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BPI Written Exam - Section 3 Measurement & Verification of Building Performance

15. Inspect For Areas Containing Moisture or Bulk Water In Undesirable Locations 

We always want to find water leaks or standing water at the source.  This can be done using a thermal camera and looking for temperature differences or by just using some good sleuthing and feeling water lines with your hands and following them to less traveled places in the house.  Undesirable locations would be:

1. Along the side of the house due to poorly designed or installed drainage slopes.
2. Having an air handler in a crawl space or basement that is poorly vented and does not have a sump pump to remove excess moisture.
3. At plumbing or roofing leaks within walls or in the attic.

Inspecting for moisture can require some good sleuthing on your part as the energy auditor.  It is often a combination of inspections that reveal the moisture source and problem.  Here are the tools that will help identify any moisture sources.

1. Home interviews and questions relating to remodeling, knowledge of past leaky irrigation or plumbing problems, and draft locations.
2. An IR inspection of the interior and exterior of the home, including the crawl space and basement.
3. Visual inspection of the house for proper drainage along the perimeter of the home and roof slopes and gutters drainage.
4. Inspection for moisture sources around air handlers and furnaces, condensation lines, plumbing fixtures and sinks, toilets and showers.

Once you find a source of moisture it is a good idea to keep probing.  Remember that moisture will always go from wet to dry, so whatever building material is in the immediate area of the moisture source will likely also be water damaged.  Moisture problems should be removed at the source, not just the water damaged areas.

Next Section

3a. Applied diagnostics and troubleshooting

1. Application of measured air leakage test results 
   
2. Understand building shell/envelope leakage as a function of pressure difference and the size of holes in the air barrier 
3. Apply fundamental construction mathematics and unit conversions 
4. Calculate building tightness levels (minimum ventilation requirements) 
5. Calculate heating degree days and cooling degree days 
6. Identify proper appliance and combustion appliance venting 
   
7. Ventilation calculations and strategies 
   
8. Proper methods for identifying / testing fuel leaks 
   
9. Blower door setup, accurate measurement and interpretation of results 
10. Combustion Appliance Zone (CAZ): depressurization, spillage, draft, Carbon Monoxide (ambient and flue) 
11. Carbon Monoxide (CO) evaluation: ambient 
    
12. Proper applications and use of temperature measuring devices 
13. Pressure pan and room to room pressure diagnostics 
    
14. Recognize contributing factors to comfort problems 
    
15. Inspect for areas containing moisture or bulk water in undesirable locations 
16. Understand and inspect for basic electric safety (e.g. frayed wires, open boxes, etc)