1 day course on airtightness in self build

self_builder

Can anyone pm me the details of this course


EDIT: Sydthebeat

After Hexosans good work throughout this thread, the following edit is is a synopsis of the two air tightness courses referred to throughout this thread.
It makes sense to have these appear in the first post.

......................................................................................................................................................

Service Provider: Ecological Building Solutions
Location: Athboy, Co. Meath
Fee: €95.00
Associated Brand: Pro Clima

Just an update on the pro clima airtightness course offered by ecological building systems the price has now increased for €75 to €95

Below is an extract of the course content.


Training Program
Each participant will receive a certificate of attendance, samples, a memory stick loaded with relative information , a complete airtightness DVD filmed in Ireland, direct contact with senior engineers and expert airtightness craftsmen and lunch.

Training rates are based on €95.00 per person. Payment must be received in advance via Credit Card or Bank Transfer.
5CPD points rewarded on completion of course.

9.30am
Introduction-Thermal insulation materials: Types, uses, applications and their environmental impacts.-Using natural insulation to reduce CO2 emissions and energy costs.-Thermal specifications, U, R and k values,

10.30am
Coffee Break

10.45am
Natural Insulation Applications and Specifications-Past, present and future building regulations requirements-Complying to regulations with external and internal insulation -Addressing the risks with internal insulation of solid masonry walls-Recommendations for attaining Passive House levels of performance-Recommendations for new buildings-Recommendations for existing buildings

12.00 pm
Air-Tightness & Intelligent Moisture Management-Introduction to airtightness-Condensation and ventilation considerations-Intelligent moisture management-On site details and recommendations-Material specifications for airtightness

1pm
Lunch

2pm
Hands on Practical Application and Demonstrations-Air leakage test demonstration with the pro clima WINCON in our demo house-Internal and external natural insulation demonstrations for roofs, walls and floors-Practical airtightness installation with pro clima airtightness products with an airtightness installation expert-Summary-Questions and answers

4.30pm
End of Training

........................................................................................................................................................................


Service Provider: METAC
Location: Mountrath, Co. Laois
Fee: €65.00
Associated Brand: SIGA / Ampac


Since i done one i might as well do the other for fairness. The update on the airtightness course offered by Metac, the price has now increased from €50 to €65. They have also changed the brand they use from Siga to Ampack. Below is an extract from there course booklet.


Next course - 4th April

Ampack Certification, certificate of attendance & Completion CPD available on completion

AIR & WIND TIGHTNESS AND INSULATION

Overview of insulation properties including U, R and K Values.
Insulation advantages and disadvantages along with all environmental impacts. Natural Insulations and Responsible specification

AIR-TIGHTNESS & ITS EXECUTION ON SITE

Introduction to Air-tightness
Air-tightness & Building Regulations
Condensation dangers and their impacts
Ventilation considerations
Intelligent moisture management
Conventional Details for Irish Construction
Material specifications for specific Air-tightness applications Questions and answers

WIND TIGHTNESS & ITS EXECUTION ON SITE

Introduction to Wind-tightness
Condensation dangers and their impacts
Ventilation considerations & cross Battening
Types of Wind-tight barriers advantages &disadvantages Conventional Details for Irish Construction
Questions and answers

HANDS ON PRACTICAL APPLICATION AND DEMONSTRATIONS

Insulation demonstrations for roofs, walls and floors
Practical Air-tightness installation with Ampack Air - tightness membranes
Practical Air-tightness to windows and membrane penetrations with Ampack window tapes. Practical Wind-tightness installation with Ampack
Wind-tightness membranes & Tapes
Summary/Questions and answers

*Each participant will receive a sample pack with material samples brochures and an Irish detail hand book.

Roundtd181

Please forward to me also. Thanks

Poco90

Pm sent.

Tim Toolman

Can I get details of this PM to me also please.

hexosan

Not sure if the mods will allow me to post the names this but there are two places in the country that I've found running this course. If someone can let me know ill post the info it not I can PM the details.

muffler

hexosan wrote: »

Not sure if the mods will allow me to post the names this but there are two places in the country that I've found running this course. If someone can let me know ill post the info it not I can PM the details.

Can you PM me the details and I'll have a look and talk to the other mods and could you also confirm if you have any association. Cheers.

hexosan

i'll PM the details. I've no affiliation to these companies. i'm hoping to start a new buid myslf in the next few months. (mortgge permitting)

rockabaloo

I would also be interested in these details if they are allowed to be made public.

hexosan

PM's sent to all who were looking for the details.

Roundtd181

Thanks vey much Hexosan

dos30

Can you pm me details aswell please

Lyixd

Could you pm me also please?

john_cappa

In for pm, should be allowed to be posted no?

hexosan

There are two airtightness course that I know of been run.

1. The Siga airtightness products sponsered course throught www.metac.ie in Mountrath, Laois which is €50. There's no real info on their site about it but if you ring them you can book it. Think they run it monthly

2. The Pro-Clima airtightness products sponsored course through www.ecologicalbuilding.com in Athboy which is €75. They have some info on their site and you can download a PDF file with the details and course lay out.

Google both for contact information.

*Just to confirm that the forum mods have approved the posting of the above details*

Hope this is helpful to everyone.

Hexosan.

john_cappa

Thanks!

hexosan

hexosan wrote: »

There are two airtightness course that I know of been run.

1. The Siga airtightness products sponsered course throught www.metac.ie in Mountrath, Laois which is €50. There's no real info on their site about it but if you ring them you can book it. Think they run it monthly

2. The Pro-Clima airtightness products sponsored course through www.ecologicalbuilding.com in Athboy which is €75. They have some info on their site and you can download a PDF file with the details and course lay out.

Google both for contact information.

*Just to confirm that the forum mods have approved the posting of the above details*

Hope this is helpful to everyone.

Hexosan.

Any idea on which is the best value/quality brand ?

hexosan

Deleted User wrote: »

Any idea on which is the best value/quality brand ?

No clue I'm afraid it's up too yourself to do the research and make the decision

soldsold

I haven't posted in this forum for a while as I'm finished building, but I'll offer my opinion having used both pro-clima and Siga tapes.

Firstly, the tape prices in the hardware stores are way higher than the prices you will get buying in bulk. Maybe 30% higher or so, best is to make a deal on a bulk buy with a set price for any extra tapes needed.

I did the SIGA airtightness course, and it was worth doing but I also visited the pro-clima training room while I was looking for other materials and they have a good setup with really expert staff.

I put a sample of the green SIGA tape on a pair of football boots to stop them digging into my heels, and 80 or so matches/ training sessions over a full year later the tape showed no signs of peeling off. It was ripped a bit in places where it got scratched but the glue on the tape was totally waterproof and lasted without a hint of peeling off. Still very sticky.

I used the paper based yellow tape (cant even remember who makes it) for taping the joints on my HRV pipes, as it was easy to tear and peel off the backing paper - the green SIGA tape sticks to your fingers and is awkward to use. I removed a few joints lately and even after slicing through the tape it was really hard to separate the HRV piping joints. I had been advised to use screws at each joint but there is no way I could see this tape coming off for a long number of years.

The yellow tubes of mastic are very good to stick to raw blockwork. What I did was squeeze out a strip of this airtight mastic, smear into the blockwork with my finger (better to wear a light disposable glove as it's hard to wash off you finger) to make a flat strip about 20mm thick. Let it set then use any tape to tape an airtight fabric to the blockwork using any of the available tapes.

I found the green SIGA tape was not too effective to tape to solitex membrane which I used to make window reveals airtight. Wherever the membrane wasnt completely flat, the green tape (that had stuck to my football boots) came away from the membrane and potentially allowed a leak. Pro clima blue tape (Tescon I think, its a while back so I cant remember the name) stuck to the solitex membrane pretty well. I think Pro Clima do a basic cheaper tape too that is worth looking into.

In my opinion the best tapes for taping OSB boards together are basically the cheapest ones available. I used SIGA, Pro Clima, and the black MOY tapes on osb boards and they all worked well. The cheaper Pro Clima tape would be good here if its still being made. Maybe its because 15mm OSB boards have a glue to bind it together that the tapes can stick to easily.

Sticking tapes to airtight membrane was a bit trickier, however I only used pro clima solitex plus around window reveals and maybe the actual airtight membrane is easier to stick to.

I also used strips of the blue mastic on a roll (cant remember the name but its about 10mm wide, 6mm thick blue mastic). It worked well and easy to get consistent application over a length of fabric. And it sticks like glue to everything so is a good option if the price is acceptable. In a way I was happier using the yellow mastic and smearing it into place with my finger to get into the holes in blockwork etc then having to use tape to stick this dried mastic to the blockwork but no question that the blue mastic on a roll works well on surfaces that arent dusty and gives a consistent thickness that is hard to do with a tube based mastic. It's also very good to bind cables together before pushing them through holes in the airtight layer.

An airtight test helps to find any gaps that were missed, I borrowed an infra red gun that showed up holes in the airtight layer very easily. I didnt do a final test, no particular reason except that I knew the job was carefully done and I wasnt too concerned about the result. Having said that, an airtight test result tells you if the job is done properly or not so can answer that question very quickly.

Overall airtightness is a lot of work, we used 15mm OSB boards/ scratchcoated block walls as the main airtight barrier and definitely without question if I was re building I would go the airtight route again. Combined with a HRV system the air is fresh, clothes are fresh, moisture is removed, mildew/ mould are history, the house is draught free and I'm sure more soundproof as sound gets through holes just as warm air does. It adds a bit to the cost of the build but its easy DIY work and you only get one chance.

Hope this info helps!

Steve

muffler

Great post soldsold. Well done

hexosan

Just an update on the pro clima airtightness course offered by ecological building systems the price has now increased for €75 to €95

Below is an extract of the course content.


Training Program
Each participant will receive a certificate of attendance, samples, a memory stick loaded with relative information , a complete airtightness DVD filmed in Ireland, direct contact with senior engineers and expert airtightness craftsmen and lunch.

Training rates are based on €95.00 per person. Payment must be received in advance via Credit Card or Bank Transfer.
5CPD points rewarded on completion of course.

9.30am
Introduction-Thermal insulation materials: Types, uses, applications and their environmental impacts.-Using natural insulation to reduce CO2 emissions and energy costs.-Thermal specifications, U, R and k values,

10.30am
Coffee Break

10.45am
Natural Insulation Applications and Specifications-Past, present and future building regulations requirements-Complying to regulations with external and internal insulation -Addressing the risks with internal insulation of solid masonry walls-Recommendations for attaining Passive House levels of performance-Recommendations for new buildings-Recommendations for existing buildings

12.00 pm
Air-Tightness & Intelligent Moisture Management-Introduction to airtightness-Condensation and ventilation considerations-Intelligent moisture management-On site details and recommendations-Material specifications for airtightness

1pm
Lunch

2pm
Hands on Practical Application and Demonstrations-Air leakage test demonstration with the pro clima WINCON in our demo house-Internal and external natural insulation demonstrations for roofs, walls and floors-Practical airtightness installation with pro clima airtightness products with an airtightness installation expert-Summary-Questions and answers

4.30pm
End of Training

hexosan

Forgot to mention you can get the above DVD for free by filling out the contact section on their website and requesting a copy in the notes section.

http://www.ecologicalbuildingsystems.com/contact/

hexosan

Since i done one i might as well do the other for fairness. The update on the airtightness course offered by Metac, the price has now increased from €50 to €65. They have also changed the brand they use from Siga to Ampack. Below is an extract from there course booklet.


Next course - 4th April

Ampack Certification, certificate of attendance & Completion CPD available on completion

AIR & WIND TIGHTNESS AND INSULATION

Overview of insulation properties including U, R and K Values.
Insulation advantages and disadvantages along with all environmental impacts. Natural Insulations and Responsible specification

AIR-TIGHTNESS & ITS EXECUTION ON SITE

Introduction to Air-tightness
Air-tightness & Building Regulations
Condensation dangers and their impacts
Ventilation considerations
Intelligent moisture management
Conventional Details for Irish Construction
Material specifications for specific Air-tightness applications Questions and answers

WIND TIGHTNESS & ITS EXECUTION ON SITE

Introduction to Wind-tightness
Condensation dangers and their impacts
Ventilation considerations & cross Battening
Types of Wind-tight barriers advantages &disadvantages Conventional Details for Irish Construction
Questions and answers

HANDS ON PRACTICAL APPLICATION AND DEMONSTRATIONS

Insulation demonstrations for roofs, walls and floors
Practical Air-tightness installation with Ampack Air - tightness membranes
Practical Air-tightness to windows and membrane penetrations with Ampack window tapes. Practical Wind-tightness installation with Ampack
Wind-tightness membranes & Tapes
Summary/Questions and answers

*Each participant will receive a sample pack with material samples brochures and an Irish detail hand book.

hexosan

Next airtightness course with ecological building systems is the 17th April.

hexosan

Next course with ecological building systems is 16th May and the Metac course is 23rd May.
I've booked in for the ecological course and will post an update once I've completed it.

Perhaps one of the mods could move the posts with both courses info to the start of the thread to make it easier for people searching.

tootsy70

Is there anywhere online i can watch how you achieve air tightness in a house. Dont really know anything about hows its done and ive worked in construction for over 20 years

hexosan

tootsy70 wrote: »

Is there anywhere online i can watch how you achieve air tightness in a house. Dont really know anything about hows its done and ive worked in construction for over 20 years

Try YouTube

smellyfinger

tootsy70 wrote: »

Is there anywhere online i can watch how you achieve air tightness in a house. Dont really know anything about hows its done and ive worked in construction for over 20 years

try a guy <snip>. he runs courses now and then on this.

Mod edit

Please read our Forum Charter

oinkely

For anyone interested in the area i found the Ecological Building systems course to be very good. I did it a while back (February I think) and felt it covered a lot of material in one day and with the afternoon given over to a practical demo and practice on using the airtight membranes, tapes etc it was very good.

haven't done the other one but would recommend the one I did do.

What i took away from it was that airtightness is all about attention to detail and installing the membranes etc can be done by and interested home builder. You don't need to be an expert (though I am quites sure an expert would do the job a lot quicker), you just need to take your time and watch the details.

Ush1

soldsold wrote: »

I haven't posted in this forum for a while as I'm finished building, but I'll offer my opinion having used both pro-clima and Siga tapes.

Firstly, the tape prices in the hardware stores are way higher than the prices you will get buying in bulk. Maybe 30% higher or so, best is to make a deal on a bulk buy with a set price for any extra tapes needed.

I did the SIGA airtightness course, and it was worth doing but I also visited the pro-clima training room while I was looking for other materials and they have a good setup with really expert staff.

I put a sample of the green SIGA tape on a pair of football boots to stop them digging into my heels, and 80 or so matches/ training sessions over a full year later the tape showed no signs of peeling off. It was ripped a bit in places where it got scratched but the glue on the tape was totally waterproof and lasted without a hint of peeling off. Still very sticky.

I used the paper based yellow tape (cant even remember who makes it) for taping the joints on my HRV pipes, as it was easy to tear and peel off the backing paper - the green SIGA tape sticks to your fingers and is awkward to use. I removed a few joints lately and even after slicing through the tape it was really hard to separate the HRV piping joints. I had been advised to use screws at each joint but there is no way I could see this tape coming off for a long number of years.

The yellow tubes of mastic are very good to stick to raw blockwork. What I did was squeeze out a strip of this airtight mastic, smear into the blockwork with my finger (better to wear a light disposable glove as it's hard to wash off you finger) to make a flat strip about 20mm thick. Let it set then use any tape to tape an airtight fabric to the blockwork using any of the available tapes.

I found the green SIGA tape was not too effective to tape to solitex membrane which I used to make window reveals airtight. Wherever the membrane wasnt completely flat, the green tape (that had stuck to my football boots) came away from the membrane and potentially allowed a leak. Pro clima blue tape (Tescon I think, its a while back so I cant remember the name) stuck to the solitex membrane pretty well. I think Pro Clima do a basic cheaper tape too that is worth looking into.

In my opinion the best tapes for taping OSB boards together are basically the cheapest ones available. I used SIGA, Pro Clima, and the black MOY tapes on osb boards and they all worked well. The cheaper Pro Clima tape would be good here if its still being made. Maybe its because 15mm OSB boards have a glue to bind it together that the tapes can stick to easily.

Sticking tapes to airtight membrane was a bit trickier, however I only used pro clima solitex plus around window reveals and maybe the actual airtight membrane is easier to stick to.

I also used strips of the blue mastic on a roll (cant remember the name but its about 10mm wide, 6mm thick blue mastic). It worked well and easy to get consistent application over a length of fabric. And it sticks like glue to everything so is a good option if the price is acceptable. In a way I was happier using the yellow mastic and smearing it into place with my finger to get into the holes in blockwork etc then having to use tape to stick this dried mastic to the blockwork but no question that the blue mastic on a roll works well on surfaces that arent dusty and gives a consistent thickness that is hard to do with a tube based mastic. It's also very good to bind cables together before pushing them through holes in the airtight layer.

An airtight test helps to find any gaps that were missed, I borrowed an infra red gun that showed up holes in the airtight layer very easily. I didnt do a final test, no particular reason except that I knew the job was carefully done and I wasnt too concerned about the result. Having said that, an airtight test result tells you if the job is done properly or not so can answer that question very quickly.

Overall airtightness is a lot of work, we used 15mm OSB boards/ scratchcoated block walls as the main airtight barrier and definitely without question if I was re building I would go the airtight route again. Combined with a HRV system the air is fresh, clothes are fresh, moisture is removed, mildew/ mould are history, the house is draught free and I'm sure more soundproof as sound gets through holes just as warm air does. It adds a bit to the cost of the build but its easy DIY work and you only get one chance.

Hope this info helps!

Steve

Would airtightness be a bit of a waste if not used in conjunction with HRV? As in, just windows and wall vents for fresh air.

MicktheMan

Ush1 wrote: »

Would airtightness be a bit of a waste if not used in conjunction with HRV? As in, just windows and wall vents for fresh air.

No.

Ventilation is designed for a building and can be (should be able to be) controlled.

Air tightness (or lack of) is the un-intended holes, gaps and cracks in the building fabric which allow air into and out of the building in an uncontrolled manner causing occupant discomfort and wasted energy.

However, MVHR needs a good level of airtightness for the HR part to work efficiently.

Ush1

MicktheMan wrote: »

No.

Ventilation is designed for a building and can be (should be able to be) controlled.

Air tightness (or lack of) is the un-intended holes, gaps and cracks in the building fabric which allow air into and out of the building in an uncontrolled manner causing occupant discomfort and wasted energy.

However, MVHR needs a good level of airtightness for the HR part to work efficiently.

Cheers.

Not to hijack the thread but would the likes of an airtight membrane only be used with soft type insulation or could it be used with rigid boards such as kingspan? Would taping the joints on the foil side of the rigid insulation be able work in the same way?

MicktheMan

Ush1 wrote: »

Cheers.

Not to hijack the thread but would the likes of an airtight membrane only be used with soft type insulation or could it be used with rigid boards such as kingspan? Would taping the joints on the foil side of the rigid insulation be able work in the same way?

Context?

Ush1

MicktheMan wrote: »

Context?

Just internally insulating a house starting with the attic. Insulating between and below rafters. House has no mhrv and ventilation is natural in rooms with just vents and windows.

MicktheMan

Ush1 wrote: »

Just internally insulating a house starting with the attic. Insulating between and below rafters. House has no mhrv and ventilation is natural in rooms with just vents and windows.

The airtight barrier needs to be on the warm side of the insulation, continuous and sealed to the next airtight barrier at junctions etc. It must be capable of lasting (staying airtight) the lifetime of the build.

Btw, is the attic space going to be used (other than for storage). If not, why insulate the rafters in an attic?

Ush1

MicktheMan wrote: »

The airtight barrier needs to be on the warm side of the insulation, continuous and sealed to the next airtight barrier at junctions etc. It must be capable of lasting (staying airtight) the lifetime of the build.

Btw, is the attic space going to be used (other than for storage). If not, why insulate the rafters in an attic?

It will be living space. So taping the foil back on the rigid boards forming a vapour control layer wouldn't be enough, would also need a siga membrane?

MicktheMan

Ush1 wrote: »

It will be living space. So taping the foil back on the rigid boards forming a vapour control layer wouldn't be enough, would also need a siga membrane?

Yes (and probably cheaper too (materials and labour) than taping all joints/junctions with airtight tape).

Ush1

MicktheMan wrote: »

Yes (and probably cheaper too (materials and labour) than taping all joints/junctions with airtight tape).

Thanks, and would the rigid boards be preferable to the soft type rolls of insulation?

I believe the rigid boards generally have better u values.

Curious Geroge

Wondering if there are any upcoming courses this year ?

john_cappa

I was at the one in mountrath recently (not sure if allowed link).

My thoughts.....

1) it was a massive sales pitch

2) if you were planning on doing it yourself then you need a lot of time and to be "handy and tasty" ( if you get what I am saying) do install yourself.

Phirstclass

1) it was a massive sales pitch

...have to agree with the above

BryanF

Lads I fail to see the problem with a company running a course? You knew that, when registering, the product name is in the title.

Partel

Hi - We run the course in Mountrath - Thanks for the feedback.

<snip> sponsor the course - This allows us to keep the price that low - Acknowledging that it is <snip> certs provided afterwards it’s important that we give an overview of their products and their advantages. It is also necessary to be aware of their different tapes and membranes in order to fit them correctly and in the correct locations!

During the course we also try to give a building physics overview including the breathability of materials and membranes together with an understanding of how the airtightness products work with various insulations while acknowledging the importance of ventilation. It is our belief that the theoretical aspect of airtightness is as important as the applications.

We have tried to give as much information and practical application details within the 1 day course as is possible but we are now running a more intensive 3 day course which includes 2 days of installation at your chosen project together with 1 day of theory.

BryanF

we don't advertise companies or products here.

white_westie

Apologies for bumping an old thread.:o
Had a blower door test done on my mid 1980's 3bed semid house and i was recommended to improve the airtightness.
As it will be a long term project, I am going to give it a go myself, so looking at doing one of the 1day courses listed in the OP to see some practical demos of the products.

In the context that my project will involve older materials/stained/sealed surfaces/restricted access, rather than the more modern materials with clear access found in a new build - would anyone recommend one over another (PM if need be)?