ASHRAE releases guidebook on moisture control

ASHRAE releases guidance book on best practices for adequate moisture control.

By Patrick Lynch May 15, 2009

ASHRAE releases a guidance book on how to best design

buildings with adequate moisture control. The book, 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).
Visit the ASHRAE bookstore to order.