Air Barrier System controls the amount of air that moves through the building envelope (inwards or outwards).
The FOAMULAR® CodeBord™ Air Barrier System consists of three primary components:
- The FOAMULAR® CodeBord® extruded polystyrene rigid insulation (principal component);
- FoamSealR™ closed cell polyethylene sealing gasket; and
- Owens Corning Foam Sealant (if unavailable, a compatible low expansion foam sealant can be used as an alternative).
As the name suggests, the FOAMULAR® CodeBord™ Air Barrier System is a system and not a single product. It is intended primarily for residential wood-frame construction applications. The system is applied to the outside of the building frame and uses conventional and readily available construction products to control air leakage.
The FOAMULAR® CodeBord™ Air Barrier System uses a compression-type seal to achieve extraordinary levels of air-tightness, and durability. Walls utilizing this system have been tested to a pressure of 1,200 Pa (which is comparable to pressures exerted by hurricane force winds), meeting and surpassing the structural and air-tightness requirements as established by the National Research Council of Canada.
An insulating panel and gasket system on the outside of the building frame helps to control the leakage of air. Openings around windows and doors, and at other penetrations in the envelope, are sealed with foam, Owens Corning Acrylic Seam and Flashing Tape or caulking to provide the continuous air-tightness. The FOAMULAR® CodeBord™ Air Barrier System also makes use of conventional air barrier technologies (e.g. polyethylene, housewrap, tape, caulking etc.) as required in some cases to provide continuity across all building assemblies.