Masonry Magazine August 2016 Page. 28
AIR BARRIERS
mean it should be installed without proper qualification. if This is a particularly salient point
.....
when it comes to fluid-applied air bar�riers. These systems have grown in pop�ularity, and justifiably so, given their
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relatively low cost, ease of achieving high-quality installation, and time-tested ability to avoid displacement lr (not just during the construction phase butover the service life ofthe building), among a host of other benefits. How-� --~"' ever, a fluid-applied air barrier prod�
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uct that is not specifically identified as a WRB by the manufacturer probably has not been evaluated to perform as a Afluid-applied air barrier has been easily applied to aCMU backup wall around protruding brick ties.
WRB per ICC-IBC Sec. 1404.2.
Because a fluid-applied material comes out of a bucket or drum, it lacks brand and other identifiers once installed on the wall. Likewise, unfortunately, it lacks any code com�pliance references on the wall.
To realize the benefits ofa fluid-applied air water-resistive barrier (AWRB), the barrier must be capable ofperforming both air and water control in an installed environment. The IECC requirements for air barrier materials and assemblies are limited to air control. To validate the performance of fluid-applied barriers as water-resistive barriers, ICC Evaluation Service has established Acceptance Criteria 212. ICC-ES AC-212 for a Water-Resistive Coating to be used as a Water-Resistive Barrier on Sheathed Construction. To pass the acceptance criteria is to pass the ICC-ES's stringent third�party testing, which transcends a manufacturer's sample tests in a lab and includes structural, racking, restrained
26 I MASONRY � August 2016 � www.masoncontractors.org The Voice of the Masonry Industry