Water By-Passing Window Perimeter Joints

By: Dominic L. Pusateri 

Perimeter caulk, also known as sealant, is used to transition windows to adjacent claddings; we call this a perimeter isolation joint.  The windows and claddings resist water and air infiltration with the help of the weather resistive barrier (WRB) at the cladding substrate.  The area between the cladding and WRB is known as the drainage plain.  In a recent blog post, I defined and quantified the volume of water that the drainage plain should be capable of managing.   Water at the drainage plain is commonly referred to as incidental water.   The incidental water should be controlled and directed to the exterior.  The interfacing of the weather resistive barrier at openings in the wall is critical but, because the weather barrier interfacing occurs behind the surface of the cladding and abutting components, it is often undervalued.  

Door Blower Usage

By: Abdullah Khaliqi

The door blower is one of many versatile tools utilized by R. J. Kenney Associates, Inc. (RJK ). This blog post highlights one of the many ways it can be used.

What is Incidental Water Anyway?

By: Dominic L. Pusateri

Incidental water is a term used in the building codes and referenced in specifications but what constitutes incidental water?

RILEM Tube

By: Gil Castonquay

When faced with the challenge of identifying causes or sources of water intrusion on a building enclosure, building scientists and design professionals performing forensic building enclosure analysis have a multitude of diagnostic tools and methods which to consider.

Introduction

By: Gil Castonquay

 

 

This the first in what we hope will be an on-going series of blog entries R. J. Kenney Associates, Inc., will be posting on what we are discovering, identifying, analyzing and implementing in our field of building materials testing and building enclosure forensics.  When writing these blogs, we’re assuming (safely, we hope) that the reader has some background experience in the realm of building science, design, and performance testing.  If we are incorrect, drop us a line on anything that you would like clarified, we welcome your input.

A little information about our firm: R. J. Kenney Associates, Inc., began as a concrete testing laboratory over forty years ago. Through the years we have grown our expertise to include a vast array of building materials testing, including sealants, windows, roofs, building components, EIFS, stucco, vinyl, cement wallboard, Tyvek, AVB, and flashings, both in the laboratory and in the field.  Our knowledge base and business practice, as a building enclosure consulting firm and building materials testing laboratory, has influenced the construction industry internationally in the area of building science and building enclosure design and performance.  We provide a multitude of building related services to Owners, Design Professionals, Contractors, Insurance Companies, Attorneys, etc.  If you would like to find out more about our firm and the services we offer, please visit our website at www.rjkenney.com.