FAQ
Articles
Roof Diagram
Residential Main
SOUND CONTROL
health concerns
back

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is an Air Barrier?

A: The Air Barrier in any building is the layer that keeps the conditioned air (heated or cooled) inside of the building or the space that we occupy. This layer is usually drywall, plaster, and doors with seals on them or some material that can be made to form a continuous sealed barrier.

Q: Why is it so important?

A: Physics teaches us that hot air rises. Therefore, the more holes that the air can pass through; the more conditioned air will leave our living space. As the conditioned air leaves the building, outside unconditioned air comes in to replace it and has to be heated or cooled to keep us comfortable.

In a multi storied building this is what we call Stack Effect and is the reason that people on the ground floors are cold because of drafts in the wintertime and the people on the top floor are hot and have little or no control over room temperature. They may even open windows which only makes increases the stack effect in the building.

This costs us money, is a waste of resources, and generates greenhouse gasses.

Q: Are there any other effects other than a higher energy bill?

A: Yes! Homes and buildings are a huge investment in money, time and resources and are worth protecting. Some of the other effects are:

Indoor Air Quality, we spend almost 90 % of our time indoors. Uncontrolled air exchanges bring in pollution, smoke or smells from other tenants, smoke, fumes or smells from a work area, dirt, pests and make humidity controls virtually useless.
This affects things like our health, computer systems, maintenance costs due to higher cleaning costs, having to replace carpets or furnishings due to premature wear, and general productivity in a company.
Mould and building rot. Uncontrolled humid air entering a cold air space (such as an attic) will condense, leaving the moisture on the building materials. This will, over time turn, to black mould and then starts to create rot in any wood or other building materials.

Premature building disintegration: Moist or conditioned air leaving the top of a building will deposit moisture in the building’s materials and structure. This moisture will go through freeze-thaw cycles and thereby making adhesives or building mortar fail. This again leads to higher building maintenance costs, liability issues (such as building materials falling on someone) or premature building failure.

The Air Barrier is an integral part of building science. We at Zerodraft are interested in talking to you about getting the most out of your building investment.
 site design by (( drnm )) home > Residential Services > FAQ