Pro Clima’s membrane, tapes and adhesive performed best in the Test.de

ProClima airtight system test result - best in Test.de research

Berlin / Schwetzingen.

“No insulation without airsealing: Pro Clima’s membrane, tapes and adhesives best in test ‘

This was the conclusion of the consumer organization Stiftung Warentest (The German equivalent of US Consumer Reports) -and published in their April 2012 issue.  This independent organization purchased various insulation and air-sealing systems, which were then examined, laboratory tested and compared.  Final result: For the eight tested air sealing systems, Pro Clima was selected as best air-sealing product system.

“The fact that we tested as the best system, is a great conclusion of which we are very proud.” states architect Oliver Goldau of Pro Clima, “This study of test.de strengthens the awareness of housing developers and home owners that to effectively and durably insulate an airtight seal and vapor barrier is indispensible. “If you want to reduce heating costs and prevent structural damage and mold, both these elements should be included when installing insulation”.

INTELLO Plus airtight vapor retarder taped with TESCON Vana. Connected to joist with TESCON Profil.

The advantage of the Pro Clima system is that it’s solutions are safe, practical and fault tolerant. In addition, users are offered complimentary technical service. Floris Keverling Buisman from 475 High Performance Building Supply (FourSevenFive): “A system can only perform as well as designed, if it is supported with comprehensive technical and practical support.”

Therefore, Pro Clima, and it’s USA partner 475 offer technical services by email and phone. Architects, engineers and construction professional are encouraged to inquire how to safely airseal the building envelope. In addition, this blog and 475′s website (www.foursevenfive.com) provides practical information for an energy efficient construction, while providing healthy indoor air quality (IAQ).

The complete test article (in German) is available online at http://www.test.de/themen/haus-garten/test/Dachdaemmung-Bloss-keine-Waermebruecke-4348205-4348207/. Cost Eu2.50

Contact info@foursevenfive.com for an abbreviated version/English translation of the test results.

Vented rainscreen: what a high performance building wants

Rainscreen wall, with vented drainage plane, WRB (SOLITEX Mento),exterior insulation (CI), plywood racking board, cellulose 2x wall, INTELLO Plus airtight vapor control membrane and service cavity.

When looking for the essential nature of construction, the architect Louis Kahn famously asked: “What do you want Brick?”.   Today, in looking at the nature of high-performance building enclosures, we shift the question and ask:  what does a building want?

Our answer is that a building wants a vented rainscreen. We argue that this approach works in pretty much the entire USA (and Canada). As they offer the following key benefits:

• Keeps majority of rain off the waterproofing membrane.
• Keeps the sun off the WRB.
• Provides optimum drying potential of the enclosure when it is cold.
• Helps maximize the performance and  life expectancy of the waterproofing and wind/air barrier.

The forces that accomplish this are quite easy to understand – you wonder why we build any other way?!

The first task at hand for a building enclosure is to keep the water out (see the groundrules in an earlier blogpost).  A rainscreen does this beautifully. The weathering (wood, hardi) boards on the exterior protect the wall from bulk water and wind impacts thus protecting the actual windbarrier/WRB from the toughest elements of nature.  The WRB is protected from driving rain and can shed water effectively under much less stress, sheltered by the rainscreen.   The WRB, Solitex Mento by Pro Clima is waterproof, airtight and vapor open at 66 perms.   Connected to window and door frames with Contega EXO adhesive tape – a complete waterproof, airtight and vapor open WRB can be realized.

Open joint rainscreen over dark-grey SOLITEX Mento/TESCON Vana. Note the exposed mineral wool.

Next we must make the building air-tight.  As noted above the WRB (Solitex Mento), behind the rainscreen, provides a windtight/airtight layer, and protects the fibrous natural insulation.   Wind-washing of insulation, especially at corners can reduce the insulative properties of materials by a approximately a factor 5. Preferably there is an air barrier placed at the interior side of the insulation too - ideally done  with an intelligent vapor retarder (INTELLO Plus) or taped plywood on the warm side of the insulation. Using a service cavity, will make this task a process much less daunting and help ensure success.

Prevent thermal bypass of your insulation - by making it windtight (outside) and airtight on the inside.

With the fibrous insulation protected by a windtight/airtight layer on the outside and an airtight layer on the inside, it is thereby optimized for maximum thermal performance.

Next is moisture/vapor control and a rainscreen is a huge asset in addressing solar diffusion/drive.  The membrane is shaded by the rainscreen and thus not exposed to direct radiation and solar heat. The rainscreen itself is able to dry quickly after a rain fall.  The design thus minimizes both the water available and the direct solar radiation on the (vapor open) membrane – thereby minimizing solar driven diffusion into the insulation layer on sunny days.  (More info on solar driven diffusion benefits of vented rainscreens is described in this ORNL article.)

The second part of moisture/vapor control is to maximize the drying potential; letting more moisture out, than will enter the building enclosure.  We thus want to make sure that the exterior is as vapor open as possible, which will allow the wall to dry outwards in the winter. Our SOLITEX Mento membranes as noted previously have a perm rating of 66 and thus offers maximum drying potential in that season, and are also completely windtight and water proof.

Together with the other insulation layers, ie cellulose etc that is blown-in between the studs, this will create a wall with any desired r-value: a wall design that protects both the interior spaces and the enclosure assembly against unhealthy elements (foams, rot, mold).

Finally, the rainscreen provides physical protection from brute force actions/abuse.   Thus protected from physical abuse by the rainscreen, the water, air, and thermal control layers can perform optimally toward maximum life expectancy.

Solitex Rainscreen ready for open jointed siding

Orient Point Passive House by Ryall Porter Sheridan Architects

Passive House Consultant: Right Environments

Fakro skylights: no compromise required

Traditionally skylights have demanded compromise – you installed skylights to get the coveted daylight and sky views, but invariably sacrificed thermal comfort and energy efficiency.    No more.

FTT U6 Thermo by Fakro

Meet the FTT U6 Thermo manufactured by Fakro.   Supplied to the US market by 475 High Performance Building Supply, the FTT U6 Thermo skylight offers a high-performance solution that provides traditional daylight and views while matching the high-performance goals of the rest of your building enclosure.

With solid wood frames, triple-glazing with argon gas fill, the skylights provide a glass Uvalue of 0.089 BTU/hr °F ft² (0.5w/m2k) or R11 and an Uwindow from 0.14 BTU/hr °F ft² (0.81w/m2k) or R7.

Glass is next generation triple pane – with optimized 3/4″ (18mm) chambers in between panes, two low-e coatings, visual transmittance of 0.59 and a SHGC of 44%.

Triple gasketing with rubber seals provides building enclosure air barrier continuity.

Section Diagram

In addition to insulative (thermal and acoustic) excellence, Fakro skylights:

• Help control solar heat gain in summer with optional integrated exterior retractable mesh shades.
• Have an innovative center pivot for operability, allowing access to exterior shading device.
• Provide protection against burglary with toughened and laminated glass layers with multi-point locking hardware.
• Wood is FSC certified

FTT U6 - interior view

FTT U6 with AMZ exterior screen - multi-point lock is visible on side

In addition:

• Skylights are readily available in two standard sizes (approx.):  21″x 38″ and 31″x 46″.
• Optional manufactured curbs with a 20% pitch – to ensure proper water drainage at flat roof installations are available.
• Other sizes, electronic controls and quadruple-glazing are available by special order and 12 week lead time.

Don’t compromise.  Get daylight and comfort, efficiently.  Get Fakro FTT U6 Thermo triple pane skylights.  Email us at info@foursevenfive.com.

How to install dense-pack cellulose with Intello Plus airtight membrane

Recently we have gotten a number of questions regarding the installation of dense-pack cellulose in conjunction with the installation of Intello Plus (and DB+) airtight membrane(s).   With a big assist from our friend Roman Szypura at clioma house – for some great tips and lessons learned – let’s walk through the steps.

Double row of staples every 1/8" before cellulose blow in with webbing

First, stapling the membrane in place:   Unlike typical netting/mesh used in most cellulose installations today where staples are installed every 1/8″ (see photo), with reinforced Intello Plus we recommend staples every 2″ (50mm). *   For maximum tear resistance apply the staples in parallel to the line of the studs  (see photo below).  Staples should be at least 3/8″-10mm long T50′s (heavy duty) – otherwise blow-outs can occur.

A staple 2" or less on center to secure the INTELLO Plus in place for blow-in cellulose /mineral wool / fiberglass insulation. - Following the direction of the stud.

Next, apply horizontal counter-battens: on 16″ stud spacing, every 24″ (60cm) max, or on 24″ stud spacing every 16″ (40cm)  – this helps support the dense-pack, provides a gap for “bulging” and creates the all-important service cavity. Larger counter batten spacing up to 20″ or even 24″ (50cm-60cm) is possible. This does increase the tension on the staple connections and thus their spacing and staple application being flush with the studs becomes increasingly important (staples flush with the studs are also airtight, crooked staples are not…)

Cellulose installation:

Then, cut a hole in your airtight membrane about 8″ (200mm) below the top of the void. This should give you sufficient room to move the tube all the way down in the cavity, but also assure you can dense pack the top to sufficient pressure.  (Also cut a hole in the top of the next few bays – as they can leak air, assisting the installation in the bay at hand.)

Feed the hose through that hole to the bottom of the cavity and pull it back 10″ (250mm). Start blowing the cellulose, to make sure all corners in the bottom are filled, twist the tube 180 degrees (stiff tubes are better for this purpose). Then work your way upwards, slowly packing the cavity to density between maximum 4.0 lbs/CF (65kg/m3) and minimum 3.5lbs/CF (56kg/m3).

Sequence of insulation install - demo with fully transparent panel - with intello you will be able to see and feel the density of the cellulose dense packing as well. (Photo:Clioma.ie)

Use a mat around to pipe to fill the top of the cavity to required pressure (blowing up and into all corners).   As Bill Hulstrunk, of National Fiber explained to Martin Holladay on Green Building Advisor:

With experience, the installer can determine the density by the way it feels. Between 3 and 4 pounds per cubic foot, the feel of the installed material goes from soft (at 3 pounds) to actually hard at 4 pounds. At 3½ pounds per cubic foot, it will feel like a firm mattress. It really changes dramatically between 3 and 4 pounds. (56kg/m3 to 65kg/m3)

Because the membrane is flexible and translucent, inspection to ensure a complete fill is facilitated.  Once the dust is settled, make the membrane dust free an apply UNITAPE patches over the blow-in holes to reconstitute your airtight layer.

Dense-pack cellulose installed with INTELLO Plus and service cavity. UNITAPE patches cover blow-in holes above. (Photo:Clioma.ie)

Cellulose dense packed in place at 3.5lbs/CF (56kg/m3) staying packed after removing 'netting' (Photo:Clioma.ie)

Due to INTELLO’s translucency and INTELLO Plus (DB+)’s reinforcement grid they make the perfect choice for safe and consistent cellulose installation and quality control of cavity fills and cellulose density. Cellulose, as the insulation material of choice, guarantees a perfectly gap free insulation layer and assures that there is no unwanted air movement behind the airtightness layer/within the insulation layer. If installed at the right density it is even slightly “spring-loaded” and able to conform to the movement, shrinkage, settling and expansion of a wood-framed structure. The perfect base for the INTELLO to do it´s job!

* Pro Clima prints on INTELLO membranes that staples are needed every 4″ (100mm) but we only recommend this spacing when the insulation is already in place (with mineral wool, cellulose, cotton or other fibrous batts).

Tighthouse – Park Place Brownstone renovation

Fabrica718 ‘s  Julie Moskovitz, and the owner of the Park Place Brownstone, have been using the Pro Clima line of products to seal the most difficult junction at this Passive House project. This to meet the strict target they had set to meet the 0.6ACH50is the recommended airtightness as set for certification by PHI, even for a retrofit (although a 1.0ACH50 could pass too if one would seek Enerphit certification for a retrofit)

Let’s focus on a few areas that were addressed, from basement to roof in this renovation/new construction hybrid:

Basement slab to walls:

Underslab plastic is airtight and durably connected with CONTEGA FC to plastered concrete (new) and original rubble foundation.

Windows to brick (sealed) wall connections:

Windows sealed to walls with INTELLO and TESCON tapes - note the airtight building warning

These notoriously leaky junctions are bridged with INTELLO Plus membrane, which was cut to size. This strong airtight layer was then face taped to the window-frames with TESCON Profil. All other connections were made with TESCON Vana, as you can see a change of direction of the membrane leads to the insertion of some small patched, to unsure the airtight layer is continuous.

Where the connection needed to be made to the sika/thorosealed walls, TESCON Primer RP was applied first to solidify the cementitous substrate and to assure a durable bond could be made to it with the Vana tape. Don’t forget to rub down the tape the entire length of the tape at least once when applying….

Roof connections

Solitex to cover rim joist and Intello connection in corner between primed CMU and plywood

The one story addition (see drawing on Fabrica718′s website) has CMU party walls and a wood-beamed pitched roof. To properly seal it, a SOLITEX Mento membrane was taped to the wall before the joist were set. This enable them to flip it up over the rim joist while roof beams were installed, and down over these joist before plywood was mounted on them. This ensures an continuous airtight layer (remember that red pencil) in a spot that normally leaks like a sieve in conventional construction, after it is taped to the plywood and at all it’s junctions.

Blowerdoor test 2:

Jordan Goldman from Zero Energy Design, the Passive House consultant on this project, did a blowerdoor today. It was the second blowerdoor, the first one before most of the taping was done had already come in at app. 1.5ACH50. During today’s test the good news was relayed to us, that because of all the efforts of all people involved, including many hours of the owner taping his own windows, the house is testing below 0.58ACH50! Not bad at all for a retrofit. Persistence and meticulous air-tightness work pays off.  Four Seven Five is happy to have been able to assist in getting the house this tight.

Finishing work:

Some penetrations still need to be made (HRV, plumbing stack, solar connections), but if done properly (and with the right solutions to seal these) the airtightness shouldn’t get compromised to much and could actually improved as we did find some small leaks during today’s test…..

the blowerdoor doesn't lie - 266cfm for 0.58ACH50 photo: Jordan Goldman

The Pro Clima Solitex Mento Difference

Solitex Mento Diagram

Solitex Mento microscopic image

SOLITEX Mento exterior weather resistant membrane (WRB) by Pro Clima incorporates a monolytic TEEE*-film, which has no pores and is completely waterproof and wind/airtight. The membrane transports the vapor outward by a molecular chain reaction through this monolithic lm (see image above). So even if vapor would condense on the interior of the membrane, the vapor pressure differential (inside to outside) will engage the chain reaction and dry out the water/humidity – the membrane remains vapor open (66 perms).

Conventional WRB diagram

Conventional WRB with microscopic holes

Conventional housewraps and WRB depend on the porosity of a stretched or punctured PP membrane to allow water vapor to pass through the waterproof layer.  It’s waterproof because the surface tension in liquid water holds the drops together, preventing them from passing through the membrane. But if that tension is broken by oil (found in wood preservatives etc) this tension will be broken and the waterproofing becomes compromised.

Conventional housewraps and WRB depend on the porosity of a stretched or punctured PP membrane to allow water vapor to pass through the waterproof layer.  It’s waterproof because the surface tension in liquid water holds the drops together, preventing them from passing through the membrane. But if that tension is broken by oil (found in wood preservatives etc) this tension will be broken and the waterproofing becomes compromised.

Additionally, by being perforated or stretched these materials are not 100% airtight. The monolithic film in SOLITEX Mento  is completely wind- & airtight and offers the ultimate protection against windwashing of insulation when taped with TESCON tapes and following the other instruction in the SOLITEX system brochure. The importance of protecting insulation against windwashing and the optimization of the insulation value is explained in Mark Siddal’s Passivhaus UK trust conference paper on thermal bypass.

*TEEE:Thermoplastic Elastomer Ether Ester – is a material that combines the flexibility of rubber with the strength of a membrane, SOLITEX Mento resists tears, abrasion, and corrosion. It also has good resistance to oils, fuels, and chemicals.

VOC free Air Sealing with Pro Clima

Pro Clima and Four Seven Five are obsessed not just with air sealing but doing it in a healthy and sustainable manner.   Critical to this effort are products with no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that off-gas.  All Pro Clima tapes and membranes are free of solvents, VOCs and softners.  Our most popular primer, TESCON Primer RP is also VOC free.

Pro Clima’s commitment is exemplified in its products approval and use by the Setinel-Haus Institut of Freiburg, Germany, a world leader in “sustainable health-conscious and allergy friendly constructing”.

“Sentinel-Haus® Institut (SHI) is intended to represent the sentinel of a building who protects it against unwanted pollutants or building damages.”

Case studies that conform to the very strict IAQ requirements and have been tested include. These projects and data are shown on their project page. Projects using Pro Clima products include:

Passivhaus office,

Einfamilienhaus in Langensendelbach, etc.

Because Pro Clima products allow you to build a long lasting airtight envelope which maximizes drying potential and protection from moisture damage such as mold and rot, in a way that is not dependent on foams, chemicals and toxins, Pro Clima air-sealing systems enable the builder and owner to design and construct high-performance and Passive House level building envelopes that create healthy and comfortable indoor climates.