The Effect of Air leakage through the Air Cavities of Building Walls on Mold Growth Risks

Yonghui Li, Xinyuan Dang, Changchang Xia, Yan Ma, Daisuke Ogura and Shuichi Hokoi
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Yonghui Li: School of Architecture, Southeast University, #2 Sipailou, Xuanwu District, Nanjing 210096, Jiangsu Province, China
Xinyuan Dang: School of Architecture, Southeast University, #2 Sipailou, Xuanwu District, Nanjing 210096, Jiangsu Province, China
Changchang Xia: School of Architecture, Southeast University, #2 Sipailou, Xuanwu District, Nanjing 210096, Jiangsu Province, China
Yan Ma: School of Architecture, Southeast University, #2 Sipailou, Xuanwu District, Nanjing 210096, Jiangsu Province, China
Daisuke Ogura: Department of Architecture and Architectural Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyotodaigaku-Katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto 6158540, Japan
Shuichi Hokoi: School of Architecture, Southeast University, #2 Sipailou, Xuanwu District, Nanjing 210096, Jiangsu Province, China

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 5, 1-20

Abstract: Mold growth poses a high risk to a large number of existing buildings and their users. Air leakage through the air cavities of the building walls, herein gaps between walls and air conditioner pipes penetrating the walls, may increase the risks of interstitial condensation, mold growth and other moisture-related problems. In order to quantify the mold growth risks due to air leakage through air cavity, an office room in a historical masonry building in Nanjing, China, was selected, and its indoor environment has been studied. Fungi colonization can be seen on the surface of air conditioner pipes in the interior side near air cavity of the wall. Hygrothermometers and thermocouples logged interior and exterior temperature and relative humidity from June 2018 to January 2020. The measured data show that in summer the outdoor humidity remained much higher than that of the room, while the temperature near the air cavity stays lower than those of the other parts in the room. Hot and humid outdoor air may condense on the cold wall surface near an air cavity. A two-dimensional hygrothermal simulation was made. Air leakage through the air cavities of walls proved to be a crucial factor for mold growth.

Keywords: building walls; air cavity; summer condensation; mold growth risks; air-conditioner (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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