water for prescribed time intervals under isothermal conditions. This test method is intended to be used for the characterization of materials in the laboratory. It is not intended to simulate any particular environmental condition that may be encountered in building construction applications.

1.2 This test method does not address all the possible mechanisms of water intake and retention and related phenomena for rigid thermal insulations. It relates only to those conditions outlined in 1.1. Determination of moisture accumulation in thermal insulations due to complete immersion, water vapor transmission, internal condensation, freeze-thaw cycling, or a combination of these effects requires different test procedures.

1.3 Each partial immersion interval is followed by a brief free-drainage period. This test method does not address or attempt to quantify the drainage characteristics of materials. Therefore, results for materials with different internal structure and porosity, such as cellular materials and fibrous materials, may not be directly comparable. Also, test results for specimens of different thickness may not be directly comparable because of porosity effects. The surface characteristics of a material also affect drainage. Specimens with rough surfaces may retain more surface water than specimens with smooth surfaces, and surface treatment during specimen preparation may affect water intake and retention. Therefore, results for materials with different surface characteristics may not be directly comparable.

1.4 For most materials the size of the test specimens is small compared with the size of the products actually installed in the field. If the surface-to-volume ratios for the test specimens and the corresponding products are different, the test results may be misleading.

1.5 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard, but the results may also be reported in inch-pound (I-P) units. In this standard I-P units are given in parentheses for information purposes and may be approximate.

1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

2. Referenced Documents

C168 Termninology Relating to Thermal Insulating Materials

E691 Practice for Conducting an Interlaboratory Study to Determine the Precision of a Test Method

Index Terms

• insulation : water retention of insulation
• standards: ASTM : water retention of insulation

1. ASTM C991-03 Standard Specification for Flexible Glass Fiber Insulation for Metal Buildings
2. C1046-95, Standard Practice for In-Situ Measurement of Heat Flux and Temperature on Building Envelope Components
3. C1060-90(1997)e1 Standard Practice for Thermographic Inspection of Insulation Installations in Envelope Cavities of Frame Buildings
4. C1155-95, Standard Practice for Determining Thermal Resistance of Building Envelope Components from the In-Situ Data
5. C1193-00 Standard Guide for Use of Joint Sealants
6. C1199-00 standard test method for measuring the steady-state thermal transmittance of fenestration systems using hot box methods
7. C1363-97 standard test method for the thermal performance of building assemblies by means of a hot box apparatus
8. C1498-01 standard test method for hygroscopic sorption isotherms of building materials
9. C168-01 Standard Terminology Relating to Thermal Insulating Materials
10. C177-85 Standard test method for steady-state heat flux measurements and thermal transmission properties by means of the guarded-hot-plate apparatus
11. C209-98 standard test methods for cellulosic fiber insulating board
12. C236-89, Standard test method for steady-state thermal performance of building assemblies by means of a guarded hot box
13. C518-91, Standard test method for steady-state heat flux measurements and thermal transmission properties by means of the heat flow meter apparatus
14. C755-85 Standard practice for selection of vapor retarders for thermal insulation
15. C976-90(1996)e1 standard test method for thermal performance of building assemblies by means of a calibrated hot box
16. D1413-76 Standard method of testing wood preservatives by laboratory soil block culture
17. D3273-00 Standard Test Method for Resistance to Growth of Mold on the Surface of Interior Coatings in an Environmental Chamber
18. D3274-95 Standard Test Method for Evaluating Degree of Surface Disfigurement of Paint Films by Microbial (Fungal or Algal) Growth or Soil and Dirt Accumulation
19. D3679-02 Standard Specification for Rigid Poly(Vinyl Chloride) (PVC) Siding
20. D4442-92(1997)e1 standard test methods for direct moisture content measurement of wood and wood-base materials
21. D4444-92e1 standard test methods for use and calibration of hand-held moisture meters
22. D4933-99 Standard guide for moisture conditioning of wood and wood-base materials
23. D6329-98 standard guide for developing methodology for evaluating the ability of indoor materials to support microbial growth using static environmental chambers
24. E1105-00 Standard Test Method for Field Determination of Water Penetration of Installed Exterior Windows, Skylights, Doors, and Curtain Walls by Uniform or Cyclic Static Air Pressure Difference
25. E1186-98 Standard practices for air leakage site detection in building envelopes and air retarder systems
26. E1258-88 Standard Test Method for Airflow Calibration of Fan Pressurization Devices
27. E1424-91, Standard test method for determining the rate of air leakage through exterior windows, curtain walls, and doors under specified pressure and temperature differences across the specimen
28. E1503-06 Standard Test Method for Conducting Outdoor Sound Measurements Using a Digital Statistical Sound Analysis System
29. E1557-02 standard classification for building elements and related sitework-UNIFORMAT II
30. E1646-95 Standard Test Method for Water Penetration of Exterior Metal Roof Panel Systems by Uniform Static Air Pressure Difference
31. E1677-95(2000) standard specification for an air retarder (AR) material or system for low-rise framed building walls
32. E1700-95(1999), standard classification for serviceability of an office facility for structure and building envelope
33. E1825-96 Standard Guide for Evaluation of Exterior Building Wall Materials, Products, and Systems
34. E1825-96, standard guide for evaluation of exterior building wall materials, products, and systems
35. E1827-96 Standard Test Methods for Determining Airtightness of Buildings Using an Orifice Blower Door
36. E1827-96(2002) Standard Test Methods for Determining Airtightness of Buildings Using an Orifice Blower Door
37. E2099-00 standard practice for the specification and evaluation of pre-construction laboratory mockups of exterior wall systems
38. E2099-00, standard practice for the specification and evaluation of pre-construction laboratory mockups of exterior wall systems
39. E2128-01a Standard Guide for Evaluating Water Leakage of Building Walls
40. E241-04 Standard Guide for Limiting Water-Induced Damage to Buildings
41. E283-04, standard test method for rate of air leakage through exterior windows, curtain walls and doors
42. E29-04 standard practice for using significant digits in test data to determine conformance with specifications
43. E330-02 standard test method for structural performance of exterior windows, curtain walls, and doors by uniform static air pressure difference
44. E331-00 Standard Test Method for Water Penetration of Exterior Windows, Skylights, Doors, and Curtain Walls by Uniform Static Air Pressure Difference
45. E331-00, Standard test method for water penetration of exterior windows, curtain walls, and doors by uniform static air pressure difference
46. E547-00: water penetration of exterior windows, curtain walls, and doors by cyclic static air pressure differential
47. E631-93a(1998)e1 Standard Terminology of Building Constructions
48. E632-82(1996) standard practice for developing accelerated tests to aid prediction of the service life of building components and materials
49. E72-98 Standard Test Methods of Conducting Strength Tests of Panels for Building Construction
50. E74-04 standard practice of calibration of force-measuring instruments for verifying the force indication of testing machines
51. E741-00 Standard Test Method for Determining Air Change in a Single Zone by Means of a Tracer Gas Dilution
52. E773-01, Standard test method for accelerated weathering of sealed insulating glass units
53. E779-03, ASTM Method for Determining Air Leakage Rates by Fan Pressurization Test
54. E779-99 Standard test method for determining air leakage rate by fan pressurization
55. E783-02 standard test method for field measurement of air leakage through installed exterior windows and doors
56. E917-99 standard practice for measuring life-cycle costs of buildings and building systems
57. E964-93(1998)e1 Standard Practice for Measuring Benefit-to-Cost and Savings-to-Investment Ratios for Buildings and Building Systems
58. E96-93 Standard test methods for water-vapor transmission of materials
59. F1249-90(1995) Standard Test Method for Water Vapor Transmission Rate Through Plastic Film and Sheeting Using a Modulated Infrared Sensor
60. F372-99 Standard Test Method for Water Vapor Transmission Rate of Flexible Barrier Materials Using an Infrared Detection Technique
61. G84-89(1999)e1 standard practice for measurement of time-of-wetness on surfaces exposed to wetting conditions as in atmospheric corrosion testing
62. Heat transmission measurements in thermal insulations
63. Performance of exterior envelopes of whole buildings VIII: integration of building envelopes
64. Standard guide for statistical evaluation of indoor air quality models. ASTM D 5157-97