www.epa.gov/iaq/moisture
Foreword: How to Use this Guidance
This document was developed by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Indoor
Environments Division. It provides practical guidance
on how to control moisture in buildings.1 It is not a
textbook, code or standard.
Who Should Read this Guide
This guide can be used by anyone who designs,
builds, operates or maintains buildings and heating,
ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment. It
was developed specifically for:
Chapter 1 focuses on principles of moisture control:
how water moves into and within a building and
why the movement of water should be controlled or
managed. Chapters 2, 3 and 4 provide professionspecific guidance for the design, construction and
maintenance phases of a building's life. To illustrate
how core concepts and principles relate to each stage
of a building's life, each guidance chapter contains
hyperlinks to relevant principles described in Chapter
1 and other related material throughout the text. Each
guidance chapter also includes methods for verifying
the appropriate implementation of the moisture
control recommendations and a reference section
that identifies additional related resources for readers
interested in more detailed information.
• Professionals who design buildings and produce
drawings, specifications and contracts for
construction or renovation.
• Professionals who erect buildings from the
construction documents.
• Professionals who operate and maintain buildings,
conducting preventive maintenance, inspecting the
landscape, building interior and exterior equipment
and finishes and performing maintenance and
repairs.
NOTE: This document does not address flood water control. For information about managing flood water, see http://www.epa.gov/naturalevents/flooding.html or http://www.epa.
gov/naturalevents/hurricanes/. Accessed on November 6, 2013.
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