Energy Savings Plus Health | INDOOR AIR QUALITY GUIDELINES FOR MULTIFAMILY BUILDING UPGRADES 47
PRIORITY ISSUE 16.0 COMPARTMENTALIZATION TO PREVENT ODOR OR UNWANTED AIR TRANSFER (continued)
ASSESSMENT
PROTOCOLS (AP)
MINIMUM ACTIONS (MA)
EXPANDED
ACTIONS (EA)
separating dwelling units in the same building, walls separating sleeping
units in the same building, shall be treated as fire partitions.
• If new ventilation systems are being installed, avoid pressurizing corridors
or depressurizing dwelling units more than 5 Pascals below the pressure in
adjacent units.
• If common hallways are intentionally pressurized with respect to the dwelling
units, then doors in the dwelling units leading to the common hallways
need not be weather-stripped, provided that dwelling units are at a negative
pressure relative to the hallways of 1 Pascal or greater when the doors
between the hallway dwelling unit are closed.
Notes:
(1) Compartmentalization is intended to reduce odors due to unwanted air
transfer, but it does not eliminate them.
(2) Compartmentalization activities must consider ventilation system design
and operating characteristics to reduce driving forces for unintended airflow
between dwelling units.
(3) When air sealing, the air barrier assembly must have been evaluated by
the Air Barrier Association of America (ABAA) and installed according to
manufacturer's specifications. Fire-rated assemblies must be sealed using
approved fire-rated materials. The fire rating requirements supersede the
ABAA evaluation requirement.
References for Priority Issue 16.0 Compartmentalization to Control Odor or Unwanted
Air Transfer:
ABAA: Air Barrier Materials, Components, Assemblies & Systems
ASHRAE: Standard 62.2-2013 – Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Low-Rise Residential Buildings
ASTM E779-10: Standard Test Method for Determining Air Leakage Rate by Fan Pressurization
ASTM E1186-03 (2009): Standard Practices for Air Leakage Site Detection in Building Envelopes and Air Barrier Systems
ASTM E1827-11: Standard Test Methods for Determining Airtightness of Buildings Using an Orifice Blower Door
DOE: Standard Work Specifications for Multi-Family Home Energy Upgrades, Section 3: Air Sealing
EPA: Building Air Quality Action Plan, Step 2: Develop an IAQ Profile of Your Building, Part 2: Conduct a Walkthrough
International Code Council: International Building Code, 2012 Edition
UL: Fire-Resistance and Smoke Protection
