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Field study of airtightness of traditional rural houses in Estonia.

Number: 780

Author(s) : ALEV U., KALAMEES T.

Summary

Air leakage through the building envelope can lead to problems related to hygrothermal performance, health, energy consumption, the performance of ventilation systems, thermal comfort, noise, and fire resistance. A field measurement study of air leakage was conducted on 48 traditional rural houses. The houses were classified according to age, finishing and building technology. Using a standardized building pressurization technique, the air leakage rate of each house was determined. In eleven of the selected houses the air change rate was determined also using tracer gas method during one month period in summer and in winter. To determine typical air leakage places and their distribution, an infrared image camera was used. The mean air leakage rate at the pressure difference of 50 Pa in the database was 15 m3/(h-m2). The mean air change rate at the pressure difference of 50 Pa in the database was 21 ach. The average air change rate during one month period in summer of normal usage was 0.57 ach. It was found that the internal finishing of the wall with plywood or plaster plays a significant role in the condition of the air leakage of the building envelope. The typical air leakage places in the studied houses were: doors and windows, external wall and ceiling joints, external wall and floor joints, and cracks between logs. The results of the study can be utilised in working out renovation solutions for traditional rural houses in Estonia and in northern Baltic Sea region.

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Pages: 10 p.

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Details

  • Original title: Field study of airtightness of traditional rural houses in Estonia.
  • Record ID : 30009851
  • Languages: English
  • Source: Clima 2013. 11th REHVA World Congress and 8th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality, Ventilation and Energy Conservation in Buildings.
  • Publication date: 2013/06/16

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