Moisture Accumulation in Insulated Walls in Cold Regions

Abstract

A study to determine the amount of moisture that has accumulated in insulation systems in structures in cold regions is described and the data analyzed. The study region is interior Alaska. Moisture contents are found to be relatively low as an overall average (less that 2% by volume), but many individual structures have enough moisture in their insulation to raise the heat loss from the structure by as much as 300%. Moisture content is compared for north‐ and south‐facing walls and found to be approximately the same in both directions. Moisture content is also found to be independent of the location on the wall and the age of the structure. The effect of summer drying is also assessed and discussed. A significant summer drying effect was found, which reduced the moisture in the wall by 32–82% for some structures in this location.