Commercial air tightness

Efficiency Matrix and its eCaulkair product are a safe, non-toxic automated application of sealant for rigid ducts or plenums used Globally in commercial & domestic air tightness applications. The key ingredient of the sealant is similar to the stuff you find in chewing gum and hair spray.

Tested and approved for use in

• Operation theaters (Hospitals)

• Clean room applications

• Residential developments

• Schools & Education facilities

• Libraries

• Occupied office buildings

• Restaurants

It is completely inert and has no residual odor.

It contains an approved and certified anti-microbial agent to prevent mold growth.

In public or occupied buildings eCAULKair use heavy duty extraction fans connected to flexible plastic ducts which are exhausted outside the building. The eCAULKair scent is very faint. After approximately 15 minutes the mild PVA wood glue smell disappears.

eCAULKair has been tested and certified for public use in both residential and commercial applications.

Rigorous tests and compliance of eCAULKair were required for it to be able to be used in hospitals in Australia

The establishment’s duct system is isolated and eCAULKair is blown in as a non-noxious vapor which seals air leaks in rigid duct systems. It leaves no residue nor any persistent odor. It is safe to use in all applications including medical, clean room laboratories and residential developments.

The eCAULKair Sealant

The sealant material consists of a water-based solution (65% water) prior to application. The dried sealant material primarily contains two chemicals, vinyl acetate polymer (VAP) and 2-ethyl-1 hexanol (2E1H). The vast majority of what is left in the duct system is VAP, which has been used in water-based paints, adhesives, and hair spray. VAP has been used in chewing gum and has no OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) Exposure Limit. 2E1H is a common industrial solvent and is not considered toxic by OSHA. A review of the literature showed no ill effects after long-term exposure to concentrations of 200 ppm. The largest concentration of 2E1H measured in test houses was 1 ppb (200,000 times smaller), during Aeroseal injection.

The sealant is UL-listed for smoke generation and flame spread (UL 723 0,0), the sealant has been tested in accordance with AS1530.3, comply with all the requirements in NCC in regards to Ignitability, Spread of Flame, Heat Evolved and Smoke developed aspects. Independent test (SCAQMD Method 304-91) shows VOC content is within the GreenStar limits.

In addition, testing by UL showed no signs of mold growth or erosion.

HOW eCAULKair WORKS

◦ Duct vents are covered in order for air to escape only through the leaks

◦ eCAULKair polymer sealant introduced by the technician

◦ Small aerosol particles are kept suspended in the airflow by continuous air movement

◦ As the air stream makes a sharp turn for exiting through a leak, the particles collide with and adhere to the leak edges

◦ Ducts are sealed using the escaping air

◦ A computer-generated analysis summarizing the building’s air leakage is generated, providing verification of a success procedure.

◦ The eCAULKair machine and all the blanking panels are removed from the duct system. Any mild PVA wood glue odor disappears within approximately 15-30mins

Matching the theoretical to reality provides the piece of mind for fire suppression and environment stability.

Once a Server room/Data Centre is built, the ever so critical contents seem to be forever evolving and growing, with the needs of the business but the building envelope stays the same, and along the way it also picks up new and “amazing or perhaps horrendous” holes created by trades or tech staff.

The one thing that doesn’t seem to get much attention within a computer room is the building fabric/building envelope and its ability to contain and suppress a fire while at the same time, ensuring key environmental stability, that assists hardware longevity and low energy costs for controlling humidity and temperature.

Before we move onto more detail, it’s imperative that we explain two important things that all Data Centre/Server Room operators should have a basic understand of;

1). There are two primary forms of fire suppression, forget about the type of gas used (FM200, Novec or IG-55), fire suppression systems can operate in 2 standard distinct forms:

• Continuous mixing – With air conditioners in operation
  • Fire suppressant gas will circulate and be pushed out where ever holes and high pressures exist
• Descending interface – With air conditioners not in operation
  • Fire suppressant gases are heavier than air, so they will gradually leak through holes low lying.

2). Secondly, it’s important you know what a baseline/bias pressure is in a room that has a fire suppression system.   Bias pressure is the normal everyday pressure acting in a room depending on what pressures are in the building from HVAC or outside wind pressures, and how well those pressures are exposed, to the room that is being tested.

The single most important point of failure that can compromise a fire suppression system and energy efficiency/humidity & temperature lies in the building envelope under false floor plenums or ductwork that distributes air to and from air handlers. Areas, where elevated pressures up to 10 Pascal’s exist to keep equipment at an optimum temperature, must be almost entirely air tight. Air tightness is extremely critical for both Continuous Mixing and Descending interface but for different reasons, no matter what agent is being used. The leakage you are specifically looking for is located under walls or through walls, particularly when hundreds of cables have been pulled through a wall.

For Example…

Things to focus on in-house:

• Testing on whether air conditioners shut down or stay running should be thoroughly tested and reported on, what does the documentation say and
• Check the state of all penetrations under the false floor or your return air plenum. Resolve any penetrations that are evident. Under floor air tightness is critical for fire and energy efficiency, so make it perfect.
• It is excellent practice, which no matter whether a room is descending interface or not, it should be reported what the bias/baseline pressure is in a computer room during normal operation because it will give you clues of potential issues in the room. Even though a computer room might pass an integrity room test when everything is turned off, high operating bias pressures is unacceptable for a continuous mixing fire suppression system, but it could also indicate considerable lower leakage under a false floor, which is not desirable for both descending interface and continuous mixing fire suppression system.
• If a computer room manages to become quite air tight, it then needs to be understood, whether a computer room has or requires a relief vent. This is critical because walls can be damaged in the event of an incident. When a fire suppression system goes off, depending on the airtightness of the building envelope, momentary pressures can go up to 1000Pa.  Some agents cause more negative pressure and the peak pressure is related to “leakage to Volume” ratio.  Seek professional advice.
• Does the room behave, as it should in the event of a triggered fire suppression system?
  • Do extraction fans turn off and also damper?
  • Do dampers to the Building HVAC system close?
  • Does the Pressure relief vent work complimentary to your gas fire suppression system?

To ensure your data center is prepared for an incident while also improving the performance of your computer room, do the following:

1. Inspect religiously new works that occur to your computer room about penetrations, especially under a supply false floor plenum, or a return air plenum. Make sure contractors understand what you expect.
2. Get your computer room Fire Integrity tested on a yearly basis
3. Insist on a bias/baseline pressure measurement during normal computer room operation, and if possible, a baseline with everything turned off (necessary with a descending interface installation). Don’t accept a report which says 0 Pascal’s. All computer rooms have some bias pressure, and it may very well be close to zero Pascals. For example -.17Pa gives you confidence an actual measurement was taken.

Currently hot/cold aisle Containment solutions are quite popular. These solutions can do wonders, but it’s important to ensure you don’t lose site of the big picture when retrofitting these types of solutions into computer rooms. Make sure you consult your fire integrity consultant before moving forward with a containment solution.

Think of integrity room testing as a means of understanding air tightness/energy efficiency as well as protecting your equipment and you will get more out of the whole exercise.

Keep your eye on the computer room baseline/bias pressure. It’s a number that says a lot.

By John Konstantakopoulos

What does the standard “AS NZS ISO 9972:2015” do?

• Quantifies Thermal performance of buildings
• Determination of the building air permeability rate
• Fan pressurization/Blower Door method

Quick tips/summary for ensuring a company is testing to an Australian Standard (AS NZS ISO 9972:2015).

Finally, Australia has a standard for Air tightness testing of the building envelope.

There are three methods for preparation:  Preparation is key to testing to a standard.   It ensures that testing can be replicated, and ensures that the result of testing is useful to understand the effectiveness of the building envelope efficiency performance in maintaining a temperature differential between inside and outside.

Method 1 is the test of the building in use where the natural ventilation is closed, and the whole building mechanical ventilation or air conditioning openings are sealed.

Method 2 is the test of the building envelope where all the intentional openings are sealed, and the doors, windows, and manholes are closed.

Method 3 is the test of the building for a particular purpose, the treatment of the intentional openings being adapted to this purpose according to the standard or policy that may be specified.

 

Baseline/Bias pressures are critical, to get an understanding of the dynamics of pressure acting on the building.  If 5Pa of pressure is captured during a baseline, the test is not valid.   This pressure must be remedied permanently to conduct the test.

Getting the building up to at least 50Pa is also absolutely critical to get an accurate understanding of the leakage in a building.  75Pa is even more desirable, but if the building is too leaky

If a building is too leaky for the fan power that is applied to undertake the blower door test, a pressure of at least 25Pa can be created to comply with the standard.  To properly test a building, a pressure of 50Pa needs to be achieved.  It must be clearly recorded in the test report with a statement that the requirements of the standard have not been fully met and an account of the reasons must be trouble shooted and explained. An alternative solution is to measure significant buildings by dividing into some smaller parts using guarded blower door testing.  It’s critical that a contractor doing the testing, allows for enough firepower, to test up to the necessary pressure.   Ensure in the quoting that all contractors have allowed for the same amount of fans.

 

Testing to 10m3/h/m2

m3 Air Volume	Fans Required
2000	1
5000	2
8000	3
11000	4
14000	5
17000	6
17000+	Building must be inspected

*Note the leakier the rate, the more fans that are required to do an area.

Testing to 5m3/h/m2

m3 Air Volume	Fans Required
2000	1
5000	1
8000	2
11000	2
14000	3
17000	3
21000	4
30000	5
37000	6
37000+	Building must be inspected

The Blower Door Testing Calculator

Call us for more information on the standard, or for testing to this international standard that has now been adopted by Australia.

Commercial air leakage testing otherwise known as commercial blower door testing enables:

• Smoke sealing and protecting areas of refuge (ensures in the event of a fire, smoke does not enter another part of the building)  This is especially useful in the oil & gas industries especially on oil rigs.
• Enables significant energy efficiency benefits in commercial buildings.
• Clean Rooms – Very useful in hygienic areas eg. hospitals or high precision manufacturing
• Stairwell pressurization & Control Rooms
• Under floor plenums (UFAD)

Find out about our air tightness testing consultancy.  We have had an impressive track record of actually getting buildings to an air tight state.

m3/h/m2@50Pa Air Permeability rate	CFM 75Pa/ft2	Additional Energy	Impact on Indoor Air quality
1.4	.1	0%	Negligible
3.5	.25	5%	Small
6	.4	10%	Moderate
14	1	25%	Large
28	2	40%	Uncontrolled, Severe

The United States Army Corps of Engineers specifies:

All new buildings and buildings undergoing major renovations shall pass an air leakage test, the results of which must be less than or equal to 0.25 CFM per square foot of exterior envelope at 0.3 inch of water gauge [75 Pa] pressure difference.

The UK is the only country that currently requires large buildings to pass an air leakage test.

Do you need an air tightness Methodology?

Let us know, and we can produce one, designed around your particular building.

Does Australia have a standard for Commercial Air Leakage Testing?

Yes!, AS/NZS ISO 9972:2015

 

What is commercial Blower Door Testing?

Air tightness testing is an air permeability test, which is carried out by a professional testing company to identify the volume of air that can escape from a building.  ATTMA Part TSL1 and ATTMA Part TSL2 in Non-dwellings provide a clear guidance on how to make buildings more energy efficient, cost effective and comfortable.

Airtight buildings prevent conditioned air escaping from the building and restricts any unwanted cold winds/draughts entering the building.  With air tightness in check, air handlers do not need to work as hard to pressurize the whole building envelope positively.

Here is a table of the key differences between the 2 most popular standards.

	ASTM	USACE	Reason
Bias Readings	2	288	accuracy
Max. Bias	42%	30% & 10%	accuracy
Height restriction	Yes	No	flexibility
Temperature & wind restriction	Yes	No	flexibility
Min. test pressure	10Pa	25Pa	stability
Min. # builder/flow readings	5	120	accuracy
Min. test point interval	10s	20s	accuracy
Gauge accuracy	5%	1%	accuracy

American Society for Testing and Materials VS United State Army Corp Engineers

What is the test procedure?

Air tightness testing is carried out in accordance with the procedures detailed in ATTMA TSL1 for Part L1A conservation of fuel and power in new dwellings and ATTMA TSL2 for Part L2 conservation of fuel and power in new non-dwellings.

Type of Building	Air Permeability m3/h/m2 @ 50Pa	Air Permeability m3/h/m2 @ 50Pa	Air Change Rate (ACH) @ 50Pa	Air Permeability m3/h/m2 @ 50Pa
	Best Practice	Good		Reality
Offices			N/A	TBA
Naturally Ventilated	3	7	N/A	TBA
Mixed	2.5	5	N/A	TBA
Air Conditioned/Low Energy	2	5	N/A	TBA
Factories/Warehouses	2	6	N/A	TBA
Superstores	1	5	N/A	TBA
Schools	3	9	N/A	TBA
Hospitals	5	9	N/A	TBA
Museums, galleries and archival stores	1	1.5	N/A	TBA
Cold Stores	.2	.35	N/A	TBA
Passive House Standard	N/A	<1	.6	TBA
Passive House Retrofit	N/A	<1	1	TBA
Oil and Gas EXISTING	N/A	N/A	.35	TBA
Oil and gas NEW	N/A	N/A	.25	TBA

Air permeability is expressed as volume flow per hour (m3 h-1) of air supplied to the space per square metre (m2) of envelope area for an internal to external pressure difference at 50 Pa.

The air permeability test involves connecting a series of small fans, or a large fan, to a suitable aperture in the building envelope and pressurizing it over a range of pressure differences at least above 30Pa for an indicative flow reading extrapolated to 50Pa.  The USACE standard uses 75Pa as the ultimate pressure to achieve an accurate leakage rate.

Here is a table documenting the differences in pressure each standard requires.

Standard	ASTM	CGSB	EN13829	ATTMA	USACE	WA State	LEED
Origin	USA	Canada	Europe	UK	USA	WA State	North America
Range	10 to 60Pa	15 to 50Pa	10 to 50Pa	10 to 60Pa	25 to 75Pa	25 to 80Pa	10 to 60Pa

Air volume flow rate through a blower door fan (equal to the air escaping through the building envelope, such as gaps and uncaulked holes) and the pressure difference across the building envelope are recorded at each blower door fan speed.

In calculating air permeability, corrections are made for temperature and barometric pressure.

What types of preparations are required before the air tightness tests?

• Access in and out of the building during a test is not possible.
• Before the test is carried out, exhaust fans, kitchen hoods, and ventilation systems must be thoroughly sealed. Sealing can be achieved with covering the grilles with plastic tape. Drainage traps should also be prepared.
• While the pressurization test is being carried out all external doors and windows must be closed and secured to avoid them being blown open. It is also recommended to tape off all the vents on windows. Internal doors should be wedged open during a test to avoid them inadvertently slamming shut.
• There are no health risks to site workers who will remain in the building while the air pressure test is being carried out.

How long would it take to carry out the test?

The test will take approximately 60-120 minutes for residential properties and whole days/multiple days for some commercial buildings depends on the size of the building and depending on problems.  After the test is carried out, thermal imaging or smoke is used to troubleshoot the building envelope, should the result not be desirable.

Rough estimate of Retrotec high powered fans required for a job depending on leakiness.

Testing to 10m3/h/m2 @ 50Pa

m3 Air Volume	Fans Required
2000	1
5000	2
8000	3
11000	4
14000	5
17000	6
17000+	Building must be inspected

*Note the leakier the rate, the more fans that are required to do an area.

Testing to 5m3/h/m2@50Pa (Recommended leakage rate)

m3 Air Volume	Fans Required
2000	1
5000	1
8000	2
11000	2
14000	3
17000	3
21000	4
30000	5
37000	6
37000+	Building must be inspected

Need an air tightness specification?

If you are an architect in need of a commercial air tightness specification, don’t hesitate to contact us at quotes@efficiencymatrix.com

Is air permeability testing mandatory?

No, not in Australia, but it is being recognized of late in Energy Star ratings for commercial buildings, and may soon become mandatory in Section J of the building code.

An article Written by Sean Maxwell from Efficiency Matrix on the subject.

http://www.thefifthestate.com.au/spinifex/help-fix-the-ncc-hows-that-for-a-new-years-resolution/79650

What Areas can we service?

We can service all over Australia.

• Melbourne
• Sydney
• Hobart
• Launceston
• Christchurch (New Zealand)
• Auckland (New Zealand)
• Geelong
• Bendigo
• Ballarat
• Adelaide
• Albury
• Newcastle
• Brisbane
• Darwin
• Perth
• Canberra

Our Customers

 

Air Change an Hour@50Pa (ACH@50) and Air Permeability air leakage@50Pa (m3/h/m2@50Pa). 

Whats the difference?  Which unit of measure is used and why?

• Buildings 4000m3+ are defined as large buildings and should be measured using an air permeability rate (m3/h/m2@50Pa).  
• Buildings that are smaller than 4000m3 are measured using ACH@50Pa.

Smaller buildings proportionately have a smaller volume compared to the surface area of the building envelope so an ACH value is harder to achieve and more beneficial.

Larger buildings proportionately have a smaller surface area compared to the volume so an air permeability rate is harder to achieve and more beneficial to the energy efficiency of the building.

What is the equivalent leakage rate of USACE .25/CFM/ft3@75Pa compared to an Air permeability rate @ 50Pa?

3.6m3/h/m2@50Pa

Seeing the unseen, and understanding that airtightness isn’t as easy as one might think.

Guarded Blower Door Testing

Efficiency Matrix, has a vast amount of experience in isolating air leakage into the main part of a building in order to get an understanding of how the facade building envelope performs or understanding how much leakage is occurring between one area to another.