Building Wrap Performance Influencers

20 Jul Building Wrap Performance Influencers

Posted at 08:33h in Uncategorized by

Nowadays several considerations affect the way building wrap is constructed, while the industry races to design tightly sealed wall systems and these considerations range from overall aesthetic to designing walls able to “breathe” and for moisture management and air holdout within a wall system. Yet, climate, region, code requirements, and advancing building product technologies all influence the specification process and the following are these building wrap performance influencers detailed:

  1. Vapor Drive

Because moisture absorbed by these materials can be driven inward by solar radiation, today reservoir claddings such as brick, stucco and stone present another set of issues and these are:

  • The heating of the stored water raises its vapor pressure, driving it both inward and outward.
  • This inward vapor drive is even higher when the indoor environment is cooled by air conditioning.
  • Proper drainage strategies ensure the inwardly driven moisture doesn’t infiltrate the wall cavity, where it can create mold issues and other potential health threats.
  • There are several cladding options on the market today, from stucco to fiber cement boards, and none of them are completely impervious to the effects of water penetration.
  • A well-designed wall system will account for this by incorporating strategies for managing bulk water and water vapor, such as a weather resistant barrier (WRB).
  • Knowing how a building’s cladding system will interact with the WRB (sometimes referred to as housewrap) will help you design a wall system that works in harmony to protect against mold, rot, and other moisture-related issues.
  1. Advancing Building Technologies

Typically, this inwardly driven moisture vapor is managed by separating the cladding from the rest of the assembly with a capillary break, which can be an air gap or a sheathing material that sheds or does not absorb/pass water likewise:

  • Impermeable sheathing, such as extruded polystyrene (XPS), is one option for halting inward vapor drive.
  • In these types of assemblies, the inwardly driven moisture condenses on the surface of the XPS sheathing and drains downward.
  • In situations where a reservoir cladding is paired with a highly permeable sheathing like gypsum board (which can be as high as 50 perms) or a moisture-retentive material like oriented strand board (OSB), an air gap may not be enough to slow down inward moisture intrusion and in these applications, a WRB is needed to reduce unwanted moisture intrusion.
  • In a recent article on the topic, Drain the Rain…On the Plane…the Drainage Plane, building scientist Joseph Lstiburek argues there are two reasonable ways to deal with inward vapor drive—a “vapor throttle” or an air gap.
  • With a very small air gap (less than 3/16”), he writes, there is a “sweet spot” for vapor transmission control of the water control layer. That “sweet spot” is somewhere between 10 and 20 perms.
  • However, the permeability of the WRB layer must be carefully considered, as well for any lower and the outward drying potential of the cavity is compromised.
  • If it is any more permeable the moisture driven out of the back side of the reservoir cladding into the air space will blow through the layer, through the permeable sheathing and into the wall cavity.
  1. Surfactants

Another way in which cladding materials can affect the WRB performance is certain materials such as wood and stucco often contain chemicals called surfactants that can affect the water resistance of building wrap likewise:

  • Surfactants (surface active agents) are contaminants that lower the surface tension of a liquid, allowing it to penetrate deeper into the building wrap material.
  • Water soluble extractives in wood such as tannins and wood sugars in redwood and cedar are examples of surfactants that contaminate the surface of building wraps.
  • In addition, surfactants can be found in detergents, soaps, and other cleaning solutions used to power wash siding, making surfactants almost impossible to avoid.
  • The problem with surfactants is that these contaminants promote the loss of water repellency, causing “wetting” of the building wrap surface.
  • Once this occurs, water can more easily pass through the microscopic openings in the building wrap.
  • Once moisture finds its way into the building envelope, it can threaten a home’s structural integrity, causing exterior surfaces to deteriorate.
  • Bulk moisture intrusion can also support mold and rot that not only cause structural damage but also pose serious health hazards to building occupants.
  1. Building Codes

In many areas around the country, building codes are driving the need for better moisture management solutions likewise:

  • The International Residential Code (IRC) requires the use of water-resistive barriers, but some states have added even more prescriptive measures to their codes that now include the use of drainage planes, and others are expected to follow.
  • In response to widespread failures of stucco cladding installed over wood-based sheathing, both the IRC and International Building Code (IBC) updated their requirements to include “a minimum 3/16-inch space…between the stucco and water-resistive barrier or a space having a drainage efficiency of not less than 90 percent…be added to the exterior side of the water-resistive barrier.”
  • The ASTM E2273 standard— “Standard Test Method for Determining the Drainage Efficiency of Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems (EIFS) Clad Wall Assemblies”—was itself developed in response to thousands of EIFS buildings with failures due to the lack of drainage between adhered expanded polystyrene (EPS) rigid insulation and sheathings, both oriented strand board (OSB) and gypsum board.
  1. Cladding Considerations

At the same time, growing preference for absorptive cladding materials like fiber cement has made moisture management more important than ever, with some manufacturers even going so far as to require drainage gaps behind their materials likewise:

  • Depending on the type of material and how it is installed, it may be beneficial—if not required—to consider a building wrap with integrated drainage.
  • With vinyl siding, a standard smooth building wrap will likely perform well because the vinyl siding has built-in drainage holes and fits loosely on the wall.
  • However, because fiber cement board is a tightly fastened cladding, it might allow water to become trapped between the siding and a standard smooth building wrap, where it could pool before eventually making its way through the wrap and into the framing.
  • These are cases where a drainable building wrap would provide the needed capillary break to allow water to drain out of the assembly and in fact, many manufacturers require the use of a drainable wrap to qualify for the warranty.
  • When choosing a building wrap, be sure to pay attention to its surfactant resistance capabilities.
  • Not all wraps will provide the same surfactant protection—if any at all.
  • On the other end of the spectrum are building wraps like TYPAR BuildingWrap, MetroWrap, and Drainable Wrap that are engineered with a specialized coating that resists surfactants.
  • In fact, in third-party testing commissioned by The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) showed that TYPAR resisted a power wash solution, while the leading competitor’s product failed, permitting numerous droplets to form and wetting the underlying OSB.
  1. Fiber Cement Cladding

Fiber cement board, however, is a different story for:

  • Fiber cement is gaining popularity because it is strong, easy to install, less expensive than wood cladding, and is very low maintenance.
  • The material is both fire and insect-resistive and can even increase the building’s energy efficiency as part of a tight building envelope.
  • The growth in popularity for fiber cement and other reservoir claddings coupled with the availability of cutting-edge drainable building wraps has caused specifiers to take a fresh look at moisture management and drainage strategies.
  1. Building Wrap / Cladding / Water Barriers

Taking cladding considerations, reservoir cladding and vapor drive and the impact of surfactants into account and understanding how fiber cement and other cladding materials can influence building wrap performance are elements to assess likewise:

  • Each project is unique, of course, and with myriad choices of building wraps, sheathing materials and claddings, managing water intrusion and vapor drive can be a complex equation to solve.
  • Designing for moisture management and air holdout within a wall system can be a complicated business.
  • Consider, too, that while the industry races to design tightly sealed wall systems that walls must also be able to “breathe.”
  • The type of cladding material chosen for a project not only affects the building’s overall aesthetic, it also plays a central role in how the rest of the wall system should be designed to best protect the structure from the elements.
  • But with a greater understanding of how these components can work together to improve the overall performance of the wall system, while potentially reducing material costs and keeping projects on-schedule and on-budget, you’re off to a good start.

Ultimately, the appropriate cladding material to use depends on the orientation of your building and surrounding environment, whether it’s located in the city, beach, and the façade itself. Speaking to an architect and designer will play an important role in correct material selection as they’ll know the constraints of the materials and requirements.

Why don’t you favor OBRAS INTERNATIONAL to ensure a complete service package in a ventilated façade system in wood and fiber cement cladding. They also offer acoustic solutions for all kinds of projects that require a technical indoor conditioning and design.

Their products have defied intense heat, humidity and dry desert weather, as well as high-density snow and rainy areas in the mountains and their group of ace specialists has a noteworthy vision for craftsmanship and style that works perfectly when joined with the study plans. They propose plans, supply material, assist technically, supervise the work, and guarantee a quality finish.

Source: https://www.buildingenclosureonline.com/articles/90336-understanding-how-fiber-cement-and-other-cladding-materials-can-influence-building-wrap-performance