1、Designation: E 1186 03 (Reapproved 2009)Standard Practices forAir Leakage Site Detection in Building Envelopes and AirBarrier Systems1This standard is issued under the fixed designation E 1186; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or, in the case of
2、 revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. Asuperscript epsilon () indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1. Scope1.1 These practices cover standardized techniques for locat-ing air leakage sites in building envel
3、opes and air barriersystems.1.2 These practices offer a choice of means for determiningthe location of air leakage sites with each offering certainadvantages for specific applications.1.3 Some of the practices require a knowledge of infraredscanning, building and test chamber pressurization and depr
4、es-surization, smoke generation techniques, sound generation anddetection, and tracer gas concentration measurement tech-niques.1.4 The practices described are of a qualitative nature indetermining the air leakage sites rather than determiningquantitative leakage rates.1.5 The values stated in SI un
5、its are to be regarded asstandard. No other units of measurement are included in thisstandard.1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health pra
6、ctices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use. For specific hazardstatements, see Section 6.2. Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2E 631 Terminology of Building ConstructionsE 741 Test Method for Determining Air Change in a SingleZone by Means of a Tracer Gas Dil
7、utionE 779 Test Method for Determining Air Leakage Rate byFan Pressurization2.2 Other Standards:3ANSI-ASHRAE Standard 101 Application of InfraredSensing Devices to the Assessment of Building Heat LossCharacteristicsISO Standard 6781 Thermal InsulationQualitative Detec-tion of Thermal Irregularities
8、in Building EnvelopesInfrared Method3. Terminology3.1 Definitions:3.1.1 air barrier system, na system in building construc-tion that is designed and installed to reduce air leakage eitherinto or through the building envelope.3.1.2 air exfiltration, nair leakage out of the building.3.1.3 air infiltra
9、tion, nair leakage into the building.3.1.4 air leakage rate, nthe volume of air movement perunit time across the building envelope or air barrier system,including flow through joints, cracks, and porous surfaces, orcombinations thereof, in which the driving force for such airleakage in buildings is
10、either mechanical pressurization orevacuation, natural wind pressures, or air temperature differ-ences between the building interior and the outdoors, orcombinations thereof.3.1.5 air leakage site, na location on the building enve-lope or air barrier system where air can move between thebuilding int
11、erior and the outdoors.3.1.6 building system, nthe boundary or barrier separatingthe interior volume of a building from the outside environment.3.1.6.1 DiscussionFor the purpose of these practices, theinterior volume is the deliberately conditioned space within abuilding generally not including the
12、attic space, basementspace, and attached structures, unless such spaces are con-nected to the heating and air conditioning system, such as acrawl space plenum. The actual building envelope may extendbeyond these boundaries because of ducting or other construc-tion features.3.1.7 test specimen, nthe
13、part of the air barrier system onthe building to be tested that may consist of the selected areasof materials comprising the principle resistance to airflow,joints between such materials and joints between the materials1These practices are under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E06 onPerformance o
14、f Buildings and are the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E06.41on Air Leakage and Ventilation Performance.Current edition approved April 15, 2009. Published June 2009. Originallyapproved in 1987. Last previous edition approved in 2003 as E 1186 03.2For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM
15、website, www.astm.org, orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org. For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information, refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.3Available from American National Standards Institute (ANSI), 25 W. 43rd St.,4th Floor, New York, NY 10036,
16、http:/www.ansi.org.1Copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.and structural, mechanical, or other penetrations through suchmaterials, and excludes any material which does not form anintegral part of the air barrier system.3.2 F
17、or other definitions, see Terminology E 631.4. Summary of Practice4.1 This standard presents the following seven practices fordetecting air leakage sites in building envelopes:4.1.1 Combined building depressurization (or pressuriza-tion) and infrared scanning,4.1.2 Building depressurization (or pres
18、surization) andsmoke tracers,4.1.3 Building depressurization (or pressurization) and air-flow measuring devices,4.1.4 Generated sound and sound detection,4.1.5 Tracer gas detection,4.1.6 Chamber depressurization (or pressurization) andsmoke tracers, and4.1.7 Chamber depressurization and leak detecti
19、on liquids.4.2 These practices are described as follows:4.2.1 Building Depressurization (or Pressurization) withInfrared Scanning TechniquesThis practice relies on theexistence of an indooroutdoor temperature difference of atleast 5C. In most geographic locations, this condition is metduring some po
20、rtion of the day over a large fraction of the year.Outdoor air is moved through the building envelope bydepressurizing the building interior with a fan (see Test MethodE 779) or using the mechanical system in the building. Becausethe infiltrating air is at a different temperature than the interiorsu
21、rfaces of the building envelope, local interior surface tem-perature changes take place which can be detected by infraredscanning equipment. The infrared pattern resulting from airleakage is different from that associated with varied levels ofthermal conductance in the envelope, allowing air leakage
22、 sitesto be identified. This practice can also be performed bypressurizing the building and scanning the exterior of thebuilding envelope.4.2.2 Smoke Tracer in Conjunction With Building Pressur-ization or DepressurizationThis practice consists of pressur-izing or depressurizing the building using a
23、fan or the mechani-cal system in the building and moving a smoke tracer sourceover the interior or the exterior surface of the buildingenvelope. If the building is pressurized and the smoke tracersource is moved over the interior of the building envelope, airexfiltration through air leakage sites wi
24、ll draw smoke from thetracer source to the site, revealing its location visually. Alter-natively, if the building is depressurized and the smoke tracersource is moved over the interior of the building envelopesurface, then air jets at each air leakage site will cause thesmoke to move rapidly inward.
25、 Similarly, the smoke tracersource can be employed on the exterior of the buildingenvelope.4.2.3 Building Depressurization (or Pressurization) in Con-junction With Airflow Measurement Devices, orAnemometersThis practice consists of depressurizing orpressurizing the building using a fan or the buildi
26、ngs mechani-cal systems and moving an anemometer over the interiorbuilding envelope surface. If the building is depressurized, airjets will be present within the building at each air leakage site.As the anemometer is moved over the building envelopesurface, it will register an air velocity peak at t
27、he location ofthe air leakage site. If the building is pressurized, interior airwill flow toward each air leakage site. In this case, the resultingmeasured air velocity peak will be less distinct.4.2.4 Generated Sound in Conjunction With SoundDetectionThis practice consists of locating a sound gener
28、atorwithin the building and moving a sound detection device overthe exterior of the building envelope. Increased sound intensityis indicative of an air leakage site. Alternatively, the soundgenerator can be located outside the building and the interiorsurface of the building envelope can be surveyed
29、 using thesound detection device.4.2.5 Tracer GasThis practice consists of releasing atracer gas on one side of the building envelope and using atracer gas detector to measure the concentration of the tracergas on the other side. A measurable tracer gas concentrationindicates the location of an air
30、leakage site. Pressurizing ordepressurizing the building envelope using a fan or thebuildings mechanical system improve the results obtained bythis method.4.2.6 Chamber Pressurization or Depressurization in Con-junction With Smoke TracersThis practice consists of sealingan approximately airtight cha
31、mber to a section of the interior orexterior of the air barrier system and using a fan to create apressure differential across the air barrier specimen. If a smoketracer source is moved over the surface of the test specimen onthe higher pressure side, air leakage will draw smoke toward anair leakage
32、 site, visually indicating the location. Conversely, ifa smoke tracer is moved over the surface of the test specimenon the low pressure side, air jets at air leakage sites will causesmoke to move away from the air leakage site.4.2.7 Chamber Depressurization in Conjunction With LeakDetection LiquidTh
33、e practice consists of applying a leakdetection liquid to the test specimen surface, sealing a trans-parent chamber around the specimen and depressurizing thechamber with a fan. The location of an air leakage site isindicated by bubbling of the detection liquid at the air leakagesite.4.2.8 Other Pra
34、cticesPractices such as the use of a smokebomb are not described here since they are very specialized andrequire extreme caution due to additional difficulties such astriggering smoke alarms and causing lingering odors.5. Significance and Use5.1 Air infiltration into the conditioned space of a build
35、ingaccounts for a significant portion of the thermal space condi-tion load. Air infiltration can affect occupant comfort byproducing drafts, cause indoor air quality problems by carryingoutdoor pollutants into occupied building space and, in hothumid climates, can deposit moisture in the building en
36、veloperesulting in deterioration of building envelope components. Incold climates, exfiltration of conditioned air out of a buildingcan deposit moisture in the building envelope causing deterio-ration of building envelope components. Differential pressureE 1186 03 (2009)2across the building envelope
37、 and the presence of air leakagesites cause air infiltration and exfiltration (1).45.2 In some buildings, restricting air movement betweeninterior zones of a building may be desired to separatedissimilar interior environments or prevent the movement ofpollutants.Although not dealt with specifically
38、in this standard,the detection practices presented can also be useful in detectingair leaks between interior zones of the building.5.3 Air leakage sites are often difficult to locate because airflows may be small under the prevailing weather conditions.Wind conditions can aid in air leakage detectio
39、n by forcing airto enter a building; however, where air is exiting, the buildingenvelope construction may make observations difficult. Forthese reasons, forced pressurization or depressurization isstrongly recommended for those practices which require con-trolled flow direction.5.4 The techniques fo
40、r air leakage site detection covered inthese practices allow for a wide range of flexibility in thechoice of techniques that are best suited for detecting varioustypes of air leakage sites in specific situations.5.5 The infrared scanning technique for air leakage sitedetection has the advantage of r
41、apid surveying capability.Entire building exterior surfaces or inside wall surfaces can becovered with a single scan or a simple scanning action,provided there are no obscuring thermal effects from construc-tion features or incident solar radiation. The details of a specificair leakage site may then
42、 be probed more closely by focusingon the local area. Local leak detection is well addressed withthe smoke tracer, anemometer, sound detection, the bubbledetection, and the tracer gas techniques, however these tech-niques are time consuming for large surfaces. The pressurizedor depressurized test ch
43、amber and smoke tracer or a depres-surized test chamber and leak detection liquid practices can beused in situations where depressurizing or pressurizing theentire envelope is impractical, such as is the case duringconstruction. Both of the practices enable the detection of verysmall leaks. To perfo
44、rm these practices requires that the airbarrier system be accessible.5.6 Complexity of building air leakage sites may diminishthe ability for detection. For example, using the sound detec-tion approach, sound may be absorbed in the tortuous paththrough the insulation. Air moving through such buildin
45、gleakage paths may lose some of its temperature differential andthus make thermographic detection difficult. The absence ofjet-like air flow at an air leakage site may make detection usingthe anemometer practice difficult.5.7 Stack effect in multistory commercial buildings cancause gravity dampers t
46、o stand open. Computer-controlleddampers should be placed in normal and night modes to aid indetermining the conditions existing in the building. Sensitivepressure measurement equipment can be used for evaluatingpressure levels between floors and the exterior. Monitoringsystems in high-tech building
47、s can supply qualitative data onpressure differences.6. Hazards6.1 Glass should not break at the pressure differencesnormally applied to the test structure. However, for addedsafety, adequate precautions such as the use of eye protectionshould be taken to protect the personnel. Occupant protectionmu
48、st also be considered.6.2 Since the test is conducted in the field, safety equipmentrequired for general field work also applies, such as safetyshoes, hard hats, etc.6.3 Because air-moving equipment may be involved inthese tests, provide a proper guard or cage to house the fan orblower and to preven
49、t accidental access to any moving parts ofthe equipment.6.4 Noise may be generated by the moving air from pres-surization systems. Therefore, make hearing protection avail-able to personnel who must be close to the noise source.6.5 Use of smoke tracers often produces pungent andcaustic fumes. Although extremely localized, precautionsshould be taken so that smoke inhalation is minimized andrespiratory protection is provided as required. (See Note 1.)NOTE 1Hands should be washed before eating if large quantities ofpungent or caustic fumes have been generated.6.
