Masonry walls are generally highly durable. However, when masonry walls in cold climates stay too wet for too long, freeze-thaw damage can occur. This issue has particular relevance for energy efficiency retrofits, because the addition of interior insulation causes the masonry to stay colder and have a lower drying potential.
The following documents present details of BSC’s research and experience regarding the prevention of freeze-thaw damage in retrofit projects. Technical topics such as the critical degree of saturation (Scrit) are discussed, and case studies and recommendations are provided.
An edited version of this Insight first appeared in the ASHRAE Journal. Engineers are pretty funny people. Engineers say that 1 inch of water exerts a force of – wait for it – 1 inch. Yup, 1 inch of water weighs 1 inch of water. It’s a gift we engineers have. Let me help you all out a little bit here, go suck on a straw and draw 1 inch of water up into the straw.
An edited version of this Insight first appeared in the ASHRAE Journal. One of the more difficult questions regarding enclosures is can we insulate the interior of a mass wall in a cold climate without causing damage from freeze/thaw cycles? The answer is usually yes, we can insulate. But, and there is almost always a “but,” it depends.
An edited version of this Insight first appeared in the ASHRAE Journal. Ice dams happen when the outside temperature is below freezing, the roof deck temperature is above freezing, and there is snow on the roof. The warm roof deck causes the snow on top of the roof deck to melt, and the melt water runs down to the edge of the roof where the water freezes leading to a buildup of ice and a backup of water, hence the term “dam."
