Ampack’s BBA certification includes Ampack’s internal system -Ampatex DB 90 airtightness vapour check,  The range of associated Ampack tapes is also listed as ancillary parts in the certificate. This certificate is the first in a new range of certification for Ampack.

DB90 BBA Certificate

The entire Ampack range comes with a unique ten year warranty. Ampack’s guarantee covers not just the replacement cost of materials but also any associated damages and the cost of any repairs, which makes it unique in the market. This warranty is particularly pertinent as Architects and Engineers assume greater levels of responsibility when certifying. The use of the Ampack system can essentially provide security over the building fabric.

Established in 1946, Swiss supplier Ampack is a market leader in building envelope protection products, and was reportedly the first company to commercially produce vapour checks. As a result Ampack have products installed and tested for over 35 years.

Ampack have been at the forefront of building protection systems for decades and have developed a name stands for high quality proven product’s. Ampack offer one of the largest ranges of airtight systems including a range of Butyl, Nail seal, UV stable tapes and a new SD variable membrane Variano – Another innovative product with a new type of surface designed for increased adhesion.

The Ampack Market leading 10 year warranty covers the cost of removal of all affected material, as well as the replacement of all damaged materials.

10 reasons for an airtight House

1. In the case of new buildings a permanent, airtight layer is now essentially a requirement.
2. New building regulations ensure that the assigned certifier must have correct detailing to avoid future construction damage
3. No draughts
4. Lower heating costs
5. No condensation in the construction
6. No mould formation
7. No damage to the building
8. Clear improvement in the quality of air in the rooms
9. Clear improvement in sound insulation
10. Ventilation systems work highly efficiently

These days, homeowners and clients expect more in terms of quality in their  homes. In particular, they pay special attention to their climate: It has to be comfortable, It should not damp or too dry and the energy costs must be kept within reason. In other words: Everything should be right, with no ifs or buts. Which is one more reason why the construction of new buildings should always be airtight.

Build well, build airtight

Heat loss due to a lack of airtightness is extremely expensive and can potentially cause great damage. The installation of a high quality airtight layer protects both your wallet and the value of the building. The amortisation of the investment over many years is clearly more relevant here than the short-term cost considerations.

Even the smallest joints and tears in the building shell can cause disastrous amounts of damage to a house and result in clearly escalating energy costs.

Construction Damage

Thermography: Blue = heat loss
resulting from ventilation = increase
in energy consumption and structural
damage.

Mould formation within a multi-layer
structural component.

Partel are the exclusive Irish and UK agent for the Ampack range of airtightness, wind-tightness, and building protection products. Ampack was founded in 1946 and is one of Europes most established specialist membrane and tape manufacturers.

“Our Ampack products offer a complete building protection system, from radon membranes to airtight membranes, tapes, adhesives, and wind-tight membranes, and Ampack’s unique 10 year guarantee ensures customers confidence in our range” .

Achieving airtightness for the new building regulations. 

At Partel we have worked on a standardisation of robust airtight details designed to ensure the following: -

1. Compliance with building regulations
2. Quality detailing to achieve excellent blower door results

Our details when applied correctly will always exceed the current building regulations and achieve lower than 0.6 air changes – the passive house standard

All of construction drawings are  available for free download at the links below

• Ampack Masonry construction details
• Ampack Timber frame construction details
• Tender Text External Systems
• Tender Text External Systems

Auto cad drawings available on request – contact us here 

At Partel we have worked on a standardisation of robust airtight details designed to ensure the following: -

1. Compliance with building regulations
2. Quality detailing to achieve excellent blower door results

Our details when applied correctly will always exceed the current building regulations and achieve lower than 0.6 air changes – the passive house standard

All of construction drawings are  available for free download at the links below

• Ampack Masonry construction details
• Ampack Timber frame construction details
• Tender Text External Systems
• Tender Text Internal systems

Auto cad drawings available on request – contact us here 

Ampack – The Air-tight and Wind-tight Systems Specialist

Builders, having very high standards when it comes to their own homes, especially with regard to the living environment, acknowledge the importance of air-tightness and wind-tightness. The house should be comfortable, not too damp or dry, and energy costs should be reasonable.

The Whole Is Always Greater Than The Sum of Its Parts

For 60 years now, Ampack has been developing systems and solutions that safely and professionally resolve all the problems associated with protecting the building envelope. Good products alone are not enough. This principle guides the continuous development of our product range and the design of our services. An air-tight and wind-tight building envelope can only be ensured if the products are installed correctly. This puts professional tradesmen in a tricky situation: new designs and construction products are constantly flooding the market making it more and more difficult for contractors to maintain an overview and become skilled at installing the products correctly.

Ampack offers more than just high-quality products. Professional tradesmen and specialist retailers who choose our services will benefit from our comprehensive building expertise, as well as:

- Our insulation-neutral product range

- Technical advice, including a phone hotline

- 10-year warranty

- Customer training

Training

During our training courses, participants learn how to use Ampack products safely and are provided with the knowledge necessary to answer the most important questions regarding safety standards, air- and wind-tightness, and application engineering. We seek to establish a direct dialogue with our partners. After all, who better to judge a product than someone who works with it every day? Your opinion is important to us and your input goes directly towards improving and enhancing our products. Training courses can be held either at our head office or at our partners’ premises. Contact us for available course dates.

10-year warranty

Warranties are a dime a dozen. But upon closer inspection, many warranties aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on. That’s why you should always read the small print. With Ampack, a tradesman can claim on our comprehensive warranty at any time within ten years of buying the product from a specialist retailer, provided that the terms and conditions are met. In an emergency, the claim will be processed quickly and competently by our technical advisers. Our warranty has been designed with your needs in mind and we’ve taken the broader context into consideration. We not only cover the replacement materials, but also the removal and installation costs, as well as any subsequent damages. In other words, you can count on Ampack.

It sounds like an obvious answer but until now very few people even consider it. It is an important part of the construction fabric and although it may not cause the same heat loss or structural damage as ineffective airtightness its benefits should not be overlooked.

This a change in thinking for many professionals who for years have been encouraged to have as much ventilation as possible in the roof space. In the past we were used to bituminous roof felts which created issues with condensation and construction damage and necessitated large amount of in roof ventilation (Wind !)

More recently various qualities of breathable membranes have come to the market which have helped but are not designed to deal with the levels of humidity in the modern homes and may still experience condensation if airtight measures are overlooked.

It is still possible to ventilate the roof as before but this allows the cold air to cool the insulation layer thereby affecting insulation performance. We should also consider that the average family home of 2 adults and 2 children can create 10 Litres of water vapour per day.  Airtight membranes are designed to stop >90% of water vapour and will allow the roof membrane to dry the construction without overloading. Improved results can be achieved by making your construction Windtight and Airtight.

Our windtight membranes (Roof felts) have two purposes – to protect the construction during the construction process and afterwards to form part of a breathable construction that can allow the construction to dry correctly.

Benefits,  Implications  

• Without windtightness U Values can be up to 1.5 times higher than the calculated figures due to thermal bypass
• Thermal bypass can occur when buildings are airtight but not windtight. This weakness allows air to move around or through insulation. In the roof, this occurs when the felt has not been taped or sealed at the eaves.
• Decreases losses associated with possible holes in the insulation layer.
• Decreases the chances of water ingress

Windtight membrane requirements

• Rain tight, airtight,vapour permeable and compatible with the airtight layer (Contact us for free WUFI analysis to ensure correct specification)
• High mechanical strength – Our Ampatop® Aero offers up to 3 times the tear resistance of some commonly used felts – Our higher grade Ampatop Protecta® offers almost 3 times that the tear resistance of Aero, and 5/6 times that of commonly used roof membranes.
• UV Stable, flame resistant, suitable for temperature ranges from -20° C  to +80° C

How to achieve windtight construction at roof level

Option 1

Windtight using Ampatop® Protecta windtight membrane, Ampacoll®XT 60 & Ampacoll® Superfix

Ampacoll® Superfix

Ampacoll®XT 60

Option 2

Windtight using Ampatop® Protecta plus windtight membrane with integrated tapes.

Windtight Accessories

We recommend making all penetrations wind tight and water tight using either  Ampacoll® BK535 – the award winning flexible butyl tape seen here sealing at chimneys and ventilation ducts.

BKF can withstand temperatures from -40° to +90 °C, is highly flexible – (moves with structural elements) and elastic ( can be formed in 3 dimensions)

Ampacoll BK535.

Nail Seals Ampacoll® ND Band

Nail seal tapes avoid rainwater penetration through the nailing and screw-fixing of battens and counter-battens.

Ampacoll® ND Band have a temperature range from- 25 °C up to + 75 °C

U-values are used to describe the thermal performance of building elements including floors, walls, windows, doors and roofs. This data is then used to calculate the energy performance of the whole building which in turn can impact on the size and cost of the specified insulation, heating system and overall cost of the development. U-values are calculated using a range of computerised calculators and in some cases manually. Many u-value calculators also assume that insulation layers are airtight meaning the use of the airtight layer is necessary to achieve specified u-values.

At Partel, we feel that in many cases, the calculated u-values may not truly reflect the installed u-values as the standard of installation can vary greatly. The installation factors that affect u-values are airtightness, windtightness, thermal bypass, damp construction, condensation and cold bridging.

Airtightness

Airtightness and the installation of a vapour control layer (VCL) is possibly the most important part of an installation as it can protect the structure of the roof from condensation, mould and structural damage. It contributes towards noise reduction, and allows and insulation to function correctly.

Breathable Construction

The correct installation of the appropriate VCL will ensure that a breathable construction is achieved which means that condensation of roof felt is avoided and that the roof can effectively ‘breath’ correctly. The quality of the installation is of utmost importance as weak points may be formed, which in certain weather conditions may generate condensation in the roof space. As a result, this may lead to mould and/or timber damage. Ampack’s extensive range of VCL solutions from DB 90 (fixed SD of 23), Resano (variable SD 0.9 to 12m), to Cento (fixed SD 100m), to name a few, ensures that the correct product for each construction type is available. Read more on SD values here.

Thermal Bypass

Thermal bypass can occur when buildings are in fact airtight. When airtight, air can still move around or through insulation. In the roof, this can occur when the felt has not been taped or sealed at the eaves. It can also happen in the walls where external insulation has been poorly fitted or where cavity walls have been partially filled

Windtight

Where a roof or window is not windtight, the performance of insulation can be dramatically affected, in that the wind will cool down the insulation. The location of the project, the exposure of the roof and the quality of the workmanship will determine the effect that the wind will have on the calculated u-value. It can be assumed that that the calculated u-value could adjust by 1.5 times where windtightness is ignored. This may not sound like a lot but consider if you had hoped to achieve a u-value of 0.16 and you actually achieve 0.24, this could result in a significant effect on heating demand and possibly compliance.

Regulation

In Sweden current practice allows for certain adjustments to the u-value of a property and such adjustment may acknowledge external factors such as workmanship, dimensions, services, material properties, wall ties, noggins and wall plates. Such adjustments to the u-value are known as ‘’Delta U’’ and the terms are based upon the difference between calculated and actual (measured) u-values. Contractors may endeavour to reduce the figure through controlled/supervised manufacture and detailed planning. The typical adjustment figure in Sweden is between 5% and 20%.

Summary

Given the recent issues we have with workmanship, planning and supervision we can assume that the overall u-value variations in constructed buildings can exceed or reach 20% as a standard. The implementation of more rigorous inspections may commence next year and that, together with the availability of higher quality materials and better knowledge, should lead to higher quality construction – something which we at Partel are striving to promote.

Ampack supply a complete range of windtight products, all of which are available with integrated windtight tapes for ease of installation. We also recommend that windows and doors be also sealed externally to avoid wind and water ingress using Ampacoll XT tapes

At Partel our free specification assistance, WUFI analysis and 10 year comprehensive guarantee can give security on the system specification.

References

Sean Doran BRE East Kilbride                Field investigations of the thermal performance

of construction elements as built 

See below an extract from our editorial in passive house + magazine

Galway-based company Partel has launched a range of specialist insulation, ventilation, and airtightness systems to the Irish market, aimed specifically at the low energy building sector. The company was founded by Hugh Whiriskey in 2011.

Partel is the exclusive Irish and UK agent for the Ampack range of airtightness, wind-tightness, and building protection products. Ampack was founded in 1946 and is one of Europes most established specialist membrane and tape manufacturers. “Our Ampack products offer a complete building protection system, from radon membranes to airtight membranes, tapes, adhesives, and wind-tight membranes, and Ampack’s unique 10 year guarantee ensures customers confidence in our range” said Hugh Whiriskey.

Partel also supplies the Lunos range of humidity activated decentralised ventilation systems. This range includes the award winning Lunos e2, one of the smallest heat recovery ventilation units in the world. The Lunos e2 system is not only duct free but  can be used in both new and retrofit construction. 

In addition, Partel offers the Schneider range of woodfibre insulation. “Schneider woodfibre is produced in one of the most modern factories in the world; the quality of the products is unparalleled,” Whiriskey said. “They amazingly have a zero waste production plant.” He explained that the woodfibre itself is produced from the by-products of timber production and that the waste from the insulation manufacturing process produces biomass that is then burned to power the plant (the equivilant of a population of 24 million). 

Partel have also partnered with Episat to bring the Epatherm range of calcium silicate insulation boards for use primarily in older buildings. Partel will launch its in-roof solar PV tiles in early September.

Whiriskey said that “As an Engineer with 15 years experience in construction I have found that there is a demand for higher quality building products, and that the focus will continue to move towards natural and sustainable products”. “We offer customised technical sales and provide support on all of our products from specification advice, WUFI analysis, training, and onsite inspections. We believe we have a lot to offer to the modern builder.

In addition to low energy buildings we have a number of Passivhaus and Enerphit projects on our books which we believe is a reflection of the quality of our products and  services”.  

Airtight Supplies

Wood Fibre

Calcium Silicate

Decentralised ventilation

Often referred to as airtight membranes know but should be classified as -

1. Vapour Checks
2. Vapour Barriers

Before we discuss the differences in 1 & 2 we need to discuss Vapour resistance, SD values and μ values.

Vapour resistance

The vapour resistance of a material is a measure of the material’s reluctance to let water vapour pass through. The μ (“mu-value”) of a material is also known as its “water vapour resistance factor”. It is a measure of the material’s relative reluctance to let water vapour pass through, and is measured in comparison to the properties of air. The μ value is a property of the bulk material and needs to be multiplied by the material’s thickness when used in a particular construction. Because the μ value is a relative quantity, it is just expressed as a number (it has no units)

Equivalent air layer thickness (sd value)

You might see the reluctance of a material to let water vapour pass through expressed as an “equivalent air layer thickness”, which is usually represented as sd. As its name suggests, the equivalent air layer thickness is measured in metres. Like vapour resistance, it can only be quoted for a particular thickness of material. The higher the SD Value the more resistant to vapour transmittance.

To convert an equivalent air layer thickness to a µ-value -sd is the symbol for equivalent air layer thickness

Divide by thickness in metres

Example: For a material with : sd = 2,000m and thickness = 100 mm, we have µ-value =2000 m / 0.1 m = 20000

3 Rules for the correct Installation of Vapour Barriers and Vapour Checks

1. Working ventilation or vapour permeable layer. low SD value. DB90, DB2, Sisalex 500

2. No Ventilation between insulation and vapour retardant outer skin.  Vapour barrier  with high SD value Sisalex 514 >1800

3. Locations with constant relative humidity such as swimming pools. Vapour barrier high SD value  Sisalex 514 >1800

Incorrect installation will lead to construction damage!

The images below show roofs where a Vapour check should of been installed.

To meet new U -Values for building regulations, achieve passive levels of airtightness and to minimise thermal bridging should we abandon the cavity wall in favour of timber frame or externally insulated masonry?

There are issues to overcome but what does cavity wall still offer that External Wall Insulation or Timber frame construction does not ?

• Familiarity to Architects, Engineers, Builders, tradesmen and home-owners
• Cost
• Skills
• Knowledge
• Lack of certification for newer products

What are the issues?

• Thermal bridging at Ground, floor, roof, windows and doors.
• Suitability for achieving airtightness
• Breathability
• Speed of construction

We believe that the downturn in economy has negated the issue of speed somewhat and the cost competitive nature of the industry has inspired architects and builders into finding new ways of overcoming the issues with cavity wall construction.

We recently worked with Greentec Eco homes on a passive cavity wall construction project that used quinn lite blocks to minimise thermal bridging at foundation level,  teplo ties as part of a 250mm pumped cavity wall, Ampack Airtight tapes and Membranes  to achieve a passive level air change rate of 0.37 ac/h, and innovative treble wallplate detail free from thermal bridging.

Manufacturers appear to believe the cavity wall is here to stay with Ampack  now producing 4 new airtight window tapes for Ireland and cavity walls – they can be seen here (Ampack Window installation tapes). Aeroboard producing supergrund foundations suitable for masonry, Xtratherm developing and producing Thin-R plus full fill cavity insulation, and teplo ties facilitating full fill cavity insulation up to 300mm.

A paper by Joseph Little of Joseph Little Architects studies the issues in greater detail  and while last updated in 2006 is still worth reading Partial Fill Cavity Walls: Have We Reached the Limits of the Technology? This paper while identifyng the positives and negatives also serves to highlight the changes and solutions that have been developed since 2006.

While timber frame and externally insulated masonry may offer  advantages in terms of speed, suitability for airtightness, and thermal bridging it is clear that the modified cavity wall has a future as it can compete on price, and has greater flexibility for finishes and cladding and is engrained in construction in Ireland and the UK.

Water comes from the outside? Well, yes …. but more moisture might be permeating the construction from inside the building shell than from the weather.
When vapour checks and airtight layers are used in accordance with
the standards, they provide the following benefits:

• Energy losses are reduced
• Condensation is avoided in the structure
• The formation of mould and structural damage is avoided
• Pollutants are avoided in the air within the rooms
• The noise-reduction mass in structural components is guaranteed
• The insulating effect of structural components is guaranteed
• The ability of ventilation systems to work properly is guaranteed

Therefore, it very quickly be comes clear that an incomplete or badly-fitted airtight layer bears a huge risk of damage and danger. We new have the correct membranes available to ensure the above problems do not occur. For more please see www.theinsulationstore.ie

Thermography: Blue = heat loss
resulting from ventilation = increase
in energy consumption and structural
damage.

Mould formation within a multi-layer
structural component.