Air leakage / Blower Door Test
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Water leakage is the most common cause of facade failure. Cornerstone carries out on-site water tightness testing to assess integrity of site construction as per intended design.
Cornerstone conducts hose testing or spray bar testing based on site type and requirement to validate water tightness of the site facade.
Site Hose testing is intended for the testing of permanently sealed joints of the installed cladding system to ensure that the fabrication and installation have not in any way reduced the performance of the system, and to check the performance of interfaces with adjacent systems that did not form part of the laboratory test.
The high pressure water spray should not dislodge gaskets or wet applied sealants unless they have been poorly installed or have not been allowed to cure. Water will be forced through small gaps in these types of seals and will find its way through unsealed joints between framing components.
At the beginning of the test the area at the lowest horizontal joint being tested is wetted first, the test moves progressively upwards along the intersecting vertical joints to the next horizontal joint. The required rate at which the hose is moved along the joint is 30 seconds for every 1.5m length that is tested.
The testing of permanently sealed ,closed jointed systems. (The hose spray should not dislodge gaskets or wet-applied sealants unless these have been poorly installed or not been allowed enough time to cure). It is also suitable to use on sloped claddings.
Typically 5% by length of critical joints shall be tested.
Site Hose Testing for Curtain Walls & Sloped Glazing Systems is done in accordance with the CWCT Standards for Systemised Building Envelopes: 2006, AAMA 501.2-09 & NHBC Standards 2011 Chapter 6.9 S10
The spray bar and nozzle should be aimed at the cladding face preferably above the joint so the flow of water runs down over the joint. The water spray should be running for 30 minutes and signs for leakage should be observed on the internal surface
The flow rate and pressure is controlled to give a continuous film of water to the face of the cladding system, water is therefore not forced into the joints and reflects an accurate weather test of the system.
It enables the designer to assess how water flows around penetrations and through systems. Spray bar method of testing is suitable for open – jointed systems (eg. rainscreen cladding, unsealed patent glazing, opening lights/doors and smoke vents.
The standard spray bar spans 4.8 metres with 12 nozzles but can be modified to suit the requirements of the site and job requirement
Spray bar testing is covered by the European Standard BS EN 13051: 2001, CWCT Standards 2011 & NHBC Standards 2011 Chapter 6.9 S1.
