ASHRAE issues news standards for moisture control in buildings

[Guest guest]

I am not connected with ASHRAE, but I thought I would share this information in

case anyone needs it.

http://www.hvacwebconnection.com/news094/moisture_control.htm

New ASHRAE Standard Guides Designers in Moisture Control Measures.

Moisture

and mold don’t make the headlines the way they once did, but they are

still problems in some structures. Guidance on how to best design

buildings with adequate moisture control features is contained in a new

standard from ASHRAE.

ANSI/ASHRAE

Standard 160, Criteria for Moisture Design Analysis in Buildings,

formulates design assumptions for moisture design analysis and criteria

for acceptable performance.

“If the designer elects to perform a design moisture analysis, the

standard requires he or she to think about the interior conditions that

will be maintained in the building and the effect that may have on

building envelopes,†Anton TenWolde, chair of the committee that wrote

the standard, said. “The standard provides a methodology for the first

time to make consistent design recommendations, such as the need, type

and placement of vapor barriers in any climate " .

The standard introduces

criteria to handle rain, wind and other exterior moisture weather

loads. The cost of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 160-2009, Criteria for

Moisture-Control Design Analysis in Buildings, is $39 ($33, ASHRAE

members). To order, contact ASHRAE Customer Service at 1-800-527-4723

(United States and Canada) or 404-636-8400 (worldwide), fax

404-321-5478, or visit www.ashrae.org/bookstore.