ASTM_E_2321_-_03_2011.pdf

Designation:E232103(Reapproved 2011)Standard Practice forUse of Test Methods E96/E96M for Determining the WaterVapor Transmission(WVT)of Exterior Insulation and FinishSystems(EIFS)1This standard is issued under the fixed designation E2321;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This standard describes how to use Test MethodsE96/E96M to determine the water vapor transmission(WVT)characteristics of an EIFS sample.1.2 An Exterior Insulation and Finish System(EIFS)is amultilayer exterior building wall material that consists of anumber of layers.For the purpose of this standard,these layers,whether they be individual EIFS component materials in singlelayers,or groups of EIFS component materials,are called the“EIFS sample.”1.3 The Water Method,Procedures B and D described insection X1.1.2 and X1.1.5 of Appendix X1 of Test MethodsE96/E96M shall be used in this standard.1.4 This standard is limited to specimens not over 114in.(32 mm)in thickness,except as provided in Section 9 of thisstandard.1.5 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regardedas the standard.Metric inch-pound conversion factors for watervapor transmission,permeance,and permeability are stated inTable 1 of Test Methods E96/E96M.All conversions of mm Hgto Pa are made at a temperature of 0C.1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2E96/E96M Test Methods for Water Vapor Transmission ofMaterialsE631 Terminology of Building ConstructionsE2110 Terminology for Exterior Insulation and Finish Sys-tems(EIFS)3.Terminology3.1 For definitions of general terms relating to:3.1.1 Water vapor transmission of materials,see Test Meth-ods E96/E96M.3.1.2 Building construction,see Terminology E631.3.1.3 EIFS,see Terminology E2110.4.Summary of Practice4.1 This standard describes how to determine the watervapor transmission(WVT)of the EIFS sample,using the WaterMethod,Procedures B and D,of Test Methods E96/E96M.Inthe Water Method,the dish or tray contains distilled water,andthe water vapor passes through the test specimen from theinside of the dish to the chamber is which the specimen iscontained.Eventually the rate of vapor flow stabilizes,and byweighting the change in weight over time,the water vaportransmission of the EIFS sample can be calculated.4.1.1 For both Procedures,three specimens shall be used.4.1.1.1 Procedure B shall be used for specimens that inactual use on a building would have the higher humidity on theindoor side of the wall.4.1.1.2 Procedure D shall be used,for specimens that inactual use on a building would have the higher humidity on theoutdoor side of the wall.5.Significance and Use5.1 The purpose of this test is to obtain steady state valuesof water vapor transfer through the EIFS sample.This charac-teristic of EIFS is commonly requested by regulatory anddesign organizations,and is used in thermal and moisturestudies of building walls.The degree to which an EIFS allowswater vapor to pass through it can affect the performance of anEIFS wall assembly.5.2 A permeance value obtained under one set of testconditions does not indicate the value under a different set of1This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E06 on Perfor-mance of Buildings and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E06.58 onExterior Insulation and Finish Systems(EIFS).Current edition approved Nov.15,2011.Published December 2011.Originallyapproved in 2003.Last previous edition approved in 2003 as E2321 03.DOI:10.1520/E2321-03R11.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 conditions.For this reason,the test conditions selected arethose that most closely approach the conditions of use for EIFScomponents and assemblies.5.3 This standard should not be used alone as the sole meansfor evaluating the water vapor transmission characteristics of agiven EIFS wall assembly.Other methods are available,andshould be considered and used as appropriate.5.4 To be meaningful in evaluating the thermal and moisturecondition of a given EIFS wall assembly,the specimens used inthis standard should represent closely the materials that actu-ally exist,or will exist,on a given building.6.Apparatus6.1 The apparatus shall be as described in Test MethodsE