Moisture Management of EIFS Walls— Part 1: The Basis for Evaluation

The Canadian approach to design accepts the presence of some con struction deficiencies and calls for a multiple-line of defense Until now, such a design has been based on the qualitative assessments rooted in experience, i.e., tradition, and involved little integration with the newly emerging analytical tools, e.g., advanced hygrothermal models. The relation between the design and climatic conditions acting on a building is not well established. Research should be undertaken to clarify the rela tionship between climate and the moisture performance of a given wall assembly, i.e., to enhance the predictability of moisture performance for different wall assemblies when constructed with some deficiencies and exposed to a given climate. To improve the correlation between climatic conditions and design practice, mois ture management of a building envelope must involve the flow-through principles. The flow-through approach is, however, much more difficult than the currently used approach with barriers. The flow-through approach requires performing computer calculations of moisture balance of all layers of the wall with regard to heat, air and moisture transport over an entire year. This is the critical element of the integrated moisture management strategy. Four papers are being written to facilitate the use of analytical tools into EIFS wall