Two significant limitation of the SO leakage test are: This “single unit”, “total” or “solo” (SO) test method measures the combination of air leakage between adjacent units through common surfaces as well as air leakage to the outside. The simpler and more common method for measuring air leakage in attached dwellings is to use a single blower door to pressurize and/or depressurize the test unit. In retrofit situations, performing guarded blower door testing is by far more expensive, time consuming, and intrusive to occupants than testing an individual unit. This test method requires all neighboring units to be pressurized or depressurized at the same time and to the same pressure as the unit being tested to eliminate any transfer of air between units and isolate only the air leakage to the outdoors. Some practitioners and program administrators prefer fully guarded tests (FGTs). For these types of housing, a distinction between total leakage and leakage to the outside is necessary. This is not the case for multi-family and single-family, attached housing. Air leakage test requirements are based on a total building thermal envelope leakage to the outdoors.Air leakage testing required in the IECC and IRC.The International Building Code defines a fire wall as, “A fire-resistance rated wall having protected openings, which restricts the spread of fire and extends continuously from the foundation to or through the roof, with sufficient structural stability under fire conditions to allow collapse of construction on either side without collapse of the wall.”.No clear definition is included in the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and International Residential Code (IRC) for any of the terms used to describe a common wall.These barriers include, but are not limited to, the following: Ultimately however, eventual code changes related to these barriers will be needed to bring these issues to finalize resolution. There are several identified codes and standards barriers related to common walls in low-rise multi-family buildings (structures containing more than two dwelling units and three stories or less above grade), and workable approaches exist for resolving these barriers without the need for time consuming, expensive fire testing in a lab. The purpose of a common wall is to prevent the spread of fire from one unit to another, and to allow the collapse of a unit that is on fire without structurally impacting the adjacent unit. Providing the same information to all interested parties (e.g., code officials, builders, designers, etc.) is expected to result in increased compliance and fewer innovations being questioned at the time of plan review and/or field inspection.Ī common wall, or other known terminologies such as a party wall, fire wall, fire separation wall, townhouse separation wall, or tenant separation wall, can be described as a fire-resistance rated wall that extends continuously from the foundation to the underside of fire protected roof sheathing, or it may extend through the roof to a parapet closure. ![]() The intent of this brief is to provide code-specific information about air sealing and insulating common walls in multi-family buildings to help ensure that the measures will be accepted as being in compliance with the code.
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