Monitoring of Double-Stud Wall Moisture Conditions in the Northeast

BSC TO5 Task 2.2 Monitoring of Double Stud Wall Moisture Conditions in the Northeast
Field test data available for wood moisture contents, temperature, and relative humidity.
STRUCTURE - House - Devens, MA 01432

Three double-stud assemblies were compared: 12-in. ocSPF, 12-in. cellulose, and 5.5-in. ocSPF at the exterior of a double-stud wall (to approximate conventional 2 x 6 wall construction and insulation levels, acting as a control wall). These assemblies were repeated on the north and south orientations, for a total of six assemblies.

Data were collected from December 2011 through July 2014, capturing three winters of operation in various states. Winter 2011-2012 was very mild (warm) and the house had very low interior relative humidity (RH) because it was unoccupied. Winter 2012-2013 was colder and the house had very high (40%-50%) interior RH until the ventilation system was put into operation (mid-February 2013). Winter 2013-2014 was very cold, but the ventilation system was operated, resulting in moderate interior RHs.

Under "normal" interior conditions (functioning ventilation system, wintertime RH 10%-30%), ocSPF walls (both 12 in. and 5.5 in.) with latex paint as interior vapor control (nominally Class III, but possibly more vapor open) showed low risk; all sheathing moisture contents (MCs) remained lower than 20%. However, the 12-in. cellulose wall had MCs higher than 20% on the north side. In addition, the cellulose wall sheathing-insulation interface had high RH conditions.

Under high interior humidity loading (nonfunctional ventilation system, 40%-50% interior RH), all test walls showed MCs and sheathing-insulation interface RHs well into the high risk range. The cellulose walls showed particularly high MCs (sheathing in excess of 30%), while the ocSPF walls showed MCs in the 18%-25% range. In addition, the monitoring showed evidence of liquid water condensation (which can result in quick degradation) in all walls; the condensation was substantial in the cellulose walls. These condensation issues occurred on the north and south sides.

But in all walls, during each summer after a winter of wetting, moisture levels fell well into the safe range. Based on the difference between the winters, it is clear that interior RH can have a tremendous effect on the performance of enclosure systems, in terms of interstitial condensation risks, when using more vapor-open interior finishes such as latex paint.

The ocSPF walls showed consistently lower MCs and interface RH levels than the cellulose walls. Although air leakage cannot be eliminated as a possibility, it is likely that at the thicknesses applied, the ocSPF provided reasonable vapor control (1.5-3.5 perms when combined with Class III latex paint) under normal loading conditions.

The collected data were analyzed in terms of ASHRAE Standard 160 criteria (tabulating hours with RH and temperatures that support mold growth), using the calculated surface RH at the sheathing-insulation interface. All north-facing walls failed through all three winters; in particular, there were large numbers of failure hours during the high humidity winter (2012-2013). Sheathing-insulation interface temperatures and RHs during the high humidity winter showed many hours with mold risk conditions (high humidity and sufficient temperature for mold growth).

Tags: building-america, buildingamerica, cellulose, cold, double-stud, durability, humidity, moisture-monitoring, new-construction, open-cell-spray-foam, residential, single-family-detached, spray-foam-insulation, superinsulation, temperature
Organization: Department of Energy