A renovation project for air sealing a building or homes has never been this easy. The invention of Aerobarrier is a breakthrough for air leakage control. This flexible, pre-engineered system effectively isolates and protects your structure from the outdoors in both renovation and new construction projects.
Thanks to Aerobarrier, homeowners need not spend hours meticulously sealing every crack or gap that exists in their homes; it’s the perfect addition to a home or building renovation project. We’ll learn why in this article.
After the drywall is installed, the space is pressurized with a blower door fan while misting a water-borne acrylic sealant from multiple points. The sealant forms a barrier along the walls, ceilings, and floors. The permeable surface means that moisture vapour can escape the space; this eliminates unsightly mould from developing on walls.
Pressurizing the room is a critical aspect of the Aerobarrier process because it allows the sealant to penetrate deep into joints, fissures, and wall studs. It also acts as a top-up moisture barrier that prevents water or air from entering your building through gaps in your home’s exterior walls.
How Does Aerobarrier Relate to Air Changes Per Hour (ACH)?
In conventional construction, older homes are not optimized for air sealing. They typically feature poorly insulated frames and walls that leak a lot of conditioned indoor air to the outside.
Homes built before the 90s don’t need to meet the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) requirements. However, older building codes required air infiltration testing. Well-documented procedures were later included in the IECC for blower door testing at -15 degrees Celsius to measure a home’s airtightness or ACH value.
Pressurizing a room with a blower door fan and measuring the air leakage is a well-established method for determining how tightly built your home is. The results are then used to find the number of air changes per hour (ACH) in a typical building environment; it also serves as an indicator of thermal comfort.
A low ACH rating means that your home is airtight and generally more comfortable. Homes with a high ACH typically have poor indoor air quality because they lack proper ventilation and moisture control.
Air sealing is an effective way to retrofit older homes to improve their energy efficiency, reduce operating costs and protect occupants from unhealthy airborne pollutants and allergens.
Aerobarrier is highly versatile when it comes to covering walls, ceilings, and floors. Also, as a porous sealant, it does not negatively affect indoor air quality as traditional building materials do. By using Aerobarrier in your renovation project, you’re protecting the integrity of interior spaces and the health of the people who occupy them.
Other Weak Points in Renovation Projects
Doors are another weak point in older homes and buildings. The installation of Aerobarrier on doors will provide years of air sealing that prevents outside moisture from penetrating the living space.
The use of sealant is also an environmentally responsible choice because it eliminates the need for vapour-retarder paint. This type of paint is dyed to allow windows to breathe while blocking out moisture from the exterior. However, painting your windows is a lengthy and messy process that also has its drawbacks.
Permeable sealants like Aerobarrier are easier to work with than traditional building materials because experts use tools such as paint rollers or brushes to apply it. In addition, it’s less expensive because you won’t need to spend time or money sealing the exterior of your home.
The application process only takes a few hours. In many times, one day is enough to finish this process. Contractors who perform this service receive training to use the special equipment required for Aerobarrier and learn how to remove debris, apply sealant, and pressurize rooms to get the best results.
The Role of Air Sealing in Project Renovation
Anytime cooled or heated air escapes from the indoor space, it leads to inefficiency and added strain to the heating and cooling equipment. It translates to higher energy bills and a shortened life for your HVAC.
The purpose of air sealing in renovation is to reduce the amount of air that escapes the building. This will help maintain your desired temperature and extend the lifetime of HVAC equipment.
Air sealing plays a crucial role in any renovation project because it allows for better insulation and reduced energy bills. Furthermore, Aerobarrier systems eliminate any unwanted moisture compared to other building materials that absorb and hold water against the conditioned surface of the wall or ceiling.
By eliminating the vapour barrier, Aerobarrier prevents mould growth which is especially important in a home with children, pets and older people.
Perfect for Gut Project Renovations
When it comes to home renovation, gut renovations are the most common type of project. This involves removing existing walls and floors to improve the overall aesthetics and functionality of a particular space.
This is where Aerobarrier saves you time and money. Rather than having to scour through your entire house with a sealant gun or use the time-consuming caulking process by hand, this system takes advantage of a mechanical fan pressure to propel the non-toxic acrylic sealant in all the hard-to-reach spaces.
While gut renovations can be time-consuming, especially when removing and rebuilding walls, Aerobarrier makes the process quicker than other methods. This is because you use a blower door to force the sealant from multiple points into every nook and cranny in your home without having to use many tools or spend hours sealing up gaps by hand.
Better than Caulking and Expanding Foam
Some people believe that caulking is the best way to deal with air sealing problems. But if you compare it to Aerobarrier, you’ll find that caulk has its drawbacks if it:
- Has a strong odour, and it can be toxic
- Does not contain moisture vapour, which means it cannot prevent mould from developing on your walls or ceilings
- Will not expand to fill the cracks
- Is a very time-consuming process.
The same also goes for expanding foam materials:
- Expanding foam is extremely messy
- It’s expensive compared to Aerobarrier
- It requires more effort
- It can cause damage to the structure
Aerobarrier is way better than caulking and expanding foam. It’s an effective, fast-drying sealant that provides a seamless finish without any mess.
Lastly, Aerobarrier is perfect for a wide range of home and building renovations because it doesn’t alter the look, use or functionality of your home or building. However, don’t take our word for it; you can read reviews online and see why many people choose Aerobarrier as the number one system for air sealing.