Abstract

One of the major sources of water intrusion in buildings is through openings in walls caused by windows and other fenestrations, in particular the interface between the window and wall. Numerous flashing products, including self-adhered products, have recently been developed to protect this window-wall interface from moisture intrusion. However, the proper installation of these flashing products is not well understood and installation methods are often misused. Various installation methods have been developed and tested to evaluate performance and ease of installation. While most of the flashing installation development has been focused on residential flanged-style windows, effective installation methods for wood framed “brick mold” windows as well as other “nonflanged” windows have not previously been developed and tested. A series of laboratory wall tests were used to compare the air leakage resistance (ASTM E 283), water leakage resistance (ASTM E 331), and durability (ASTM E 330) of various flashing materials and installation methods. The performance and durability of flashing as installed with round top windows, brick mold windows, and nonflanged windows were tested and evaluated.

Issue Section:
Research Papers
Keywords:
Flashing performance, moisture intrusion, window installation, weather resistive barrier (WRB), housewrap, flanged window, nonflanged window, brick mold window

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